Resolution #2 Fix up the Cozy Corner

There's a corner of my house that is everyone's favorite: the big chair in the bedroom.

• It's got a table and a lamp by it, so it's good for reading
• It's near the TV, so it's good for movies
• It's near the fireplace, so it's warm and toasty
• It's got an ottoman in front of it, so it's good for relaxing or the occasional game of chess or Risk

Everyone loves that chair -- including Jasper who often spends the night in it. I have to admit, though, that with so much love and use, the cozy corner is looking a little ratty and worse for the wear. The cushions are smooshed, the slipcover is both dirty and torn, and someone appears to have created a work of marker art on the ottoman.

I've decided it's time for a new chair and have picked out the PB Comfort Armchair from Pottery Barn because it's got all the attributes that are important to me:

• It's slipcovered so I can keep it clean
• It's got a 42" deep seat so it will be comfortable for at least two Furbers at once. JP and Katie like to sit together in the chair right before Katie's bedtime, so this is a very important consideration.
• It's built entirely of sustainable components
• It's built to last with a kiln-dried hardwood frame so it won't squeak, sinuous springs, and a tripled padded frame and cushions that will stay cushy for a long time

Our new chair will be delivered next week, and the cozy corner will once again be the comfiest spot in the house. Sorry, Jasper. Back to the floor for you.

Adventures in Decorating, by Guest Blogger Laurie's Mom

Although this post written by my Mom is slightly off my usual topic of decorating a stylish, casual and healthy family home, I loved it so much I decided to use it anyway. Mom breaks down so well how simple and pleasant decorating can be when you take the time to understand what you really want and like before you go shopping. And we working Moms with family homes to decorate can always use advice on how to keep things simple and pleasant. While the content below applies to her empty nest, it could easily apply to any home. Good job Mom!

Daughter Knows Best

Now that I am a senior, I am beginning to understand why old people’s houses can look dated. I can get through most of my life easily without help from anyone, but I am finding that decisions I used to make at the drop of a hat are becoming a chore so I just don’t change things. The world seems to move faster these days.
A good example would be my living room furniture. Laurie’s dad and I are fortunate to live in a home we have recently built so the structure itself is shiny and new with all the latest gadgets. After living in our home for a few years we have all the decorating and landscaping done. Recently I stood back and looked at the contents with a new eye and my daughter’s words rang in my ear: "Mom, you need some new furniture." When she first mentioned that I needed furniture, I looked at her with surprise and said "I just got this." To which she replied "Mom, that was 15 years ago." I looked closer and she was right: sun spots on the sofa, saggy cushions, a hem loose here and there.

I did research on the internet and armed with information, Dad and I went shopping. I couldn’t find anything I wanted to buy -- and believe me, I looked. I could always find a reason not to buy: not the right color or style, wasn’t comfortable, not to mention the prices --whew!!! Things change in 15 years. I began to think about reupholsterers. Why not? The furniture I bought 15 years ago was good quality and the style was still somewhat current. It could be like the walls of a house where a new coat of paint can do wonders.

I went to upholstery shops and most of them had approximately a 15” square of fabric that I needed to imagine on my seven-foot sectional. My imagination doesn’t stretch that far. When I asked for a sample to take home to see how it looked in the light of my living room, I ended up with a 1” x 2” rectangle cut from the bolt. But I kept trying to get it right and finally I thought I had it. Laurie was coming to town and I wanted to show her my finds. I knew she would love my ideas as much as I did. When I showed her what I planned to do, she said "Mom, look at this -- everything is the same color." I hadn’t noticed that before. The fabrics were all different from each other, but they were from the same color family and that color family was the same color as all the wood in our house.

Laurie gave me the following advice:

Look through magazines and pull out pictures of things you like. It doesn’t matter what the subject of the picture is: clothes, furniture, linens, gardens, fabric, bath, on and on.

Once you have a pile of pictures, prioritize them from “I like the least” to “I like the most."

Discard half of the pile that contains “I like the least” and some of the “I like the most” sections leaving you with the cream of the crop.

Look at the remaining photos and see if you can find a common theme and that will lead you to the color palette you probably will like the most. Laurie so wisely pointed out we needed to find out what I liked, not what she liked.

Once we figured out my color palette, which I previously didn’t know I had, Laurie and I went shopping. I found a fabric I really liked and then the work began. We used that as the focus fabric and chose fabrics that went with it. The different textures, patterns and colors all work great together. I love my “new furniture” and I didn’t add anything to the earth’s landfills in the process. I still have the comfort the old stuff with a new look.

I’m moving on to other things in my life that “date” me. Next on my list is my haircut -- same style for 20 years.

Laurie, get ready. I am gathering pictures and I will need your help!

Every Family Room Needs a Recliner -- But Does it Have to Look Like That?

The prevalence of flat screen TVs has spawned a whole new business called "motion furniture." To you and me, that's a fancy name for the chairs otherwise known as recliners, gliders, and swivel chairs. They used to look like this:


But in the last five years or so, motion furniture design has come a long way. It used to be one had to choose design or comfort when choosing a chair for the family room. Now it's not too much to ask for both.

When choosing a recliner, consider the following fundamentals:
Is the chair constructed well for lasting comfort?
How easy is the mechanism to use?
Which recliner is best for the amount of space I have?
And then choose a chair that looks great in your room.

There are a few sources I think are especially good for recliners that are well constructed, easy to use, and don't look like recliners:

Design Within Reach
If you want to make an investment, DWR's Flight Recliner is a great one. It's designed by Jeffrey Bernett who drew on his experience designing ergonomic inflight seating for Northwest Airlines. It's beautiful and comfortable.


Barcalounger
Next to LaZBoy, Barcalounger is probably the most well-known name in the recliner market. The company was founded in 1940, and has done a great job of keeping their designs current and still focusing on the ergonomics that make a recliner comfortable.


Room and Board
If you're looking for an eco-friendly recliner, Room and Board is a great resource. All of their upholstery is made of sustainable materials. While their furniture is generally pretty modern, you can find some classic and comfortable pieces if you have the patience to sort through their giant assortment.

If you've got an old recliner that you like, that just needs a little update, The Urban Sherp is a great resource for advice on eco-friendly upholstery fabrics that can update your old fave. Like this one from the new studio Oliveira Textiles:


The recliner's had a bad rap as the piece of furniture that's all brains, no beauty. But no more. Now Dads all over America can breath a sigh of relief, knowing that their wives will once again allow the recliner into the family room.

Investment Advice for the Family Room

A house with kids in it is like any investment -- you want to spend more on the things that matter to you, and less on the things that don't.

It's my opinion that the best investment in any family home is a comfortable, well-built sofa for the family room. It's also my opinion that many people invest too little in their sofa, and aren't quite sure how to choose a good one that will last.

Here's a simple rule: a good sofa is like a good meal -- you have to start with the right ingredients. The main ingredients for a good sofa are:

The Frame
A good one is made of kiln-dried hardwood rather than soft pine, plastic or particle board. The best frames are corner-blocked, double-doweled, glued and screwed together. As a general rule of thumb, there is less wood in cheaper sofas. Instead of being screwed and glued, the frames may be stapled together. Juliette Barrell of furniture maker Wesley-Barrell says, “A quick test to do in store is to gently lift the sofa by the corner. If it feels heavy and solid, this means work has gone into engineering the frame.” When you lift one corner of the sofa from the floor, at least one of the other legs should come off the floor also. If the other three legs stay on the floor, you know your frame will twist over time.
Penalty for choose a poorly constructed frame: your sofa will squeak.

The Springs
The very best springs are coil springs that are eight-way hand-tied to the frame. A good second best is a sinuous steel spring that's tied to the frame. Watch for zig-zag springs or pre-fabricated spring units that are dropped into the sofa -- they're bad. We've all seen antique sofas that sag in the middle: that's because the springs aren't strong enough to withstand years of regular use.
Penalty for choosing an inferior spring construction: your seat will sag. (And who wants that?!)

The Cushions
Part of the overall feel and comfort of the sofa will come from the style of cushion that is used in the sofa. The base cushions separate you from the springs of the suspension system, so they should be constructed well. For the best comfort, and lowest maintenance, you'll want a high density foam core in your cushion. You can then choose fiber or down to wrap the cushion, depending on whether you want your cushions to look tailored and neat (fiber), or loose and cushy (down). Avoid cushions that are foam only with no additional fiber or feathers -- they'll be uncomfortable and they'll break down quickly. The best test of a good cushion is to drop into the sofa like you will every Friday night when it's in your family room. If the sofa is the one for you, you'll feel comfortable right away. If you have to keep squirming around to get comfy, keep shopping.
Penalty for choosing an inferior cushion: a sofa that you don't really want to sit on.

After you've grilled the salesman about the frame construction and springs, and completed the comfort test, the last thing you should do before buying is sit on the arm of the sofa. If the arm is well-padded and comfortable, then you can reasonably assume your sofa is well-constructed, and you can confidently invest.

Your return on investment will be a sofa that will withstand hundreds of movie nights, bouncing and jumping from the most rambunctious kids, the occasional night spent on the sofa, and can still be passed onto your kids when they move out.