Oh Compromise....

Yes, that word.  I love it and hate it at the same time.  I love it especially when it means I'm going to get something I want and Hubs is compromising.  This, however, was not the case this week.

It is a sad day for my beautiful blue sofa - it will have to find a new home.  I know, I am sad, too.  The truth is, it's not the most.... 'manly' sofa ever, and perhaps Hubs was just being nice when he said it's fine.   This is both our home, and I want him to feel just as much a factor in its out-fitting as I am.

Lately, it has been pretty stressful.  The sanding has come to a screeching, smelling, slightly burning halt.   This is what the upstairs still looks like.

I know, very little progress.  We have found that it is more than we can handle - especially given we both have full-time jobs.  If I were at home, I could definitely do it, but as awesome/stubborn as I am, it's too much for us right now.

Because of the state of the upstairs, this is the state of the downstairs:

Yes, we are still on the living room floor, two months into the renovations, our clothes are in crates and our patience wears every day.

So I called a guy.

You know.

A guy.

A guy that does things, like sand floors.

Then I called another.

One already came in, gave us a decent quote to finish the sanding - $2 a square foot.  But he can't start until September!  Not good.  Another guy is coming in on Tuesday - he can start the following week.  I assume that, according to Murphy's Law, he'll be more expensive than the first.  I'm already convinced.  Erin from Harbour Diner recommended yet a third guy, so I'm going to give him a ring. 

You're probably wondering what all of this has to do with the couch.  Well, the compromise comes when I refuse with every inch of my being to budge from refinishing the floor.  I will not - nay, cannot - allow a perfectly beautiful (if somewhat unloved) original cedar(!) floor to get covered up by another floor.  It's ridiculous.  It's unacceptable.

So, because of my sheer stubbornness, you see where we are still sleeping.  This has not been easy on either of us, though I'm more of a.... "fly by the seat of your pants" type of person, and so I just sort of go with it.  Hubs is a little more... particular about the state of his home.  His patience is officially worn.

And the sofa got the brunt of it.

I did drive out to Kincardine to get it, thanks to DT and her truck (thanks DT!), but in it's short time it has served us well, and I will photograph it to no end and find it a wonderful home.

So now the search is on.

Dilemma #1.  Stipulations for new living room furniture.

• It has to be Canadian-made.  US is acceptable if it's the only choice, but nowhere else.  
• The frame has to be very good quality - solid wood, not plywood and the like.  Being environmentally conscious has as much to do with quality as with quantity.  If we're going to purchase a sofa, it is going to last us until our kids are out of the house.  And then it'll still be so awesome, they're going to want it.  That's the plan, anyway.  
• It has to be ridiculously comfortable.
• Oh, and no leather.  I don't eat meat, so I don't sit on it, either.  Thankfully, Hubs is not a fan of leather either, so no problem here.

We visited EQ3 and were pleasantly surprised that all of their upholstered furniture is made in Winnipeg!  Right here in Canada - brilliant!  Their frames are made of Aspen softwood and Birch hardwood, though they do use some OSB, but made with water-based solvents which don't contain a lot of the harmful chemicals that other solvents may.  After our first visit, we walked out having purchased a chaise - I know, what?? It's in a pretty neutral fabric (etsy, here I come for awesome pillows!), and because it was a floor model that is now discontinued, the girl dropped it by $300! Done and done.  We spent about 20 minutes sitting on it before we purchased it and it is decidedly the best movie-watching, cuddling chair in the history of chairs.

Okay, so now we have a chaise and no sofa, but at least we know where to get it.  Baby steps....

Dilemma #1 seemingly solved.

Dilemma #2. 
Sofa sleeper or no sofa sleeper?? 

Our house is a two-bedroom, a master and a guest bedroom.  It will do for now, but in three years when we decide to welcome a little munchkin, what happens?  Where do guests sleep?

On the other hand, a sofa with a bed in it, will not have the quality of construction that a regular sofa will.  Normally, where you would have all the webbing and support.... is a big hole with a bed.  So, does that mean that in five years the sofa won't be as comfortable anyway??

UGH.

There are two sofas that I really like and that we are debating between.

Option 1 | From EQ3 - a sofa sleeper named Jenna.  She's got nice lines, she's super comfortable and she'll match the chaise (Leo).  The one reservation I have about Jenna, is she's a bit trendy.  (Anyone feel like I'm talking about a person, here??) Modern design is good because it has lasted through the century, so I have no worries that a classic, modern style will look dated in ten years.  But, the extremely low arms and back, make it a just a bit trendier than should probably be purchased in a piece we intend to keep for so long.  Say 'hi' to Jenna:

This sofa actually makes me think of this scene in Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

Option 2 | From UpCountry - my colleague described it as "sofa wonderland"... He was right.  We spoke with Vanesa, and she was so incredible!  It was nice to see someone who truly knows about the product she sells and is willing to go the length to find you what you like and can afford - it's a very nice thing in a store that carries sofas upwards of $6200 (which by the way is filled with feathers and the most comfortable thing you have ever sat on in life. And it's on sale for $4900!... right...)

Anyway, I digress - UpCountry carries a line called Lind, manufactured in Canada.  The furniture has solid maple frames and carries a lifetime warranty.  Introducing #945 (they really have to work on the name):

In conclusion (did I really just write an essay??), the breakdown:

• They both cost about the same amount.  
• Both equally comfortable.
• Both match the chaise.
  Both come in the colour we want (dark grey).
• Both take about 6-9 weeks (Toto, we're not in Ikea, anymore!) 
• I do prefer three pillows across, to two, but that's a superficial issue, and I would be happy with either in the end.
• The dilemma is between versatility and long term quality.  Jenna will help us out now, but may not have as long of a life span (trend-wise and comfort-wise).  
• The Lind sofa doesn't have the versatility, but with a more classic look and nice proportions, it can be reupholstered in ten years and look brand new.   And it will probably keep it's comfort level.

So.... what do you guys think??