There’s a brand spanking new sofa in our living room, which is a break from my usual thrift/Craigslist purchases.

Back in May, we moved my most amazing Craigslist score, a camel leather sofa for only $220, from the south-facing living room into the north facing family room.  The sun was unevenly fading the leather.  And while I love the plushness of that sofa, Ben finds it too soft.

The gray sofa from the family room went into the living room, but that one never felt quite right for that space.

So, back in May, Ben suggested we get a new sofa, which is so out of the ordinary of him that I seized the moment.  We tried to take advantage of the Memorial Day sales, but I couldn’t find anything locally that I liked the style or price of.

Fast forward a month and I stumbled on the perfect sofa, in a sporting goods store, no less.  Each sofa is made in North Carolina, with a hardwood frame, heavy gauge seat wires, and tie wires on the back and seat to last for years.  Even better, it was $999.99 with so many great fabric options.

Before ordering, I took home several fabric samples I liked to see how the color and patterns would look in our home and lighting.  Samples usually look different in a flourescent lit store than a home.

There was a wide tone on tone herringbone that was beautiful, but after a few minutes felt like an optical illusion.  If the sample made my eyes feel funny, surely an entire sofa wouldn’t be better.

For the fabric, I wanted something with a slightly nubby texture.  A weave with some variation, but not overwhelming.  A neutral, go with anything color with a touch of warmth to coordinate with the linen sofa across the room.  Most importantly, I didn’t want a fabric with a sheen/metallic-ish thread.  Finally, I found the perfect one and dragged Ben to the store to sit on it.

He liked that the sofa is firm and supportive.  I loved the track arm and clean, unfussy lines.  With Ben’s seal of approval, I ordered the Craftmaster F9 sofa in Lilou, a soft gray with a track arm, semi-attached box back cushions, and a welt detail.   I ditch the pillows that come with sets, because it feels very one note to have the pillows match the sofa.

It took eight weeks from order to arrival in the local store for pick up, but it was well worth the wait.