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.

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.

Life in the White House

My friend Sheryl stopped by the other night to pick up her son after a playdate with Jack and we were discussing the new slipcovers I had just bought for my family room sofas. When I told her they were white, she said "WHAT?! White? Why would you do that?"

I realized then that it's time to share a secret with all my fellow moms: white is the most under-used and under-rated color in the interior palette of a family home. Unlike bright colors, or other non-white neutrals, white can be washed in hot water and bleached. I buy everything that gets tons of use in white: I have white sheets and a white duvet on my bed, white bathtowels in my bathrooms, white floursack towels in my kitchen, white slipcovers on my sofas, white table linens in my linen closet.

I don't worry too much about spilling. If I did, I'd be in a straightjacket -- I've watched my son Jack wipe his face on the sofa. Whenever something gets messy, I just give it a warm, sudsy, bleachy bath and it's good as new. When something needs a little extra brightening, I make like my Mother-in-Law and put it out in the sun for an afternoon.

Because my basics spend lots of time in the pool, I've learned to always have a few extra sets of everything, and to pay a little more for quality base fabrics so the items last longer. Here are some rules I live by:

For sheets and towels, I always buy combed cotton when I can, because carded cotton pills.

For slipcovers, I always buy denim or canvas when I can, because those fabrications have more body, and don't get too wrinkly in the dryer.

For kitchen towels, I always buy the classic floursack towels made by Ritz. They're the best, they don't leave lint on your glasses, and they're cheap -- you can get 4 for about $10 from any restaurant supply or kitchen store.

For table linens, I always buy classic hotel linens. The good ones have a really thick, mitered border all around, so they don't shrivel up in the wash, and whatever that fabrication is, it lasts forever. Best of all, the hotel linens don't really need to be ironed. Which works for me because the last time I had an iron out, my daughter Andie said "what's that?" The time before that, my Mother-in-Law took a picture of me with the iron because she wanted to have it on film.

Waiting until the kids are out of the house to indulge in white is for wusses. I've got a Maytag Neptune and a bottle of Clorox. Bring it on!

In praise of slipcovers

Slipcovers are the best! Until my kids are grown up and moved out, I will never have a sofa that's not slipcovered or leather. I especially like Pottery Barn's square arm sofa -- even with slipcovers it's got a contemporary edge that I like. If I didn't work for Pottery Barn, I'd still buy it, it's that cool.

Every few weeks I peel the slipcovers off the two square arm sofas in my family room, wash them in my washing machine and return them to the sofas in super condition. I've had linen slips on my sofas for the last five years, and I love them. No wrinkles, machine washable, nice and light so I can bleach them once in a while. As I said, the best.

The kids eat their snacks on the sofas, put their feet up, lounge all they want, and they always look neat and clean (The sofas. The kids, not so much.)