Living Room

Pink Loves Blue

There’s a sofa at Anthropologie that I keep calling the staff to pester about. I’m trying to catch it on sale once they’re ready to let go of the floor model so I can see if just maybe it can come live at our house. It’s big and comfortable and so pretty with its curves and single-button-tufting. And it’s blue. Kind of a teal/turquoise really, but to my surprise, I’m smitten with it. My iPhone pic isn’t doing it justice.

Winifred Blue Sofa at Anthropologie

It isn’t on the website, but it’s the same as the “zesty” Winifred with solid upholstery and an additional support in the center. Same price too, but if I could sell my sofa and get that one on clearance, it wouldn’t be so out of reach. (A leather sofa can always wait.)

OK, so we’re probably not getting it. There are a million other things we could (and should) spend our money on first, but yeah, I’m embracing my newfound love of the color blue. I pinned the image below recently, and I’ve been finding myself going back to look at it over and over again. I like the symmetry, the hive vases, and the metal finishes against the wood, but what I’m really drawn to is the contrast of pink and blue.

dh-tour-lea-michele-slides-07_0
(image source)

So good! I blame the the upstairs bathroom with its turquoise blue fixtures. Six years of living with them, and the color has charmed me.

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  • Jenna
    May 6, 2013 at 4:33 pm

    Oooh I am loving that pink and blue combination as well! Good luck on getting that couch! :)

  • Chelsea T
    May 6, 2013 at 4:39 pm

    Don’t you hate that? I’m a particular fan of dark teal, and my iPhone always turns it blue-blue, or forest green. Darn RGB screens :(

    • Making it Lovely
      May 6, 2013 at 4:50 pm

      Yep. I tried to edit it and bring it a little closer to reality, but it was definitely prettier in person.

  • Alison
    May 6, 2013 at 4:42 pm

    I guess maybe I’ve been in NYC too long, but the only thing that comes to mind when I think about bringing a floor model piece of upholstered furniture into my home is: bedbugs!

    The stores in Manhattan are seriously crawling with them, it is becoming a real problem. But it is a lovely sofa…and looks comfy, too.

    • Making it Lovely
      May 6, 2013 at 4:49 pm

      Ack! I associate bedbugs with coming from people’s homes/apartments and didn’t even think about the possibility of getting them from a store piece!

      I like getting floor models because they’re typically at least 35-50% off. Our white Petrie chair and ottoman in the library were floor models from Crate & Barrel, my old orange and white Astrid chair from Anthropologie was one, and the crazy floral armchair I replaced it with was a floor model from Anthropologie too, further discounted because of a tear in the upholstery (which I patched). Our TV stand was a floor model too, from west elm. I’ve always had good luck with being patient and able to get the furniture I wanted at a lower price. Now you have me feeling nervous about doing it in the future with upholstered goods.

      • Alison
        May 6, 2013 at 7:43 pm

        Sorry, didn’t mean to be the buzzkill! I think it is a bigger problem in NYC — every few weeks or so it seems you hear about another store being closed due to a bedbug infestation.

        Floor samples do seem like a pretty awesome way to score a deal, and chances are that sofa is totally fine. I dealt with a bedbug problem years ago (hence my hyper-awareness), and I remember the exterminator I worked with said they would come out and preventatively treat a piece of furniture for about $75. I would probably do that if I wanted to buy an antique or something major from Craigslist here in NYC.

      • thelady
        May 6, 2013 at 9:27 pm

        wow so what is your secret for getting floor models? Just call a lot?

      • Making it Lovely
        May 6, 2013 at 9:41 pm

        Some have been lucky finds that I pounced on (the TV stand and the Petrie set). I asked about buying the Astrid chair directly from the store, and I lucked out that they were ready to get rid of it. That one was the least discounted though, and mostly I just saved on the $250 delivery fee. The floral chair, I’d been wanting for a little while after spotting it in the store. I was in there again and noticed a small tear in the upholstery, so I asked if I could buy the floor model at a discount. They sold it for half off, and I bought it on the condition that I could return it if my attempt at repairing it didn’t work. And again, I didn’t have to pay Anthropologie’s $250 furniture delivery fee.

        I try not to be too annoying, but I also don’t want to miss out on a good deal. I’ll check in every 2 weeks or so if there’s something I’m hoping to grab on sale. It’s a little weirder now that people sometimes recognize me, and I imagine the Anthro shop girls rolling their eyes, going “ugh, it’s that blogger lady again.” I mean, hopefully not! But probably.

  • kristi@SimplePrettyThings
    May 6, 2013 at 5:15 pm

    How amazing is that sofa?! I want one in faux leather. If they even make that…I’m not about to go check.

  • Michelle
    May 6, 2013 at 5:21 pm

    Yes bedbugs are at stores! My BFF works at Nordstrom, a high end dept store, and they have had bedbugs! Ick!

  • Megan @ Rappsody in Rooms
    May 6, 2013 at 7:09 pm

    Ooo that sofa is SO good. I love it. Keep pestering them. It would totally be worth it. I also love the inspiration picture you put up. The colors and the patterns, oh my!

  • SB
    May 6, 2013 at 8:00 pm

    Nicole, your style is impeccable so I’m going to have to trust you on this one. I don’t see the charm at all and I love your living room! Again, I’m sure I’m wrong here but the one tuft looks off to me.

    • Making it Lovely
      May 6, 2013 at 9:44 pm

      I emailed Kathryn to ask her what she thought of it, and she thinks the proportions are off. So it’s not just you. I agree, the single-button is not perfect, but the rest of the couch is pretty great, and it’s just so dang comfortable.

      • Kathryn
        May 8, 2013 at 8:07 am

        :) They seem to be using pillows and throws to their advantage to hide it in the store.

  • Angie
    May 6, 2013 at 8:15 pm

    Was drawn to that image also when I saw it. Lovely.

  • Hillary
    May 7, 2013 at 8:31 am

    Love, love, love it! Would look great in a pale room as the bright point of focus!

  • Crista
    May 7, 2013 at 11:28 am

    My mother made everything in her house blue. Walls, carpet, counters, curtains all blue. So I can’t say I am a fan of the blue! But I do love the pink flowers!

  • Andrew
    May 7, 2013 at 11:41 am

    Great looking sofa! I have had a long time love for the color blue. Are you concerned about the size? Living in a smallish bungalow myself, I’m always struggling with scale. Not only “will it fit” but “does it work with the proportions of the room?”

    • Making it Lovely
      May 7, 2013 at 2:07 pm

      I’m somewhat concerned about the size since it’s both wider and deeper than the Jasper sofa we have now. Yes, it will fit in the space, but like you said, will it work? I think it would, but it’s the kind of thing that you sometimes have to see to be sure of it. I have a decent sense of scale, but I make mistakes sometimes too.

  • Mandi
    May 7, 2013 at 12:31 pm

    I have found myself deeply, deeply drawn to a vivid, cheery blue/teal lately too – in clothing, on my nails, on one wall – definitely in furnishings. I’m sure it means something profound :-D. Time to let my pale green phase go.

    • Mandi
      May 7, 2013 at 12:31 pm

      And I meant to say – very pretty sofa!!

  • joanna
    May 7, 2013 at 1:42 pm

    woohoo! the pillow i designed is on that sofa :)

  • Emily @ The Em Dash
    May 7, 2013 at 1:48 pm

    This couch is AWESOME! Good find! I hope you get it.

    I know you talked a little bit about buying floor models in this comment thread, but I would love to read a post on this. Do stores usually keep a list of people to call when an item is ready to be moved off the floor? Is it usually just luck? How can you bargain over these pieces? (I liked how you bought the floral chair with the caveat that you could bring it back if you couldn’t fix it.)

    Any information is appreciated! I feel like floor models might be one of those bargain-hunting secrets that a lot of people don’t know about.

    • Making it Lovely
      May 7, 2013 at 2:12 pm

      That’s a good idea for a post! And actually, I wonder if there’s a better technique that I should be practicing. Maybe I can talk to some store managers and get a little input on how they like to handle floor models, and I can write about my experience too. Next week?

      • Emily @ The Em Dash
        May 7, 2013 at 3:41 pm

        That all sounds great! I very much look forward to reading it.

        And hopefully by then, you’ll have your couch. ;-)

  • Kimberly
    May 8, 2013 at 7:37 am

    I had a sofa very similar custom built a couple years ago. English roll arm, rounded corner radius on end cushion, a tight rolled back, three bottom cushions down stuffed, 8 feet long. Hardwood frame, 8 way hand tied springs, upgraded foam+down fill on cushion, fabric, and upholstery for under $1200. Granted I might be in a cheaper market(Texas), and knew where to go but it is doable for much less+better quality than exorbitant anthro prices. Plus the advantage is you can specify details like scale, arm height, length, mix and match styles, how firmly you want things stuffed. You can even pick your own feet and stain colors. The hardest part is finding good shops to do your work.

  • Trina
    May 8, 2013 at 10:06 pm

    i love that couch! the shape is gorgeous…..i think i need it ;)

  • Ashley @ She Makes A Home
    May 9, 2013 at 1:08 am

    I’m really interested to see if you get it, and how it looks in your pretty home. I have the hardest time decorating with blue, but I bought a teal chair last year, and it is the most complimented item in my entire house. Go figure!

    • Making it Lovely
      June 27, 2013 at 4:50 pm

      I did! I wrote up the line on Babble. The sofa’s interesting, but not quite the look I’m hoping for.

  • Viv
    May 13, 2013 at 5:47 am

    Woohoo, you are headed to the blue side! The sofa is beautiful.

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