***WARNING***

The photo you are about to see is real.  It is not a figment of your overactive imagination.  I really am posting this on the internet for all 6 of you to see.  Keep in mind that at the time this photo was taken, I was makeup-less and apparently didn’t like wearing pants. (Just kidding – there are shorts in there.  I think.)  Rest assured that we had no intentions of ever posting this on the internet, and the annoyed look on my face is directed towards the hubs – not you. 

Also keep in mind that the room you are about to see has undergone some major, yet-to-be-disclosed changes since this photo was taken.  All will be revealed in time. 

What I want you to pay attention to here is not the misshapen blinds or disheveled, pantsless internet-surfer, but focus instead on the exceedingly comfortable sofa in which she is nestled.  Notice I said “in” and not “on”.  You do not sit on wonderfully plush, overstuffed sofas.  You sit in them. 

Do not scroll down if you have an aversion to real house photos and the real people who live in them.  If you want to see perfect, go crack open a Pottery Barn or Victoria’s Secret catalog. 

Consider yourself warned. 

Here it is… 

I’m posting this because I have to ask: 

What’s so wrong with overstuffed sofas, anyway? 

Seriously. It seems like most designers and home decor experts have this… vendetta against the plump, billowy goodness that is a cushy sofa. 

Okay, okay, I’ll be fair.  I suppose that even if you set the style factor aside, you have the fact that they are likely to overcrowd a room.  I’ll admit the hubs and I have that problem.  See, our matching 3 piece sofa set (sofa, love seat, large chair) is the first new furniture we purchased together.  Our fist apartment consisted of an old couch someone gave us, a trunk as a coffee table, my wood veneer entertainment center, and a metal bed frame (no headboard, mind you – just the frame). 

So this sofa set was something special – it was symbolic for us building a home together. 

It was also incredibly practical.  Beige microfiber!  Cleans incredibly easily and hardly shows dirt.  And man, are those things comfy.  There’s nothing better than curling up with a good book in my huge, overstuffed reading chair. 

The monsters agree. 

But realistically, I need to think about the configuration of our living room and what our huge, over-sized sofas mean for re-sale.  They make the room look small (in an already-small room, this is not something that would have the realtors on Designed to Sell jumping for joy). 

Considering the fact that today’s super-sleek and stylish choices… 

…like this one from Pottery Barn: 

…or this one from Crate & Barrel: 

…could run us upwards of $1,700 (yikes!), I’ve been busily researching some other options. 

Fortunately, there appears to be a slew of online retailers out there offering designer catalogue look-alike sofas at a fraction of the price.  Of course, they all have mixed reviews, and none of them would allow us to actually sit in the sofa before committing to a purchase.  I *think* I might have the hubs nearly convinced to give it a try, however, because let’s face it – if our sofa is too comfortable, we might never get up.  (Or maybe I’m just keeping my fingers crossed that a slightly uncomfortable sofa will motivate us to get off our bums and finish our renovating.) 

I’ll have a vote at some point, but for right now, here are a couple I like: 

Looks a bit like the one from Pottery Barn, no? 

This one seems nice, too: 

Anyway, there are so many choices!  For people as indecisive as me and impulsive as the hubs, this could end up disastrous. 

I will be holding a vote sometime in the near future, but in the meantime, any suggestions?