Friday, April 20, 2007

Furniture Shopping/Important Decisions

We decided (maybe not the best plan) to leave our couch and love seat in Alaska. We bought CHEAP furniture in 2000, and it looked pretty pitiful before 2001. By the time we left it in Alaska, it was really sad. So, when we got here, we HAD to buy furniture. We started looking right after we got here. We went to our local furniture store, the Mobelhauf, which is actually large, with quite a bit of selection. Of course, most of it was very modern furniture. Clean lines, low to the ground, and kind of hard. We found some furniture that was more comfortable and less modern-looking. The problem was that we (meaning I) didn't like the fabric selections that went with this furniture. So, we headed to Regensburg to the largest furniture store of all time, the Heindl. As we walked into the living room area, Allen said that we were just way too picky if we couldn't find something there. Um, we didn't. Actually, we found something we liked, but it was 7000 Euro, or about $10,000. A little much, I think. We also again found a style of furniture we liked, but, again, not the upholstery. We then went to Ikea. Too cheap. The next day, we went to the PX furniture store in Vilseck. Still, we didn't find THE sofa. By this point I was very frustrated.


All this time, Allen wanted leather furniture, while I wanted upholstery. I just think fabric feels nicer. We also have a cat with claws. I relented and said that we could get him a leather chair, but the rest upholstery. Somehow, with my frustration and the seemingly endless furniture shopping, leather started sounding better. By the time we headed back to the Mobelhauf to check it out again, we somehow just found what we like. We also realized that there were other choices in upholstery in a different section. In my head, I was imagining some type of brown upholstery. But, then we also wanted brown leather. All of the sudden, this seemed like too much brown. So, I picked out a brown leather sofa and love seat, and a red upholstered chair and ottoman. I have been rethinking my decision sooooo many times since we ordered it. We will not have the furniture until July, so I will have a long time to worry about whether I picked the right stuff.

Ok, so now I actually want input. I had red in our last living room as well, with yellow and green. Allen liked the yellow, but I am ready for a change. I was originally thinking a green, but now I am thinking a blue. Do you think the blue hydrangea in the paint samples below will look good with red and brown? (The red is close to the Moroccan red, I think.) My other options were something like the prescott green or maybe sticking with yellow, like the hawthorn yellow. What do you think? Obviously, I will add other accent pillows and such to bring it all together.


Of course, I will listen to all opinions and then ignore them and do whatever I want.

9 comments:

Unknown said...

Can't help you with color choices because I'm handicapped in that area.

I second-guess nearly every decision I make. So I know how you feel. However, you have great taste and you are very creative. I'm sure your place will look wonderful and look forward to see pictures!

I've heard furniture in Germany is high quality and not too expensive. In case we ever move there, you've given me a heads-up that that may not quite true

Katie said...

You have great taste and I'm sure you will pull it all together! I am not totally sure about the blue hydrangea with red and brown, though, unless you have some other kind of fabric somewhere that ties it together (curtains maybe?) The blue seems a cool color and the others more warm. I like the Hawthorn or Prescott green, myself! :)

I'm sure you 'll love your furniture. I have heard that leather is much more indestructible and withstands kids and pets really well!

Anonymous said...

I would just go by the names: Soft Jazz, Weekend Getaway and Sea Foam. Sounds like a great holiday to me.

Although, you are an artist, so I imagine you walking around the house with 10 different color wheels. ;)

We just had a new Natuzzi store open here. We cant even afford to go inside...

Angie said...

Yeah, I would definitely not say not too expensive. Did you read the $10,000? That was one sofa, not a set. We've definitely never bought anything close to that price.

I do hope that I end up loving the leather, since it wasn't cheap, either. We won't be buying new anytime soon.

Angie said...

And, is the screaming baby that bad? I'll take him.

Anonymous said...

Let me clarify something here; I was not insisting or attempting, in any way, to persuade Angela to get Leather!!! She suggested the leather chair in the very beginning, and then SHE brought up the idea of just getting leather couches.

I just thought you should know!!!

Anonymous said...

OK...I can tell that you didn't really want input since you didn't give people enought time between posts. Angie - every room you've ever painted has looked wonderful so I'm sure this house will look great too. Will you have to paint it white when you leave like government housing?

I don't like leather because it sticks to skins and always makes me think about the dead animal that is sitting under me. That's not to say I never buy leather (because I do...purses and shoes) but it does gross me out.

By the way...we'll take any of those babies!

Love to everybody!!!

Angie said...

I did want input, but then made a quick decision to buy it. Hmmm. I might wish that I had waited. I'm hearing suggestions for the other blues, but I really don't like them very well. We'll see how it turns out.

Kim said...

I'm late, as usual, but just painted my bedroom in a shade pretty close to your hydrangea blue-- with plans for bedding in a beige/chocolate brown/cardinal red. It'll be a little more hip/modern than we've decorated in the past, but with all this 1916 woodwork and windows around me I'm feeling like we need something to break out of the "antiquey" feel.

So obviously, I love that color combination. :)

Aaron always expresses color opinions, but I've learned to take them with a grain of salt and a mental shrug, because 1) he usually likes what I end up doing, and 2) his opinion is just not that strong-- he cares about 15% if I care 100%. So generally, I do what I like, and he ends up liking it even if he sniffed at first.

Good luck! Your backyard looks like a great play-place. Ashlyn is getting so toddlery-looking!