third incarnation of a sofa

Andy and I have never really bought much furniture. Aside from a few choice IKEA chairs, everything we have has been made by Andy, found on the streets of Brooklyn, or been handed down to us from friends who are moving or upgrading to "real" furniture. Several years ago we were in the market for a sofa to replace an old futon from a grad school roommate of mine. I told Andy that I wanted to buy a nice sofa and not take someone's junkie old one. Well, a few days later our friends Erik and Anna, who were moving to California, asked us if we wanted their old sofa. "of course!!" was my reply. What was I thinking? Now, this sofa needed some serious work. I remember being over at Erik and Anna's and sitting on a rickety old sofa- one arm so wobbly that you couldn't lean on it or it would collapse. So we moved this old thing into our apartment. I just looked at the old shabby misshapen cushions and the wobbly frame and wondered what was wrong with me....

We bought all new foam, and reupholstered the sofa in a bright pink damask. We didn't do the trim to cover the nails and staples- we left that for later and of course later never came. With three kids, the sofa endured a lot of abuse over the next five years- pen scribbles, chocolate milk spills, spit up, you get the picture. The nails and staples were coming out and poking guests in the neck, there were holes in the cushion....it was in sorry shape. I swore that we wouldn't move it with us again. And yet I found myself staring at this sofa in the living room or our new house. But I realized that I have a certain fondness for it and actually didn't want to give it up but looked forward to the challenge of remaking it again.

It's done now, and this time completely. Gimp and all. Big thanks to Andy's mom who so generously made the long cushion cover for us. We love it, and there will be no drinking chocolate milk on this sofa.