A Little Old Lady No More

I've been trying my hand at finding neglected furniture at the auction and redoing it.  It's been fun, and as long as you know what to look for, it can save you a ton of money.  I found this beauty at the auction a few weeks ago.

An old grandma couch from 1968.  Lemon-lime with cream.  Not the cutest girl in the room, that's for sure, but I could tell she had great bones--clean, classic lines, solid construction.  I sat on it--no broken springs. I shook it--no wobbles.  I even looked under her skirt--legs were in great shape.  I decided to watch what she went for that night at the sale.  Bidding started at $40, and I ended up getting it for $50--with buyer's fees and tax that's right around $60!  I brought it home and promptly put it away, trying to keep the "grandma couch smell" as isolated as possible while I looked for fabric.
Fabric hunting took longer than I thought--three to four weeks, actually.  I was looking for something really tailored, masculine, lightweight men's suiting style, and I couldn't find what I wanted anywhere. When I did, I knew that was THE fabric.  And at $3.99/yard, fifteen yards only set me back $60.

On the top of my bucket list right now is learning to reupholster--I have two small chairs that I'm going to tackle as learning projects.  But doing an entire couch?  Not now, probably not ever.  I have a great upholstery company that has done a few projects for me, and I dropped off old grandma couch at Shirley's to see what magic she could work.

Old grandma couch had been at Shirley's shop for a few days, when I answered the phone and heard the squeals of my upholsterer on the other end of the line.  You have no idea what you just bought, she began.  Then she proceeded to relate the details of the couch's construction to me--solid oak frame with legs that are one continuous piece of that frame, special coils and padding, etc.  She said that I couldn't get a couch of that quality at Ethan Allen any more.  I would have to special order those springs from Thomasville, and the couch would run anywhere from $3,000 to $5,000.  Your kids will never wear this thing out, she concluded, and she knows my kids, so that's really an endorsement.

I could barely wait the week it took to finish it.  Here is what it looks like now:

I get so happy every time I see it. Here are another few shots:

Can you believe it's the same couch?  They added padding to the cushions and modernized the piping details on the arms, but that's all.  I couldn't be happier. It went from an old grandma in a flowery dress to a young man in an expensive suit.  And while I was reading a design magazine, I came across this picture:

No. That is not my couch.  It is the Jackson sofa from Williams Sonoma.  Starting price $2250.  I scored--big!

Lily came into the living room, took one look at the new couch, let out a squeal (this is a girl after my own heart!) and exclaimed, "It looks like a couch from one of those design shows!"  Thank you, darling daughter.

But my favorite response yet has been Brad's reaction. He was a little leery of this whole new hobby--it does entail spending some cash, that's for sure.  But when he saw the finished product, sat on it, evaluated the workmanship, etc., he asked, "So, do you really like it?"  Duh.  "Well, if you do, then we need a new rug and a new chair as well."

Now that's what I like to hear!  I'm on it!

Linking this post up to My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia and  Miss Mustard Seed's Friday Furniture Party.