Living Room/Dining Room - planning stages - new furniture

[eiramnoaj]

Ok, so I've been pinning like a mad-woman. I'm thinking about getting new living room & dining room furniture but it's still in the planning/thinking stages. My biggest hurdle is what the hell to do with the furniture I already have. (I'll take pics in a day or so and post them) There are a few pieces I'd keep - big armoire that I use as a linen closet, small marble topped table with drawers - both of those pieces were bought within past 3 years, an older piece that's got some pretty scroll work. The couch was a freebie from my neighbor that's seen much better days so there's pretty much no value to that.

Then there's the secretary (that holds the Hummel collection - know anyone who wants a Hummel collection? :surrender: ) and a coffee table that's got 4 kid sized stools to go with it. (I think my uncle had that sent over from Japan when I was a kid. - It's got some damage and I think he repainted it but he did it well.)

Dining room is a whole other story. It's a huge china cabinet and a fairly large table with 6 chairs. It's a pretty small dining room. We bought this set probably 30 years ago. It's got lots of wear and tear and one of the adjusters on the china cabinet is broken and it's proped up with a piece of wood.

I'm not really crazy about people coming in the house to take a look at this stuff to try to sell it but I'm also not really crazy about just throwing it away either.

So that's pretty much why I'm still planning and not shopping.

Anyway, here's the living room pieces I'm thinking about. This is a discount furniture place that I got my kitchen island from. I love the island and it was a great price.

http://www.mybobs.com/maggie
I would get the smaller couch plus the chair and storage ottoman in chocolate

I really like these tables - would probably get the big one and one small one - package deal isn't any cheaper

They have a few curios I like (to replace the secretary) but I think this is my favorite so far:
http://www.mybobs.com/Washington

I'm going to look over their dining sets again but didn't see anything I really liked right off. This is from Raymour & Flanigan - somewhat higher priced stuff but I have a few pieces from them and I really like them.

http://www.raymourflanigan.com/chace-5-pc-dining-set-798012375.aspx

They have flash for the pics so I can't get it to post here. The table is about a foot shorter than the one I have now and this only has 4 chairs. The china cabinet is 46" as opposed to the 70"+ one I have now.

Rough estimate of all of the above would be about 3k. :surrender:

So if you've made it this far, what do you think?

 

[eiramnoaj]

This is one of the pieces I want to keep - isn't in that spot now - just for Christmas.

And this shows part of the other

 

[eiramnoaj]

And this kinda shows the big armoire

 

[Peacock76]

I saw your pinned curios and thought "Someone has a collection of somethingggggg!" :lol:

I think everything you chose is nice. I have mental issues with microfiber because it shows handprints and I know I would be constantly smoothing them off of the fabric. :hides: But with Sophie on the sofa, it's probably a good material for pets. I do have a chair that was reupholstered with microfiber (that I am constantly smoothing ) and it does vacuum cat hair nicely.

The coffee tables are a dirrerent style than what you have, so those are the only things I'm not sure about "blending" well with your mix of old & new.

DH & I were at Home Depot the other night getting stuff for the attic. I was looking at lighting & pointed out a fixture that would be "ok" in our living room to replace the horrendous eyeball light that is there now. I said, "I'll wait until I redo the living room in a few months, though" and he said, "we're not redoing the living room...." and I said, "Yeah? Well I have a Pinterest board that says differently." Good luck to him & his desire to stop working on the house. All I need is a one day overnight business trip & there won't be much he can say.

 

[focadima]

Joan I really like those curtains!

I am so excited my furniture is being delivered today!! not bad 9 days from when we ordered!

 

[eiramnoaj]

Joan I really like those curtains!

I am so excited my furniture is being delivered today!! not bad 9 days from when we ordered!

Thanks Lisa! I did lots of Pinning to decide on those too. :giggles: Ended up finding them at Sears.

We're going to need pics of your new furniture once it's all set up!

 

[Steve]

Oh Joan, Joan, Joan!!! How did I know this was coming? :lol:

 

[kewpon addict]

I think the sofa and everything looks lovely! Wish I lived in your state...I would come by and pick up some of the stuff you are discarding...road trip to NY anyone.:lol:

 

[eiramnoaj]

I think the sofa and everything looks lovely! Wish I lived in your state...I would come by and pick up some of the stuff you are discarding...road trip to NY anyone.:lol:

That's a big part of what's holding me back. Trying to figure if this stuff is worth trying to sell - some of it I'd say yes but my neighbor was saying she had a hell of a time trying to sell her old dining room set and it was in much better condition than mine.

We'll see. This may be one of those projects that just gets put on the back burner (like so many others have).

 

[smallsaver]

I had an easy time selling my bedroom furniture on Craigslist... But maybe it was the brand. It's been months now... I really need new stuff!

 

[eiramnoaj]

I had an easy time selling my bedroom furniture on Craigslist... But maybe it was the brand. It's been months now... I really need new stuff!

You just don't like shopping, do you? Did you ever buy a new purse? :giggles:

Did you have lots of people come look at the set or was it just a few?

 

[LWmommyof3]

I also have a hard time letting/ wanting strangers to come into my house, I donate to a friend or the shop down the road!

As for curio, I packed mine up for the hardwood floor installation over 14 months ago and I am NOT putting all that stuff out again. Besides it looks so nice packed away! I still have cabinet, too nice to donate, but I dont want it

 

[Valerie]

I love the style/size of the couch and chair you picked out, not huge and overstuffed but I'm with Dragonfly, not a fan of the microfiber. Wonder if you could find something similar in a corduroyish fabric?

ETA: I love Chocolate Brown furniture too. That will be my next purchase.

 

[atm123]

Wow Joan, you are on quite the redecorating spree! How fun!

We are going to look at furniture for DS's room this weekend. He needs a big boy bed. I really want to get other pieces for his room, but it is so pricey. He has mismatching dressers right now, but maybe we will wait to buy those pieces in a couple of years when he cares more what his room looks like.

 

[eiramnoaj]

I'll have to keep the microfiber problem in mind. I have one chair that's microfiber - Sophie's favorite chair - and it does look a little worn out and it's not really all that old. On the other hand, I have a chair that's probably at least 15+ years old and it still looks good. No idea what the fabric is - kind of reminds me of velour like but not as fuzzy. Almost kind of silky.

I did see some chenille sofas on the higher priced site that I liked but their sofas are so **** big so I'd prolly just go with the loveseat instead. This is one of those - it's lighter & I'd really prefer the darker. (hides Sophie hair better)

http://www.raymourflanigan.com/kensington-loveseat-204383400.aspx

 

[eiramnoaj]

Wow Joan, you are on quite the redecorating spree! How fun!

We are going to look at furniture for DS's room this weekend. He needs a big boy bed. I really want to get other pieces for his room, but it is so pricey. He has mismatching dressers right now, but maybe we will wait to buy those pieces in a couple of years when he cares more what his room looks like.

The thing is, I've lived in this house since I was 8. A lot of the furniture is the same. That's a long **** time to live with furniture. :surrender: The house is mine now but so much of the stuff inside isn't really my taste. I wasn't forced to go out and buy new stuff, like most people are when they move out on their own, so I've just lived with what was already there. I liked most of it when I was younger, but I've grown up, developed my own tastes and I'm just tired of most of it.

Little by little, I'm going through each room and trying to make them my own. I still have the dressers/night table from the bedroom set I had when I was a teenager. It's off-white enamel and most of it still looks really good. Two years ago I got a new bed and one tall dresser (both in off white)that I love so it really changed the look of the room. Before it looked mis-matched.

 

[Valerie]

I'll have to keep the microfiber problem in mind. I have one chair that's microfiber - Sophie's favorite chair - and it does look a little worn out and it's not really all that old. On the other hand, I have a chair that's probably at least 15+ years old and it still looks good. No idea what the fabric is - kind of reminds me of velour like but not as fuzzy. Almost kind of silky.

I did see some chenille sofas on the higher priced site that I liked but their sofas are so **** big so I'd prolly just go with the loveseat instead. This is one of those - it's lighter & I'd really prefer the darker. (hides Sophie hair better)

http://www.raymourflanigan.com/kensington-loveseat-204383400.aspx

I like the texture of this fabric but not the size or style of it. I know I'm going to have a heck of a problem finding decent furniture when we go to replace our family room stuff. The room is small and all the furniture they make now is HUGE! We'll probably end up with two small love seats.

 

[skinnje1]

You will never get the quality of the wood for new furniture as the old pieces. Rather than selling some of the old pieces look at new uses for them. There is no way I would get rid of the armoire. Would the armoire work in the dining room. You dont like the big china cabinet. Is it full? Do you use? Take it out of the room and does the current table work. What kind of chairs do you have for the dining room table? Maybe recover the chairs?

Sometimes taking everything out of a room and then adding one piece at a time back in gives you a different perspective. Sound like you want to make t the house your own. Have you painted. Rethink of use for old pieces of furniture. Bedroom end tables make great tables in the living room, etc.

Also I got a leather sofa 10 years ago and still love it. It is finally fading a bit after the three kids but never worried about a spill on the leather. And no the leather was not cold in the winter and we always had blanket throws available.

 

[smallsaver]

You just don't like shopping, do you? Did you ever buy a new purse? :giggles:

Did you have lots of people come look at the set or was it just a few?

Not a lot...I got a few spam emails. I think 4-5 people came, 4 different purchasers. One woman wrote me a thank you!

Nope still haven't bought a new bag... I have expensive taste but I hate parting with money....

 

[eiramnoaj]

The armoire is definitely staying. That was one of the few pieces I bought.

You've got some good ideas/suggestions. I've had most of the place painted over the past few years & there are a couple of pieces of furniture I'm thinking of painting. (My neighbor said she would help - she mentioned liquid sandpaper and spray paint.)

The dining room set is just way too big for the space & not in very good condition.