Let’s talk furniture, shall we? Steve and I purchased a very large and very dark leather sofa/love seat combo many moons ago. We spend a nice chunk of change on this furniture and it has held up like no other. It’s had it’s fair share of spills and couch jumps and climbing children and it’s been our main seating source in our last three homes. The sofa is large enough for my 6’3″ husband to comfortably stretch his legs and between the two of them, they hold a lot of people. There has never been a tear, a scratch, and we’ve never had to do any maintenance on these sofas.
The catch is, I don’t really like them anymore! They seem heavy and dark, although they are cozy and comfy. They seem too matchy-matchy for my taste and a bit formal for our casual lifestyle. But, the reality is, we have kids and a large great room to fill up, and the leather is durable, soft, washable, lived in, and paid for! So, until I find two chairs to replace the love seat, both will stay in here. I’m in no rush, but I am on the hunt. Either way, the large sofa is staying for now.
To make these work for me, I simply change the things around the sofas to appeal to my decorating taste. I also like to keep everything else surrounding these dark behemoths light and bright, especially during the summer months.
A white shag rug, soft throws, and light pillows help keep the sofas from drowning out the space. I also have a white coffee table that is easily changed out with the seasons. This room gets a ton of natural light which helps me without having to actually do anything.
We have very dark hardwood floors and dark bookcases. A white fireplace and very neutral walls keep it from being too dark. I’ve contemplated painting out the bookshelves to the trim color, but can’t seem to pull the trigger. I’m going to restyle the bookshelves this summer and if I still don’t like them, I will paint them out. More to come on that!
Because we have an open concept first floor, we essentially have no walls. This also created a problem because the back of the large sofa is exposed to the kitchen. So, I painted a thrift store dresser bright white to hide the back of the couch. I change up the accessories and added a pop of pink, and you hardly notice the couch from this angle.
Eventually, down a long and winding road, we will finish our basement and these sofas will be perfect down there. Until then, I am learning to appreciate what we have and to work with things I can’t change at the drop of a hat. Love is in the details for me anyway, and accessories are a lot cheaper, so I will keep having fun with that!
I have absolutely nothing against leather furniture. I think it’s fabulous in smaller scale doses and there are so many perks to leather when you have kids. I actually think I won’t mind the large sofa at all if I can find neutral chairs to replace the love seat. It’s just too much in this space and too matchy for me. Let’s love what we love and work around what we don’t!
Do you have leather sofas? Any tricks for keeping them current and likable?