A few weeks ago, Jon & I made our semi-annual road trip to IKEA in Cincinnati. The goal was to find more seating for the newly decorated living room. I liked the chair and sofa together, but the chair was too big and it really never felt like a conversational area. There is no TV in this room so the whole point is to converse…and it usually helps to look at the person your conversing with (without straining your neck). I’ve also secretly pined for that chair and ottoman in my bedroom to cozy up with and read a book (or pile clothes on).
So began the hunt for a pair of inexpensive chairs to face each other. Here’s what we found…
The EKTORP JENNYLUND (I so love all IKEA product names). This is about as economical as you can get for a new piece of furniture. And it shows when you unpack it from the box to put the feet on. It’s a sad naked little thing. Thank goodness for the slipcovers!! You would never know what lies beneath. There were a few slipcover options, but we opted for white. It was the most versitile choice and although white seems really scary for most people, I decided that I can throw the slips in the wash & bleach whatever stain comes my way! And they are comfortable too. The back is high and they are pretty cushioney. Here’s how they look in the room…
Now we have an area to converse, play a board game, read, listen to music and more! I’m still working on pulling all the pillows together and I need another end table to balance it all out but that will have to wait.
Are you wondering what the “Ugly Duckling” is? It’s this…
I wish this picture could really capture how grotesquely stained this little number was. After went spent like 4 hours in IKEA, we went around the corner to the Ballard Design/Grandin Road/Frontgate Outlet. Let’s just say that I was really bummed that the back of my van was already full! Tons of treasures…if not for me, for my clients too! We found this ottoman at Grandin Road. I think the original price was $150 & we took it home for $35 with the risk that these stains would never leave.
It was covered in warehouse scum but I didn’t care. The size and shade of blue were perfect for the living room and the best feature of all…BRACE YOURSELF…
HIDDEN STORAGE!!! The perfect spot for books, games, pillows and small children! See why I took the risk? Let’s just say we lucked out. After borrowing a friends carpet steam cleaner the stains (pretty much) vanished and it fits the room perfectly!
Good bye “Ugly Duckling”…hello perfect ottoman!
