Other Sofa Options

Thinking about the storage vs. sleeper vs. none dilemma, I've come to the conclusion that we can probably get away with a couch that doesn't have a sleeper in it. For one thing, sleepers are obscenely heavy so carrying that up our stairs and moving it around seems deeply unappealing. Also, it's easy enough to get an air mattress for guests if not having a sleeper couch proves a problem.

Extra storage, however, is key but I think we can find more attractive and affordable options than Ikea. As much as I'd love to have your leather sofa, I really don't think there's room. Of course I can't find the all of the measurements right now...FAIL... but the couch the current tenants have is about 50in long. The living room width-wise is approximately 75''so we don't want a couch that is too deep since it won't leave enough room for a coffee table and TV. The two recliners sound awesome but they'd probably hit the wall given that the room isn't super wide...

Coventry 48'' Storage Bench
The above sofa is on sale at Ballard design for around $520-580 (varies depending on which fabric you choose). It's only 26'' deep so that should still give us plenty of space in the room for a coffee table and TV stand without making it too cramped. Also there are many choices of fabric for this couch, which is a nice luxury. You know my proclivity towards patterns, hence the lovely sea grey-blue stripes above, but there are also some great neutrals available. The wall along the side where the couch is currently located is about 70'' so we would still have room for a side table/lamp/whatever. And we wouldn't have to include a sectional if we didn't want to.

Christina's Existing Art Inventory

The three shown here are French newspaper covers dating from 1896.  I "matted" them myself, but should we want them in the apartment I will first have them professionally matted.  They hung just above the sofa in my Georgetown apartment last year and are currently hanging over my bed.  As my mom will likely be gutting my room as soon as I'm packed up, I'd be happy to donate them.

For these two, both are original black-and-white photos on black matting with bright white at the beveling.  

I love the portrait shot; there's just something to the juxtaposition of the organic lines of the calla lilly against the hard right angles of the bridge work.  The shot was taken on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco.  

The second is almost definitely too taste specific for the space.  The photo is the stern of an eight on Boat House Row in Philadelphia, and I've always loved it for the interesting square matting and the depth of field, with the very tip of the boat kept in crisp focus, making the water in the background this great play on light.  Obviously this appeals to me because I'm a former rower, and so I don't expect anyone else to share my enthusiasm.

Monica's Exisitng Inventory

Here are a few of the items that I already have that will be arriving in 131 Ave. A on July 1st. Please excuse the dismal backdrop for the photos; I had a little photo shoot in my basement since I was too lazy to haul all these things upstairs. Hopefully you get the picture (ha ha ha).

The mirror and the next two framed photos were both in my room last years, and most likely I'll keep them there since I'm leaning towards replicating a similar design scheme. However, if we think they would be perfect elsewhere in our apartment then we can relocate them.






Oh Audrey, always a must...

And this one is a photo from an exhibit at the Met two years ago on Venice and the Islamic world. So SFS...

These next four are all part of a series - the official poster from the Washington Cherry Blossom Festival from 2006 to 2009. All have identical black metal frames and are the same size, and depending on wall space could go in the living room, hallway, etc. I just got the prints framed so I've never actually hung them, but would love to bring them if we think there's room. Alternatively, I might put these in my room if we think Audrey and Venice could go in the common areas. I just don't want to lug them up to NYC if we don't think we'll hang them anywhere.

Next is the coffee table I mentioned to you. It's 36in across, 18in high, and 14in wide. The shelf area is 9in high, which I put lots of books and DVDs on when I had it in my room, but would obviously be good for a sundry of items. We could even but some small basket there to keep it less cluttered.


Ah, and I almost forgot, these are nothing expensive or all that special but I have had them for years and the girls and I hung them in our living room/stairwell for the past couple of years to kill some wall space. Black metal frames like the cherry blossom prints. Even if we're not sure what to do with them/if we want them on the walls, I may bring them up anyways since they're very light and don't take up much space. Yay classic rock.

Lamps

I already have this floor lamp and then the same design in a table lamp and am happy to donate them to our living room. The finish is more of a silver-leaf than the gold it appears in the photo, and the lamp-shade is off white. J.C. Penny mooched off a much more expensive design from Niermann Weeks, but this version still looks classy and I love the wrought-iron garden inspired design.

Classy TV Stands

I like the idea of having a TV stand that has shelving underneath so we can really maximize the space on the wall. The TV's also 40in so wherever we put it, it's going to dominate that space. I really like the glass doors on this one.

Darker (and cheaper) depending on the color sche

me we go with.

"Dining Room" Tables

CB2 - Silverado

Price:  $299.00

Dimensions:  72"W x 36"D x 29.25"H

I've fallen head over heels for this Silverado glass dining table from CB2.  As a matter of fact, Monica, I found it recommended in the Washington Post article you forwarded this morning.  Perhaps a bit steep on the price front, but arguably worth it for such a versatile piece.

Now, envision this table with a wall of mirrors behind it, which will go a long way to open up the space and reflect the natural light from the windows across the room.  There's a fabulous DYI home improvement blog with a decidedly female (read pseudo-feminist) slant, Be Jane, that provides full instructions.  The finished effect is very elegant, and well worth the extra time and money spent on the hanging of 6-10 individual mirrors.  I've even found a few on Ikea's website that are fairly affordable and with frames that aren't too obviously shoddy in appearance. 

Ikea - Levanger

Price:  $14.99

Dimensions:  9 1/2" x 17 3/8"

The gold could work fine, but I'm confident that with a coat or two of metallic paint we could easily revamp them into a brushed silver.  And I'm not averse to a metallic black or white, depending on the wall color we ultimately side on.  

Ikea - Ram

Price:  $7.99

Dimensions:  15 3/4" x 38 1/4"

This design may work better since the width and ornateness of the frame on the Levanger model could over-segment the mirror and, on the whole, overpower the look.  These look to be the mirrors used in the project cited.

Ikea - Levanger 

Dimensions:  37" x 51 1/8"

Alternatively, I already own the larger version of the Levanger with the brushed silver frame which, with some luck,  I should be able to transport in one piece to New York.