As I mentioned earlier, I've been considering a sofa purchase for awhile. One of Seth's first big purchases after graduating was a living room set, including a leather sofa, chair and coffee table.
I can't lie, that sofa is
comfy.
Really comfy. Okay, okay! It's the comfiest sofa on earth. And the leather really was a dream with Bonnie (our dachshund) and George (our newest addition, the American bulldog). But the heart wants what it wants, kiddos. And after considering all the options, (and almost buying one or two!) I wanted the Jasper.
I saw it first
Making It Lovely, one of my favorite blogs.
And then I saw it here, at SF Girl by Bay
And she taunted me here on Design*Sponge's sneak peak
If fit most of my sofa criteria:
1. Super-sexy, but just transitional enough in style. I'm in love with the mid-century inspired lines. Just look at those pretty legs. Look again. Okay. Look again.
2. Clean-ability - They actually sell slipcovers separately that are made to fit the Jasper, which is good because I live with two dogs and a boy/husband. Not to mention that I'm a clutz. And we
*gasp* eat dinner while sitting on the sofa. Yes, I said it. At times I try to lure the hubs away. He thinks it's the sweetest gesture, but his show is on (or something).
3. Slipcovered. For an additional $450 or so with shipping I can order slipcovers made to fit the Jasper. What's an extra $450? I love spending money! Money grows on trees! But seriously, the number of sofas that have slipcover options are few and far between. Did I mention the two dogs and the careless husband? And that I'm the clutz that comes to your dinner party, trips on the coffee table and spills red wine on your white dress? Did I mention that?
4. Price. It didn't fit this criteria. Not because it's not worth it, but because I'm cheap.
I'm getting less-cheap, very fortunately, because while it's a blessing it causes more inner turmoil than you can imagine. I lust after things that I can't possibly bring myself to... and that one time I longed... with the most sinful desire to... buy... but I... Whaaa... where am I? Oh yes, the sofa. Moving on.
I'll get to the price issue later.
5. Size. 86" would work just fine. I just had to remove the side table harboring with tons of junk, remotes, etcetera.
6. Quality. I've really heard nothing but good things about the Jasper. I didn't conduct crash tests in the showroom or anything, but I've read reviews, blah blah blah.
7. Will it fit? Yes, it would fit between the doorways and through the condo entry corridors and stairs.
BUT, my friends, we "need" (I'm using this term loosely... I'm quite aware no one's welfare depends on a new sofa) so many things that it was hard to pull the trigger on a piece with the price tag. I'm a bargainista to a fault, after all.
I kept my eye on the
Room and Board website for at least a year and it never went on sale. I stalked
Craigslist for ages with no luck. I sealed pictures of the Jasper in a bottle and released them at sea.
After months of this torturous pining, I ordered some swatches and told myself to grow some Big Girl pants and buy the sofa. But the pants didn't grow. It might sound silly. "Just buy the darn sofa," you say. But remember how I was about my
my Junior Prom dress for example.
And then I found a post on Craigslist by
complete accident. Someone was selling Room and Board gift cards in Atlanta (about 2 - 2-1/2 hours away from Birmingham) for about 3/4 of their value their value. It wasn't a steal, but I reassured myself that I had wanted this for ages and it was my one shot to get a deal. So I emailed the seller and made arrangements to meet at the store.
Here's where it gets better. The night before I was scheduled to meet her, a white micro-suede Jasper sofa was posted on Craigslist in Atlanta.
YES! THE SOFA. I was literally shaking I was so excited... and nervous. This had to work at light-speed, after all, because I needed to let the gift-card seller know if I couldn't show up the next day. I emailed the sofa seller immediately. After an hour or so, they responded saying it was still available.
We don't have a truck so I asked if they would hold it for a day or so until I could make arrangements to pick it up... but no. "First come, first serve." Fair enough. I would have
walked to Atlanta and hauled it on my
back if necessary. Luckily that wasn't necessary.
Sorry for always featuring my dad, but he saves
my tail so much it's kind of unavoidable.
Yep, Dad took his entire Saturday to drive to Atlanta with me, load up the sofa, and drive back. Mind you, he also had to endure my conversation. I was so excited I couldn't stop talking (and talking
fast... like, so fast that I impressed myself by the speed and length of time I could go without catching a breath).
We showed up and it was in pretty good condition, although in need of a serious cleaning and some furniture marker touch-ups on the legs. No biggie. And no haggling over the price. The custom upholstery was an extra $400, so it was a solid $2,000+ sofa with shipping.
Here it is the day Dad and I brought it back:
Bonnie liked it.
The micro-suede is so thick and rich it feels like real suede, and it cleans up so well. Sure, I'm still considering the slipcover, but for now it's working nicely.
Two interesting side notes:
(1) I made sure the gal selling the gift cards knew I wasn't going to make it, and that she was would be okay selling to someone else. She congratulated me on the sofa and told me she had worked as a buyer for a furniture store (neat-o), and had actually tried to convince them to buy a similar style before. We've exchanged our favorite design blogs and corresponded via email since then. Kind of cool, right?
(2) The super-comfy leather sofa now has a home at my mom and dad's. You guys, it looks
so good there. I may post pics one day. It's amazing how the same piece can look completely different in a new space.
More pics next week!
Do you like it? Worth the wait? Worth the nail-biting? Worth the slow-growing of big girl pants?
