Goodbye, Dead Mouse Couch!

I got a new couch.

My first ever, “bought it in a store with my own money” kind.

Our old couch had served us well. It was a relic that had been brown in a previous life and then transformed into a blue and white striped beauty that I loved for several years.

Then it got saggy. The zipper broke on one of the cushions. We painted the walls a periwinkle color that did not complement the couch. My delightful 4-year-old peed on it several times during potty training. My dog had also marked it herself, for no good reason other than that she’s a petulant, frantic creature given to her own idiotic desires.

And then, a mouse lived in it. During regular couch business hours. And then,

that mouse died in it.

I was ready to throw the couch to the curb with the dead mouse still in there but my in-laws talked me out of that one by removing the mouse and stapling the upholstry back. I allowed the couch to remain in my living room with the understanding that a new one was on its way. Just as soon as I could save up enough Macy’s employee award money and coupons to get it for a good deal.

I picked a piece from Martha Stewart’s Saybridge collection. Totally vintage and totally me. I dreamed about my new red couch as I watched the Dowager Countess and Lady Grantham sit on the stunning red couches in Downton Abbey. Yep, I had picked wisely.

I read as many reviews as I could find, etc., since I would be ordering this couch sight-unseen. Sadly, Martha’s kitchenware does not have great longevity so I was wary of her furniture offerings. The reviews were all positive so I decided to go for it.

I LOVED the Storm (deep gray) color but knew it wouldn’t go with my decor. So I decided on Berry, which looked like this online:

I couldn’t tell if the red was the right tone, but I went for it. And got this:

Oh, yeah! (The lighting is funky here but trust me, it’s a gorgeous red.)

It totally transformed my living room. Well, that and the new coffee table that JB made. More on that in another post.

Again, I know that the lighting is bad. I feel like my camera is off for some reason. But it’s probably just me.

The couch retailed at $1,500. I could have had it delivered to my house for $300, as the closest Macy’s furniture store was in Flint, over 100 miles from my house. For $86 though, I was able to have it delivered to my sister’s house in St. John’s. About halfway between here and Flint. After shipping and the warranty, etc., I paid less than $600 for it.

It’s quite comfortable. I like the high arms. The vintage look. The deep seats.

I used to not really enjoy my living room. The couch was saggy and didn’t match anything and the room just felt kind of big and empty (even though it is full of furniture!). I feel like this new couch pulls all the other pieces together and provides a nice eye-catching anchor for the room.

It has taken me nearly six weeks to properly photograph this couch and it still isn’t where I want it. Previously, when the lighting was good, I had interference. I trained Lucy at a young age to model for the camera. I failed to teach her that she is only required to model when I ask. Not whenever the camera is around.I have dozens of shots with her in it somewhere. Oh, Lou!

I am so thankful that we were able to afford such a beautiful new piece of furniture.