#169- Green Machine

The week after we moved into The Bungalow six years ago, we headed to Ikea with my parents truck and a big list, and headed home with this:

It's the Ektorp Corner sofa 2+2, and we got it because A.) We were moving into our first home, had no furniture and we needed a big piece to help fill the space, and B.) It was a really affordable price compared to very similar couches from Crate and Barrel and Pottery Barn at the time.  Before you ask though, let me just tell you that I have no idea why we chose green.  Especially considering that we had painted our walls yellow.

Did I really just show you guys that embarrassing photo again?  Let's just use this to say that style is definitely something that develops and changes over time.  So unfortunately as my design style progressed, the couch did not.  Not only did it stay minty green, but it was lived on, hard core, for 6 years.  The Green Machine saw everything, from the huge parties we had in our mid twenties, to the exploding diapers and drool that rang in the thirties.  Don't get me wrong, this couch is sturdy, and the shape stayed great, but I think the over-under on how many times you can wash those slipcovers is 250. And we're at at 477.  At least.

So the day of our closing, it was just a coincidence that we had to return our rental truck just a few hundred feet from Ikea.  Even though we had only been batting around the idea, the car pretty much drove itself there, and before we knew it we were the proud owners of a new Ektorp slipcover in Svanby Gray.  

Isn't it amazing?  We paid $300 for the cover, is definitely a good chunk of change, but it looks like we bought a brand new couch!  We could have gone with a more traditional white or tan, but we've learned from the Green Machine that darker is better when it comes to the way we live.  We didn't bother with a new cover for the footstool, as I've also moved past the matchy-matchy stage, and I'm planning to DIY one that coordinates, but doesn't match.  We are so excited about our purchase that finishing the Family Room just jumped up the priority list like a dozen spots.  If only those changes were as easy and dramatic. 

Then, just when our furniture situation couldn't get any better, we were strolling by Target and found this guy with a 50% off tag on it:

We paid just 75 bones for this guy, and I'm thrilled.  It's slightly larger than an average arm chair (chair and a half), and it's actually really comfortable.  We decided that even if this guy didn't last the test of time and began to fall part, it's only $75, which we could easily spend on a night out to dinner, so why not?  I've decided that I'll make a bolster pillow for this guy in the same fabric as the new ottoman I make, in order to pull all these pieces together.  You know, in all my spare time...

Anyone else have an Ikea find they love to brag about?  I'll be honest, we have had some hits and some misses, but the Ektorp has taken a beating, and still seems to love us back.