Couch Ouches.

Well, we've decided what we want to do with the bonus room. We're going to move the sectional up there and get a TV (eventually) so it's a comfortable hang out area. So, in the living room were going to get a new couch and side chairs. I think a lighter colored couch can still be comfortable but more fancy/stylish looking. I'm looking at the linen/oatmeal/tweed type fabric and color and I'm excited about how I think it will look.

When we bought the sectional we paid around $700 for it and while we still like it, we can tell that we got what we paid for. The bottom cushions slide out all the time and the back cushions have already started sagging. So, we know that getting a quality sofa is a priority if we don't want to keep buying them.

However, we're under a bit of sticker shock looking at what a quality couch really costs. There is a Bassett/Selden's/Thomasville in our town, so we hit it up just to get some ideas. Bassett makes custom couches and we liked that we could get exactly what we wanted without compromise.

This is what we like:

But not the price tag.

So, we'll see what we decide. I don't think we're in a hurry to do anything until we figure it out for sure.

Rumpus Room Revamp

Alright, so there is one room in our house that we've done absolutely nothing to but paint. The bonus room upstairs. It's a massive room that sits above the garage and looks out on the street. It's a 14' x 18' room with an extra 5' x 9' area off one side. Very sketchy drawing, but like this:

We painted it the same color as much of the rest of the house, Olivewood by Glidden.

Anyway, we'd like the room to basically be the fun hang out for our friends - a bar/snacks in the corner area, a game table, and a big screen TV with comfy chairs. However, we don't want it locked into that since we foresee that it will be a playroom when we have kids. So, I don't want to go all out with a theater-themed room but want it to be fun.

I thought briefly about moving our large chocolate brown sectional into the upstairs and getting a lighter brighter living room set for downstairs that are still comfortable but more stylish. But, I'm not sure, as I know that just John and I would watch TV and hang out downstairs.


My other thoughts are about:
- Lighting. Sconces? Floor lamps? Not sure... Only one ceiling light that's pretty dim currently.
- Some sort of scoreboard/chalkboard
- a big TV or projection screen (probably big tv)
- comfortable seating. Separate chairs so they're movable or a couch/sectional? Need chairs for game table also.. could use Ikea dining chairs we already have.
- Bar area. We have the Hoosier up there which would serve as a great bar. Would we want anything else?
- Blackout blinds/curtains. There's nothing currently in there, and if I'm going to buy blinds I might spring for the good ones.
- Fun, but not over-the-board artwork. Lots of DIY? I don't picture movie posters, since that's cheesy.

Anyway, I need your help. Any inspiration pictures you'd like to share? Any thoughts on how to make it fun, functional, and versatile? This would be our big project for the summer, since it's the last thing we've got to do...

Enough distraction from my homework, I'm off!