This is going to be a snappy quick rundown of my complete 48 hour mental breakdown. But don't worry. It'll be fun.
Part of my living room is on my front porch. This is unusual for me.
In 2018 I declared I was buying an English Roll Arm Sofa, right away. I'd hated my sofa for a decade and would absolutely DIE if I had to live with it another day.
Which lands us here almost 5 years later, reading about how I've just thrown half of my sectional into the street. Like a sad television cable.
So I didn't die from living with my sectional another 5 years, at least not quickly.
Instead, every night when I went into my living room, a little piece of my soul croaked. It was the piece of my soul that has a good eye and knows not to mix 50's and 70's aesthetics.
I just can't get this living room right. Not in 25 years have I ever felt 100% comfortable with it or in it. That's tough to accomplish when you have a wood burning fireplace. You have to really screw things up to make a room with a wood burning fireplace yucky.
When I'm anxious I rearrange furniture
Or maybe I'll declutter a drawer. I always feel accomplished and in control when I'm done. Except for this time when I rearranged furniture for 48 hours only stopping to hydrate and marvel at how bad at this I really was.
Only I'm not, which is what has been so frustrating.
In my defence, every 3 hours or so I thought I was done. Then I'd leave the room, come back in and start all over again. Things weren't clicking until fortunately - I snapped.
That's when I decided to take my sectional apart to see what the room would look like with just a couch. I figured I could at least see how nice the room could look with less sofa in it. And that would appease me.
I'd be able to stop moving furniture and accessories in circles.
I was right.
Chucking one hunk of my sectional on the lawn made me feel like I'd just had Bunny Williams redo my house.
karen bertelsen
I thought I hated everything in my living room, as it turns out. It was just 4' of the sectional that I hated.
That wasn't the end of it of course. Sunday night I worked moving, rearranging, shoving and storing furniture from 6 p.m. until 2 a.m. I worked myself into a complete frenzied panic.
I was NOT going to bed until my living room felt like me. It didn't even have to be grade A design. I just had to feel like it felt good to me.
Because my dining room feels like me.
My foyer feels like me.
You guessed it. My kitchen feels like me.
But my living room has always felt like ... not me.
This is an especially bad photo of an especially bad time in my living room but you get a good idea of how large a bossy pants that sectional was.
What I did was take the right section, the one in front of the window - and threw it away.
That freed up an ENORMOUS amount of space in the room for me to rearrange chairs, make actual pathways to walk. Since owning this house I've never once been able to walk in a straight line at any point through the living room. Zigging, zagging and scooching was always involved in a trip across my living room.
Now?
Well. Now it's kind of perfect. Now it is me.
Those are photography backdrops under the couch because I don't have anywhere else to store them. #littlebrickcottage
These are all just quick shots I took at about 3 p.m. Tuesday afternoon which means it was already getting dark out. So they aren't great images, but you can see there's more room in the living room.
More room to walk, vacuum, carry wood in. I could break dance. Do you know I could now break dance in my living room if I wanted.
Because I took a section off, the 2 ends of my sofa are different.
To cover up the fact that the two arms on the sofa are different, I just threw a blanket over the one arm. Problem solved.
I still need a new sofa. But at least I feel comfortable and like I'm sitting in a room meant for me.
At least that's how it went until 3:30 p.m. today. I looked at the photos I took. I didn't like them. Things weren't right and I had a pretty good idea of why. (I'll explain that in another post)
So it started all over again. I am currently putting the final sentences on this blog post from yet again, a completely different living room.
And I think this one is it. But I'm going to sleep on it.
I'll update you on this volatile situation on Friday. But I think I finally love my living room.
My porch, at the moment, I'm kind of hating.
Stephanie R.
I do the exact same thing to the point I am surprised my kids don't have permanently raised eyebrows and a continuous bobble head shake. As for your couch - until you get a new one (and toss the offending piece into the trash) - is there a way to remove the arm of the piece on your porch and replace the odd arm currently being hidden by a throw - that way the arms at least match? You also don't look like a shiny leg person - what about spray painting the legs/feet out to a darker tone - or removing them and adding wooden feet for now so they blend more into the floor and go away - or stand out better in a good way?
Karen
Hi Stehanie! I'm not bothered by it for the moment (and you're right I do not like the legs on this sofa or anything else about it.) But it's not worth the effort at this point. The couch is destined for the dump or a University student. ~ karen!
Jan in Waterdown
I’ll bet you’re scaring the crap outta your neighbours. If you move a fridge to the porch, I’m guessing a bunch of “for sale” signs could sprout overnight. Maybe it would make a nice puppy lounging spot?
Annie in Greenbelt MD
Stop! I laughed so hard that I nearly peed on myself at Jan in Waterdown's remarks!
I love to rearrange furniture so I totally get the 3am crazies!
Karen
Not likely with the drop in house prices.😂 I could probably put bodies and bags of dog poop on the porch and everyone would keep quiet and stay put. ~ karen!
Myrna
I can see a dissection of sorts, a cut and paste, in your future ;-)
Karen
Oh God, lol. EVERY night. But now it'll work better. There are certain stores online where you can hold your phone up and see the furniture superimposed in your room. It's FREAKISHLY effective. Create & Barrel might do it - I can't remember. ~ karen!
Nina
I too am a big fan of your Cy Twombly. So calligraphic!
Chris W.
Your dining room is probably my favorite of all the rooms pictured. When I was a kid, I used to about live at our town's library - it felt very comfortable just like your dining room. I also can never get it right with a couch so when we moved 12 years ago, i donated our 8" black leather couch to my 6'4" son-in-law to use for naps - he always loved the couch. When it came time to replace living room furniture in our new house(it's actually a huge space that the previous owners used as a living room and dining room), we decided it was more like a family room on one end and a sitting area on the other. There's a large space between the 2 areas with garden doors that go out to the deck. Instead of a couch, we purchased a leather recliner for my husband and a chair with ottoman for me along with an upholstered love seat. We basically never use the love seat but it looks very nice with the 2 leather pieces. Not that you require my approval, but using only a portion of the sectional made the area so much more inviting - the couch isn't eating the entire space anymore!
Karen
Chairs with ottomans take up SO much space that you really do need a lot of room around them. But to me, a chair with ottoman is WAY more comfortable than a sofa. I've place all of my furniture so that you can rest your feet on the bench/coffee table. I haven't found a recliner that I like the look of, but a recliner is the EPITOME of comfort. ~ karen!
Chris W.
I totally agree with you that they take up tons of space. Fortunately for us, our space is roughly 15x35 feet so it works out pretty good. My husband just loves his recliner but for some reason, they don't work for me ?!? Take care.
Cynthia
You are a hoot and I love your posts!
Carrie Anne
Totally get you Karen! I love moving my furniture and it makes me feel great,accomplished and most importantly just gives a new feel to the place and gets a good cleaning at the same time. I used to move things to where it got to a point I was arranging and rearranging what felt like hours! Then I got smarter and started to draw lay out plans of where things would go and things went quicker and smoother!
FYI.... I was wondering about the saddle....now I know from the comments that its yours from childhood. I love that! Also notice that besides Margaret it looks like you have quite a few old paintings/portraits. That I really love. I have to find an auction site so I can start my collection! Just something about looking at these faces and wondering who these people were. How they lived etc.(Looks like Margaret lived pretty darn well:)
But I Digress.... Your living room does look better with part of the sectional removed but you only live once....go get that sofa you've been dreaming of!
Karen
Hi Carrie Anne. Now that I know a single couch is good in the room, I'll hopefully have an easier time finding a sofa. And yes, that's my saddle. :) I rode and showed from grade 8 until University. ~ karen!
Marilyn Meagher
Well the next 25 yrs should be relatively peaceful ! Looks great, amazing what a difference losing an end of a sofa can make. Less IS more !
Karen
Less is more and more is oppressive. These are the things I'm finding as I become an old woman. ~ karen!
Bonnie Aldridge
I feel your pain. In 2013 I bought a sectional that was really just a sofa with a lounge at one end. I loved it for about a week. The cushions were designed so that the lounge could be at either end but I really wanted it in the middle. I decided to chop the lounge cushion in half and ended up with a sofa and matching ottoman that I could put anywhere I wanted to sit and put up my feet. I made slip covers for the chopped cushions but never got around to making them for the intact ones. The dogs preferred the original covers and by the time the pandemic rolled around they were covered in white (Sparky) and black (Odie) fur that defied the best efforts of three vacuum cleaners. I finally got rid of it by moving and leaving it behind (a different story). It's been replaced by a brown leather sofa with recliners at both ends where my husband and I can both put our feet up and Odie can stretch out between us. (Sparky is no longer with us, having subcombed to cancer while we were in Florida taking care of my mother-in-law who had a stroke.)
Karen
That's a terrible story! But I get the point. :) I did consider getting the reciprocating saw out, but this sofa will still be ugly so I'll just buy a new one now that I know I like a couch (as opposed to a sectional) in this room. ~ karen!
Patti
This makes a huge diff but I’m wondering if your thoughts are still the same regarding eventual replacement for an English roll arm sofa? I want something long and cozy enough to take naps and watch movies on but still want it to look fab! And I agree, no way I could pull the trigger on an expense like that without lying on it first! Have u decided to change out your curtains? PS: I’m also in Ontario!
Karen
Hi Patti! I changed my curtains years ago. I made interior shutters which I love. I also hated those curtains, lol. If you're in Ontario you probably also woke up to snow this morning! ~ karen
Patti
I’m in Huntsville so we sure did! I saw the curtains in one of your pics but it must be an old one. I’ll be anxiously awaiting your sofa pick when you finally decide! I need a cozy sofa to sink into and watch movies on a day like this! But she’s gotta be gorgeous too! Thanks for your reply, Karen! Have a great day!
lhall
I am with you on the living room reorganizing. You have such a great sense of style in your other rooms. I too love mixing very modern with very old. Sofas have always been a thorn in my side as I do not like anything fully upholstered. I inherited a beautiful Chippendale sofa from my mother with a fully exposed wooden base but it has had its day. I swear I look at sofas online for about 2 hours every day and can't find the right replacement. Sooo I am building my own. I am using an iron bed base and I have high hopes for it being the modern piece to contrast with my antique wooden pieces. It will be all white performance fabric with a black iron base exposed. I am excited. My sister thinks I am nuts and my mother, if she was still around, would not utter a word about it.
.
Karen
My sister built her bed so I have every confidence you can do it. Assuming you're anything like my sister that is. ;) ~ karen!
Tracey
Hi:
I'm here to ask about the indoor garden in your kitchen. Do you recommend this "appliance". It looks as if you are growing basil, kale and cherry tomatoes. I consider you to be an expert gardener so am interested in your opinion of this set up. Thanks Karen!
Karen
Hi Tracey. Yes! That's my Aerogarden I did a post on it a few years ago and it works great. My mother got one after she saw how well mine worked and she grows cherry tomatoes all winter long. She has so many she can't even eat them all. ~ karen!
Connie Bridgham
So during a trip home from college, one of our kids decided to tackle me on our sectional; resulting in a semi-broken back (the chair, not me!) that continued to crack precariously every time you sat. I removed the offending piece, rearranged and loved the result! Now there is much more room to navigate between areas (combo kitchen, dining and living) and room to breathe! (I was going to try to repair it....). LOVE how it turned out - totally understand your need for space.
Karen
If I can't move freely around a room I feel claustrophobic! And in a small house it's hard to achieve. As you apparently know, lol. ~ karen!
Karen A
Yep. I used to do that pretty much annually.
I have to stop now because we filled, sanded, primed and painted all the holes I've made in walls over the years. As well we did a few strategic built-ins and you can't move them. Plus, I bought a book that really spoke to me about finding my sense of comfort.
DESIGNOLOGY How to Find Your Place Type & Align Your Life with Design
by Dr. Sally Augustin
Karen
Oh God it's written by a Dr. That seems to track.😆 ~ karen!
Randy P
Yep..... the sofa simply needs a trip to sofa heaven. Your other rooms do seem to say simple minimalist elegance but the sofa kind a screams I'M A SOFA! And maybe the old chair wants that white furry throw back on it? I dunno. I'm following the hibernating bear with no sense of style ethos in my bungalow, so how dare I comment anyway? I have no doubt you'll get it all sorted. You DO have the proper sense of 'style' that I lack.
Karen
It's getting there. No sheepskins allowed. Philip grabs and runs with them like they're an actual lamb. And then he attempts to eat them. Soooo. ~ karen!
Randy P
Hah!!! But now I feel kinda sorry for my harsh words about the remaining couch. It never did ME any harm and there I was talking smack about it. I hope it will forgive my rude-osity.
Kat - the other 1
Lol!
One of the cats used to eat the "skins" off the toy mice!
We couldn't give any of the cats mice to play with cause she'd find them and eat them and that would be that.
Grammy
I've always felt like there was something wrong with your living room. Every other room of your home I would die to have myself, but I always figured you must spend so much time in the dining room and kitchen when you have guests, you think of the living room as just the place for you and your four-legged family members to hang out for reading or watching TV. Which is fine, because it's your home. But it always looked to me like no one else could possibly sit there with you, and it also made no sense. Now I can see what it was, because you fixed it. Too much couch. The way it is now, with the Eames chair and the cozy arm chair and the smaller couch, it's a place to hang out with your beautiful treasures (I don't know anyone else with their childhood saddle as a work of art in the living room) and also welcome a guest or two to join you for a comfy sit-down near the fireplace. I would love to have that room myself. I know it's yours, but now I love it, too.
Karen
Thanks Grammy and I couldn't agree more. As I mentioned, it has now changed entirely again. But I woke up this morning and I still love it. I desperately need some colour in here, a new sofa and a bit of reupholstering but ... this is as close as I've ever gotten to perfect. ~ karen!
Heather Taylor
I have to be honest, in my opinion, your couch is just plain ugly! I think you should get a new/old one. The rest of your house is totally gorgeous but your lounge will never be that way while that couch is in your house. Sorry Karen :-(
Karen
Did you miss the part where I said I've hated this sofa for over 10 years, lol? It's not a matter of thinking it's beautiful. I just haven't been able to find the right sofa for the room. :) Roll arms are incredibly deep and a bit too large for the space. And it was REALLY hard to know which sofa to pick for this room without actually seeing a single sofa in it. Now I have that luxury and hopefully will have an easier time picking out a sofa now. Fingers crossed it isn't another decade. ~ karen!
Katherine Massimi
Awesome post. Your home design is peacefully eclectic.
Deb from Maryland
100% agree!
Lois
Having an upholstered sofa on the porch is not that big a deal where I was raised. Looks comfy.
Sylvie
That was an awesome post.I have always moved our furniture around. Sometimes it would take me a while to get it right. My daughter is the same except she is very good at finding new treasures on Marketplace.I love what you did and the rest of your house is so beautiful.Good job!!
Karen
Now I have the rather gross job of figuring out how to get rid of it. Normally I'd put any furniture I was done with on my sidewalk and within a couple of hours someone would have thrown it into the back of their truck to take home. But one portion of a microfibre sectional? That might be a tough sell, even for free.😆 ~ karen!
M
That’s a totally me thing to do. Seriously. As a kid, I’d rearrange my bedroom sometimes every week. When people move, they ask me to come arrange the furniture. The worst? When I was house sitting for my sister in law, before they actually moved in they went on vacation first. I completely rearranged their main living space because it was all wrong and couldn’t stand to sit in it. The design of the house called for floating furniture and they pushed it against all the walls. See? It was awful. Since everything mostly just landed there from the move, I figured if they hated it, it was easy to change. They kept it.
I feel you pain.
M
Ps and yes they were a bit shocked when they came home to find I’d done that, but I couldn’t bring myself to move it back before they got home. Yes, I’m probably unwell when it comes to these things, but furniture placement should be an Olympic sport I tell you!
(And I feel youR pain)
Karen
I'm most impressed with the fact that you could get the layout right in the length of a vacation. That is Olympic level skill. ~ karen!
M
Oh, you know how it is…takes years to figure out your own house layout, but you see it right away when it’s not your house.
Also, sectionals are not made for us rearrangers. It might be fine, one time, that first time, then it haunts us till the end of time. I’m also, not a fan of the couch and loveseat combos because my ocd wants two the same length if I have two, but I can’t quit loveseats as they are the idea length for tv, reading, etc, because when you lay down the other arm is a raised foot rest. So much better than a recliner! Praise be! Then two matching love seats aren’t enough seating… and I go round and round. Ugh.
Amber
Wait. Wait. You keep your firewood on the bookshelf?!?!?!?
???
How does that even work? I have a basket, with a liner, with a purple flexibucket inside that, and I still get wood goobers all over the place.
I am not a good housekeeper. I’m up front about that and have very few guests. Only trusted individuals who understand that sometimes you can’t muck out both the chickens and the dog so there’s a choice. But I keep wondering if the cat will find a use for the wood goobers. At which point I may have to move.
And, excuse me, but, dark at 3pm? I’m in the deep southern state of Vermont and I swear the sun sets at 11am now. What is this sunny paradise of Ontario?
Laura N
I will leave furniture in the same spot for years. My mother came home from gallbladder surgery and started rearranging the living room.
Karen
LOL, well I'm currently looking out my front window (which I can see out of better now that there isn't a massive sectional in front of it, and it pretty much looks like dusk so maybe you're right. I've gone the basket/bucket route as well. When I got sick of sweeping the bits up I started putting it on my shelves. They still get covered in wood bits but at least I'm sweeping at waist level instead of the floor. But mainly it's to free up floor space. Because I live in a hobbit house. ~ karen!