In my adult life I have moved around a fair bit. Bit of a wanderer trying to find the place I want to call home. Or in other words I was never sensible enough to have savings for a deposit and buy a house, I have always rented. Today I am sitting in a rather empty lounge, and somewhat cold just to add more atmosphere, waiting for my new sofas to arrive. Excited is an understatement and I need to keep myself busy while I wait so I just tried to remember all the sofas I have ever had.
My life in sofas…
My first was a really uncomfortable 2 seated wicker garden chair type thing that came with the bedsit I lived in. I think I sat on it once and after that just used my bed.
Next were two 2 seater Laura Ashley sofas that came with the tiny cottage I rented. The cottage was really really small so the sofas were probably just large chairs. Being second hand they were well worn and back then I had no clue who Laura Ashley was nor did I like things with big flowers on.
Next move was to a loft type apartment, well that’s stretching the imagination a bit. It was a conversion over a garage. A tiny bathroom, a minuscule kitchen then a room that was a bedroom and lounge. Again the bed was my main choose of seating.
Back to a cottage, this time with a fella, and more grown up furniture was needed. I was lucky that my workroom (I was a seamstress) was in a furniture shop so we had first pickings of anything swapped in. A proper sofa this time, 3 seater in dark blue velour. Oh and lots of buttons. This must have been comfortable as it survived to the next house. The relationship didn’t though and I soon found myself in a small flat. Alone and sofa-less.
Taking in a lodger I was able to save up for a new sofa. Not really understanding or forwarding thinking the logic of people sitting on sofas I bought a rather small 2 seater tartan sofa . I must have thought it a good idea at the time but I soon fell out of love with the sofa and tartan. The next move was life changing as I had met the father of my children and soon discovered myself pregnant, cue a move to a larger flat. So large the lodger came too and too the tartan sofa. Family life dictated more bums on seats so ‘we’ bought a suit. This was proper grown up stuff. Hugemungess sofa and 2 arm chairs were soon delivered. These were just massive. They had big feather cushions that needed a forklift truck just to fluff up. These became the pain of my life as I spent the last 2 weeks of married life sleeping on them before we divorced. No comfy and not a good time.
New home and out came old faithful the tartan Coaster furniture sofa. Cant think where it had been hiding throughout the marriage but it must have been there somewhere. It survived another move (I did say I moved a lot) and did quite well for just the kids and I and then the lodger came back. One day the ex turned up with a suit saying his friends were getting rid and thought I would like it. I did and tartan sofa was taken to the tip. This suite was comfy but rather impractical in pastel shades. Not really my choice in colours. But onwards and all that it came to the present house I am in, the lodger didn’t. Being a smaller house I was able to save some money and new sofas were bought. Trying to be a touch trendy the matching tiny 2 seater leather sofas from Argos (you can tell I’m not a sofa connoisseur) did look ok. They were really just glorified chairs and you could just look at them and they scratched.
Over on the other side of town my other half was selling his house. He had posh taste and had Land of Leather sofas which he couldn’t house in his new house. After weighing up which were the better quality, which took all of one split second, I had his sofas. I was to look after them till a time he might need them back. It would also suit me as I could save for new ones. These were more expensive but still practical leather in black. The largest sofa so big I could lie out on it. Only draw back was high arms. very trendy and lovely in a bachelor pad but not so comfy to lean on because you couldnt. Felt bit like sitting in a box, admittedly expensive and fairly comfy box. Again not really my choice.
7 years later I have finally got there. The old sofas have gone a few days ago and I am sitting waiting for 2 sofas to arrive. Sofas that I have saved for, sofas that arnt that cheap and more importantly sofas I choose myself (if you don’t count me dragging the youngest with me). Today is a big day for me. No more second (third, fourth) hand sofas. No more anyone else taste. No more cushions sliding off leather or having throws to cover up someone else’s taste or worse.
Before I had time to post this up my new sofas have indeed arrived so I thought I would update before posting. They are huge, they are gorgeous, they are soft strokable cord. They are grown up putty colour and they smell new. I am in love and keep starring at them. I may pluck up the courage to sit on them shortly.
As a single parent, at the beginning of her sofa journey, this article both made me laugh and gave me hope. I suppose it’s both a blessing and a curse to be lucky enough to have people who generously donate their old, unwanted, ‘what was I thinking when I bought this?’ items to you. I’m currently sitting on a green office chair, that I’m using as a dining chair and looking at my morrocan red three piecer- which once belonged to my friend’s now deceased grandfather. I hope that I can get it together enough to one day be able to choose my own style, or at least be able to afford a decent throw!