Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Rearranging the sofa: 4 times a charm!

I think we've solved the sofa problem.
At first I tried putting a different rug in front of it:
But the husband grew up with this rug and was sick of seeing it everywhere and doesn't want it in the living room. It's also thin and not as cushy/comfy as the red ones. The Afghan rug also left the rest of the room's floor bare and empty and we just need more coverage. (we agreed that if we'd had more rugs we'd just do a casbah thing, but no such luck) So back go the red rugs:
Then we moved the couch trying to face the fireplace:
But this was just silly since there was so much room between the couch and fireplace. So we moved it again. Every time we move the rugs we get these piles of white grit. Great, the overpriced rugs that were perfect in the last apartment are not only no longer perfect in this one, they don't really work in any space, we're sick of them, and now they create the Gobi desert. See?
Anybody know how to deal with this carpet grit? We have tried vacuuming both sides many times to no avail. Stupid rugs. At least we felt really happy with the last couch switcheroo:
We get the enjoy the blue wall that we thought we'd never really see from the couch (remember our storage delima?) and we feel closer to the fireplace while feeling like we're not missing out on the window. Having the chaise section of the couch be far from the fireplace helps keep the space open, while also helping to define the seating area.
Putting both red rugs in front of the couch keeps a main traffic area behind the couch trip-free while keeping the hang-zone cushy, comfy, and contained. We like how the room is so huge and open to the dining area, but we didn't want the living space spilling over too much, so this is nice. Our inspiration photo for the blue wall opposite the couch is courtesy the Domino Book of Decorating (which I highly recommend):
We thought about doing this art arrangement around our big nautical map back when the sofa was against the wall, but we like how this will look with our two armchairs. Ideally we'd upgrade the armchairs and add a small table and lamp between them, as well as switch out the coffee table for something else. We'd also like to find real endtables, put a small bookshelf in the far right corner, and get the wall over the mantel decorated, but for now we're happy to have at least this much done!! We can live with this until we get the other rooms set up.

Seriously, any ideas about the gritty rugs??

7 comments :

Karoliina said...

I'm going to be doing the same with our blue sofa in a few days. I'm just waiting for "someone else" to do the heavy lifting and to add a little pain to the walls before we do this.

Allison said...

I like your new arrangement... I have always like floating sofas. It really invites you into the space, and gives a defined space to the living room. Looks like your'e having fun.

Spotted Sparrow said...

I love the sofa there. Isn't it amazing how moving one piece of furniture can totally change the look of a room? Sorry, no idea what's with the rugs.

Traveling Mama said...

I love the new arrangement! And what a great way to use your artwork! Weird about the rugs! What is up with that?? Would dry cleaning them help?? You'll have to let us know if you find a solution! Oh, and I loved your Corner View!

kiddlebug said...

My rug is doing the same thing. I think the backing is breaking down though I can't be sure. That fine powder is hard to sweep up though.

christina said...

Your place looks great! As kiddlebug says, the grit is most likely from the rubber backing of of the carpet drying out and crumbling off. Probably not much you can do about it except maybe take it outside and give it a good shake.

Tracey Morris said...

Juliette! I just spent an hour reading through your blogs. I'm supposed to be at a school! Love your fun decorating stuff and I love your couch arrangement that you settled on. That's what I would have gone with. Can you come to my house? I have a red couch. :)
So, I'm putting you on my daily check-in list. So fun to see you all married and domestic!
Tracey

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