Looking for new furniture for front room

[Us+2 ferts&theDog]

After weeks of lurking, and learning a lot, I'm looking for input regarding new furniture for our front room. I'm looking to replace 15+ year old fabric covered England sleeper sofa and double reclining loveseat with leather. As the sleeper function on the sofa has been used something like twice, I believe a stationary sofa will best suit our needs. The fly in the ointment comes with the loveseat...DH and I prefer to be attached at the hip (we're cute that way ) and are therefore not necessarily interested in separate chairs. DH loves the recliner however <sigh> and I'm resigned to getting him his own tilt-back chair as a compromise for his naps. Recliners are not practical due to our ferrets (we have 2) that use the arms of the recliners as a hidey hole (not to mention my fear about them getting caught in the recliner mechanism...but we've had ferrets for years without incident).

I keep reading about the comfort of the H&M Austin series but I prefer the aesthetics of the 2057 Grainger (I prefer the Grainger's legs over the Austin's bun foot along with the Grainger not having a T-cushion seat). Although I'm not keen on the bustle back (our current furniture is bustle backed and quite flattened at that), I'm willing to compromise on this for his chair in the interest of his comfort (he's worth it). I must admit that I had him sit in a tufted back chair by Mayo (link: http://www.mayofurniture.com/931.htm ) and, surprisingly, he thought it very comfy and thought he could nap in it easily. It is similar to the Author chair (which I adore) but I think it wold be too large for the space.

I vacillate between a sofa/loveseat combo or a sectional for the main seating. I'm not certain I like the idea of everyone sitting together on a sectional when we have company (I'm kinda fussy about who invades my personal space), but if I go with a sofa/loveseat set, with a chair for DH, I'm afraid I'm going to overpower my ~15'x16' room with so much furniture! Although clutter tends to accumulate, generally I'm more of a less is more type.

Originally I was thinking a single or two cushion seat but I've since learned that the fewer cushions on the seat, the more wing-effect lift (I don't know how to explain it otherwise) one has when someone sits...so 3 cushion it is, if a sofa. I like the looks of a tight back (we both like the looks of the 4487 McNary), but have also learned that, unless tufted, tight backs are not particularly comfortable for lounging. I do love the idea of replaceable cushion cores to maintain comfort as the years roll by. I also don't care for ornate legs. I like roll arms for comfort, but track arms for sleekness.

The problem with a sectional is DH, who sits on the right, absolutely must have a place to park his beer. With his sitting right, that would put him in the corner. I've suggested one of those sofa tables where the legs tuck in under the sofa, but they ain't very purty...although he is quite handy and he could build something (no place to put his beer would certainly be enough motivation to get that done!).

We live in our front room...watch TV, nap, eat, drink, be merry. The lab-mix dog does get on the furniture in our absence, although we have throws we put in place to prevent excessive soiling (lord how I loathe cleaning the sofa and loveseat, hence the transition to leather).

I'm considering no less than a semi-aniline cover, although I'm aware that a servicability of 2 would better suit our lifestyle. The post dwainw posted with the results of his testing a couple of leather swatches (http://www.myfurnitureforum.com/show...loveseat/page2) was a godsend to me. I worked with leather y-e-a-r-s ago in the apparel industry and I'm somewhat spoiled regarding the hand of leather. I'm prepared for the cleaning upkeep to go with a higher maintenance serviceability to get the feel I desire, after all I'm the one who wipes down the glass and chrome after every shower in our wetroom to keep it spot-free with our hard water...upping the leather cleaning from the recommended twice a year to four times a year should not be a big reach for me. I also prefer the character that arises as the less protected leather patinas with use and age.

If I went with a sofa/loveseat combination, I'm not necessarily interested in a series matched set but would like the furniture to play off each piece aesthetically. Nor am I interested in matching the leather covers. I would prefer each piece to stand alone while playing well with each other.

I've attached photos of our current layout and I have done a layout with the icovia planner, using Duane's login (file name: Childers current LR). I've also added a photo of our soapstone woodstove on our south wall and our north facing front room window (the windows were replaced last year and, yes, those are sheets in lieu of draperies so input on what to do about a window treatment is also welcome. We used to have 2" pretend wood blinds and hubby is not so keen on them again, he'd rather see sheers and drapes on a double rod).

I've also considered swapping the TV wall to the other side and floating (part of?) the furniture but I'm afraid that's going to encroach on traffic through the room.

I would appreciate any input fellow forum members would like to share. Hopefully I've not provided TMI.

Tammy

[Us+2 ferts&theDog]

Here's the 2 other attachments...

Tammy

[drcollie]

Hi Tammy,

In looking at your room, your layout as currently shown is really the only practical one I see. The Stove dominates, and because of the flue its obviously not going anywhere. Moving the TV really won't get you much as that wall is short and compromised by the door on the right of the TV. Because the room is smallish, I'm going with a sectional as my first choice to maximize the seating area and comfort, and replace the coffee table with an ottoman that will allow you to use the sectional as a recliner of sorts. That gives you some good 'snuggle' use as well, but the limitation is there's no where to easily put a drink on the piece other than getting a tray from Pier 1, etc. and setting it on the sectional. We can customize drink holders in the arms, but then your hubby would have to sit near the arm itself to use it. Maybe he'd be willing to do that?

Leather is easy. Wipe n' go, a damp cloth will do it most the time then a couple times a year use the cleaners/conditioners for a complete cleaning.

If you do sofa/loveseat combo, I don't see where you have room for a recliner, you'll have to put an incliner into the loveseat as you have it drawn on the Room Planner. I laid out what is an Austin Sectional with Incliner in one position on the Icovia Room Planner, take a look and see what you think. (Childers LR 1).

Now, if you want to get the ultimate Couch Potato/Football Watchin' sofa, the Rodeo Power Station has it all with dual power recliners on the ends and flip-up arms that allow you to store remotes, Doritos, etc in the compartments. Heck, we could probably get H&M to install a beer chiller in one of the arms:

http://www.hancockandmoore.com/produ...productid=2034

Duane

[Us+2 ferts&theDog]

Duane,

Thank you for replying with your thoughts, they are appreciated and close to what I expected. With your suggestion of a sectional, are you also indicating a tilt-back chair to be out of the question due to our room size? There's that vacant spot in the corner by the kitchen that I was thinking about putting the tilt-back...before our remodel my computer desk was there.

While the Rodeo is certainly a spectacular piece (LOL that you "got" what I was saying about DH's needs), I want to stay away from recliners (anything that opens in the lower front) as that allows access for the ferrets. I can only imagine how much eye rolling you do in trying to cater to each client's needs, what can I say? I'm a critter person.

I've an odd-ball question for you...would there be any ramifications (i.e. warranty) to our affixing hardware cloth over the bottom dust covers on H&M furniture? This is, again, to keep the carpet sharks (ferrets) out of the furniture.

Tammy

[Riddle]

Giggle. I wish I'd thought of hardware cloth when my cats were kittens. I swore that one of them was headed for medical school to become a surgeon. She ripped open the neatest little slit in the dust cover of a chair. It was just large enough for her climb in and nap. I didn't know about it until I tore the house apart fearing that she has somehow gotten outside.

[Us+2 ferts&theDog]

LOL, amazing what we put ourselves through for our children and critters, eh? A dozen or so years ago, when we first got ferrets, my husband and I had planned an evening out with friends. When it was time to meet them we searched high and low for the one we called "Wee One" (for good reason). We couldn't find her anywhere and I immediately assumed she'd gotten out of the house. Needless to say, with me in tears, we didn't go anywhere that night. A couple of hours later she finally came out from inside the sleeper sofa, batting her eyes and yawning <sigh> Other than one other time, when she really did get out but that's a whole other story, we stopped worrying about them (at least outwardly). They do keep us on our toes, I just don't want them in the furniture anymore, they have enough hidey holes around the house, thank you very much!

[drcollie]

No issues at all. If you order H&M pieces, you can send them the hardware cloth and they'll apply it on the pieces for you at no extra charge.

Looking at the room planner, I sure don't see any room to put a tilt back chair/ottoman in there in conjunction with a Sectional, but that doesn't mean it can't be done. No one knows the room better than you do.....

[Riddle]

No issues at all. If you order H&M pieces, you can send them the hardware cloth and they'll apply it on the pieces for you at no extra charge.

Wow! That's impressive. It never would have crossed my mind to request that. It's a great idea for those of us who share our homes with fur people who have claws.

[Us+2 ferts&theDog]

"Wow!" is right!! I would never have asked to have the manufacturer apply the hardware cloth but it's a wonderful idea as the crafts(wo)men would ensure proper installation without creating an integrity issue with the frame or covers.

[Us+2 ferts&theDog]

Yesterday I had a chance to take DH out for some test fits of H&M at our 2 local retailers. It was an eye opening experience for both of us. Although neither retailer had any Austins on the floor, we did find a couple of Journey loungers along with a Miller and a Rugby.

DH found the Rugby to be too short in back height (although he's only 5'9", he tends to be a might long bodied). He preferred the sit of the Journey over the Miller. The Miller we found had the Ultra Down seat, as did the Journey (at least I assume it was the seat that was Ultra Down on the Journey).

Can the Journey be built as a tilt-back instead of a recliner?

We also found a Stickley Santa Fe chair-and-a-half that we found to be comfortable width-wise for the two of us. I see 8140NB (Austin High-Back chair-and-a-half) is available and is slightly wider than the Stickley we found (which we don't care for as far as comfort but gave us a gauge on ID width).

So now, Duane, I'm curious about your thoughts on the following:

1948 Princeton sofa (I like the tight-back and the shorter length) OR 1943 Bradley 2-seater
8140 NB Austin chair-and-a-half in lieu of a loveseat
7039 Journey (customized as a tilt-back instead of the reclining lounger)

Is this still too much for our little room? The chair in the NW corner, the Austin where the current loveseat is on the E wall, the sofa along with N wall just moved a little W to accommodate the chair (see Childers LR2 in your Icovia account).

What are your thoughts on the compatability of styles? I suppose another option, as I'm just not sure how we feel about a sectional, could be a loveseat instead of a sofa on the N wall.

I was pleasantly surprised about the nice hand of the Document Chestnut leather, I was expecting something with a plastic-y feel given it's highly processed.

I also noticed on bustle-back chairs that the bustles flip over for access to the back side and there were zippers. So one could replace the cores if need be? I was under the impression that an outside repair tech would need to do the replacing.

As always, I appreciate your expertise and opinions.

Tammy