Almost all of our furniture is vintage. Even then, we tried to stuff two daybed sofas in the little living room and two chairs, side tables, an Ikea coffee table (one of their larger ones!!). We just bought a 50's rattan set and use the side table as a little coffee table (for now). It fits beautifully.
All of my dining room furniture is vintage. We found a small buffet and hutch, a little wee hi-fi and I have a small set of drawers for the linens.
Vintage furniture was scaled to fit small, older homes so if there is a local shop that sells such items, it's a good chance you will find something the right size. We have a place or two here that sells everything "as new"...has it recovered etc.
Ikea has furniture scaled to all sizes, but especially smaller as it is made for European living spaces. Almost any contemporary European store will have furniture scale for a smaller home.
We had a very hard time finding a bed frame thought. Not many places manufacture a double bed. Everything was Queen or King/Cal.King. I think our entire bedroom is the size of a California King bed!!!

GGG

I love pier one, and I have also seen some pretty things that were scaled down at "Cost Plus World Market". They seem to be targeting folks with less space, but the stuff still has an eclectic attractive style. as well. They have had some nice tea pots, cups, stuff for grilling, plates for sushi, and on and on......(I love it there....) :)

We have a lot of vintage and hand me downs. I did just search out this chair for us to give my sweet FiL for his 90th birthday, though.

Here is a link that might be useful: Dad and his chair

I hear ya on the smaller furniture finding frustrations (ha - say that 3x real fast). I have a big chair (chair & 1/2) that I want to keep but need a new sofa. I don't want the usual long type you see everywhere now. Most are 90+ inches and look monstrous to me. And who ever sits in the middle?

I did find a loveseat that might work. It is the size of a small sofa. I think it will go in a cottage style setting with the right pillows. I have fabric left from upholstering the big chair that I can use to tie it all in. I would get it in a color that is what I call a tomato red. I painted the walls a color called butter pecan and have hickory wood floors. I showed it all to a designer at a showroom today and she loved it. What do you all think of this sofa? Btw, my big chair is from the same company and is great quality for the money.

Diana

Here is a link that might be useful: loveseat

I love the loveseat--go for it, says I!
I haven't moved yet but expect to within the next year, and I already know that contemporary furnishings were not made for small spaces. I bought a couple of chairs about 5 years ago and thought they were small until I got them into the room. Suddenly they loomed up into monsters. Well, not quite, but they were much larger than I anticipated. I can't imagine what some of those behemoth chairs would have looked like.

Diana, that loveseat looks great. Very attractive but looks comfortable too.

Our furniture is a blend of vintage/antique/almost-antique. We blended households when we moved into the house we are in now, so absolutely nothing 'matches' but it all seems to work together. Maybe because most of it is older furniture, but the scale does seem to work.

Margaret

New furniture seems to be geared towards filling up those huge rooms in those 3000+sf 'cottages'. Not only is my house small by comparison, but I am 5'1" and have arthritis. Sitting on a sofa or chair that does not 'fit' me aggravates the arthritis.

My solutions have been to 1) purchase from dealers who carry 'petite' lines of furniture 2) shop at the local British used furniture/auction sites. Pub tables, for example, are great for daily use, expandable when needed. Furniture is often dual-purposed. Scale is smaller. Can I say it?: Bigger is not always better! Linda

Yes, you can say it, Linda. : ) It's also not always so appealing to the eye. Those pub tables sound interesting. I like that dual-purpose aspect, too. I would like to find a round dining table with one of those mechanisms that make it go up and down so it can be used as a coffee table, as well. Then my small dining room could function as another seating area. It has a bay window looking out to the back gardens and is a nice spot to sit and watch the wildlife in winter. Most of the tables I've seen are too contemporary for my taste, so I may have to go the custom route. That usually means DH figures out how to build it. : )

Well, I am going to go order that loveseat. Thanks for the encouragement. I'll post pics when I finally get that room back together.

Diana

I didn't want huge furniture either. Of course, being that I'm 4'10 doesn't help either. I feel so swallowed up in most furniture, I found a set at The Home Place that I really liked. It is burgandy, leather, a sofa, loveseat(for the cats) and a chair. Funny, the cats took over our love seat so I keep a quilt over the cushions so hair isn't all over it and wash the quilt often. People think its really funny when they ask about the quilt and I tell them that's the cats loveseat!!!

Deb

Don't forget there are different "degrees" of what is called contemporary. In some cities, stuff you'd find at Sears/Rooms to Go is called Contemporary.
In larger cities, contemporary is actually a "style" of furniture which is usually meant for loft living and indeed, smaller living spaces. In Atlanta they tend to call it "european contemporary". It's on a much smaller scale. Not every place has these choices (and we don't have a huge amount of choice in Atlanta, either), that's for sure! the "funky" places here have smaller furniture Furniture Etc., Domus (has different sizes)...and don't forget the places that have gently used furniture. My MIL shops at a place that has a lot of hotel and house showroom furniture. There is a huge variety of styles and sizes. Storehouse furniture and some stuff at Pottery Barn is also not too large.
Diana, the loveseat is beautiful. It looks comfy too!

GGG

I have a couch that I bought 10 years ago, it's really comfortable and great quality. Unfortunately, the upholstery has had it. I've been looking for a new couch, but as has been said before, all the new ones are humongous! Do you think it's worth it to get someone to either make a slipcover or reupholster? It's a pretty simple style - camelback with 2 seat cushions, so it probably wouldn't take too much fabric. Has anyone else had this done? I'd be willing to pay somewhere in the ballpark of $500. Does that seems reasonable?

Thanks!

Amy

Amy, I would definitely look into having it reupholstered, especially since it's comfy, great quality and you still like it. I'm fairly sure you could have it redone for $500 or less. I've reupholstered a couple of chairs myself and enjoyed it. I used the old fabric as a pattern. But I have been sewing for 40+ yrs. so what is easy for me may not be for someone else. I almost redid my old sofa but I really wanted something smaller so I gave it to my neighbor. She was thrilled and has gifted me with quite a few plants that were going to be dumped (she works for Color Spot and brings home lots of plants from nurseries that would otherwise trash them - yikes!).

I went to order the loveseat, then found out I hadn't seen all the fabric choices. There was a green that I loved and it was actually the color I originally wanted. The red looked great, too, but I think it will be the green. I am taking DH back with me tomorrow so he can nod in agreement (ha ha) before I order it. Plus, the sales associate told me they are having a no tax sale tomorrow so I will save a $100 or so. I'm going to see about ordering a couple of extra yds. for more pillows.

Here's a link to the chair I am trying to match the loveseat to. I upholstered it a few years ago in the floral fabric. I found the fabric at one of those large fabric warehouse places - $5 a yd. I bought 15 yds. and still had plenty for pillows, etc. Both the red and the green look good but I get a much more tranquil feeling from the green and that's pretty much the "feel" throughout my home. I'm sure the red would add some punch and be lively but I think I would tire of it. I never tire of green. Ignore how empty the room looks - most of the furniture is in other rooms since we just recently installed the wood floors.

Now watch me change my mind again come tomorrow!

Diana

Here is a link that might be useful: cottage chair

Diana,

Wow, you did that yourself? That looks great! I can't say I'm much of a seamstress (whew! Originally I typed sewer and then realized what the word was! No wonder there's a term for it, but wait, what do you call a guy who sews? Just tailor, or is there some male form of seamstress?) I do have a sewing machine, but I use it mostly to fix seams, and I hem by hand. I took Home Ec in Junior High and my mom had to fix the sleeves on the shirt I made (and I never wore the thing!) because I put them on wrong. I'd say upholstering is most likely above my skill level.

Thanks for answering my question. Though we do live in an expensive area - Northern Virginia, but I'll look around for upholsterers.

I think the green is nice. It looks like you get some nice sun in your living room, and doesn't red fade faster?

Amy

I'm 5'3", which isn't that small, but most modern furniture is way too big for me. Besides with a small house, I just don't have room for oversized furniture. So when I find something that fits just right, I tend to hold on to it forever and just reupholster as is necessary.

I have found the same thing in furniture shopping that many of you have...that the furniture is too large and oversized (often because people have such large and vaulted great rooms, etc, now). I have had better luck reupholstering older/vintage furniture, and one bonus seems to be that some of the older pieces were very well-made, also.

I have noticed that the lines on newer furniture seem to be streamlining again at least a bit (more "tuxedo" style sofas again, etc), so maybe there will be more tailored and streamlined furniture available to the mass market again.

Diana, that chair is just wonderful! You got true talent, girl! And your interior is so classy.
You know, I was thinking when I saw that sofa that it would look great in green. My friend has a really nice mossy green sofa she purchased from a store called byDesign. I swear it's even just the color that makes it look comfortable!!
GGG

Oooh...I missed the link for the chair! I love the fabric. How beautiful, and timeless! You truly are talented.

One of my fav hgtv shows has "Edmund, our sew-er" as a regular.

Also, Some of you may have already know this, but ebay is a fantastic place to buy decorating fabric, including upholstery. I have bookmarked, as a favorite seller, a group called fabric guru [one word tho]. As is the brick/mortar places, I can buy it faster than I can EVER hope to get a given project done. I have bought as much as 4 yards of beautiful/1st quality uph. fabric for 12 bucks--- total, not per yard!

I use fabricguru, too (more often than I care to admit! :)

Ah, you all are too kind. I should add that my DH did help with the stapling. Then we got an electric stapler - much easier. Funny thing is, I had upholstered another chair before this one and did it all by myself with the old stapler. But I was younger and stronger, I suppose. ; )

I like Edmund, too. Isn't he on Candace Olson's show? She is one of the best, imho.

I will have to check out that fabricguru. I don't frequent ebay so I'm out of the loop. It's good to get safe recommendations - thanks!

As for those of you who are on the short side, the more traditional style of furniture would probably work for you. They have less depth to the seating so ladies can sit with their legs straight down while visiting. Got this info from a designer the other day when I was commenting on the seating of a traditional sofa. I am 5'7" with long legs so I could really tell the difference. She was 5'2" and her legs fit perfectly.

We are going to order the green fabric loveseat this morning. Talked it over while out to din last night and hubby agreed. Whew - one more thing to mark off the never ending remodel list.

Btw, Jane, I want to apologize to you. I think I took your thread off in another direction than you intended. So sorry. Btw, I saw some smaller, more streamlined furniture at La Z Boy. They had quite a few sofas that would fit a smaller home. Check out their site. They even have a floor plan tool so you can see if the furniture you like will fit in your space.

Diana

Diana ~ I love the loveseat you are getting and you did a fantastic job with that chair. Can't wait to see pictures of the room when it's altogether again. It already looks lovely just from that one picture of the chair and your floor looks wonderful.

We have a small love-seat that we got in great condition as far as the way it's built and comfort, from a thrift store in a 1/2 off sale many years ago, paid $50 for it. I have a huge white bed cover as a covering for it now but am looking for something different to use on it once we get the living room finished.

Our cottage is tiny a little less that 700 sq. ft. so we definitely have to watch measurements when we bring something new in.

FlowerLady

Amy, i have 2 sets of custom slipcovers for my love seat and club chair. Check out 'Todo' on the net. they make custom slipcovers by mail. with teenage boys, they are a lifesaver.
Diana, love your chair, it is just like my club chair, and with an ottoman, i can make into sort of a chase lounge.
And that fabric! love it too. Floral upholstry lovers Unite!
I have a matching love seat because our old sofa took up too much room. So, sold the old sofa (it was ethan allen so it was still going strong) and looked FOREVER for a simple camel back love seat that wasn't scaled huge or funky and had that "1930's" flavor. i did finally find it, but it was a real chore. as usual 7 years ago, simple camel backs weren't "in" so i considered myself lucky to find it.
Why oh why am i constanty looking for furniture styles that are not "instyle" at the moment?
My dining room furniture came from my mother in law. her house was a 1950's ranch with a "dining area" so she couldn't go big either. It's an "early american" set which is not quite to my taste, but it is hard rock maple and has stood up to the kid's abuse.
When we bought this house in 1982, my big concern was finding a bedroom large enough to fit our cherry bedroom set (our first serious purchase after we were married)
The set fits our bedroom, but i do wish i had room for a big comfy chair, cabbage rose upholstry, of course..

All my furniture is either a real antique, vintage or downright second hand. During the 30s and 40s, Queen Anne and Colonial Revival styles were popular, and those scaled-down sizes work well in my little house. I think just about all new furniture is junk, unless you're paying really high prices.

Flowerlady, check out Surefit. They have a great website and the slipcovers have come along way in recent years. I have dogs who like to be on the furniture, so I needed to find something to protect it. I ended up with two secondhand loveseats, one in great condition and one just right for the dogs (all run down). I got four or five slipcovers and changed the feeling of the room when I felt like it and always had one clean to whip onto the loveseats when guests were expected (no dog smell no dog hair).

Here is a link that might be useful: Surefit

For smaller couches, look for "studio" or "apartment" size, which is between a loveseat and a conventional couch in size. Loveseats are too small to really be useful for us - we both like to lie down on the couch, or at least sit with legs stretched out, and even though I'm 5'2" most loveseats are a bit tight for that and definitely too small for 5'9" DH. Our current couch is too big for our 12x12 LR with ridiculous floorplan (our last house had much bigger rooms) but it's super comfortable and I love the way it looks so it's staying. We have never had any problem with people not sitting in the middle on this couch, although we did with the two-cushion couch we used to have because the middle person would end up sliding into the crack between the cushions! We chose a three-cushion model for this one for that reason.

I have a weird corner by the fireplace that I completely filled with a 60x27 upholstered bench (like a giant ottoman) from SeatCompany.com, with piles of pillows on it. It's long enough for me to recline on but it can also seat two very comfortably, three if they're friendly and not too well upholstered themselves. ;-) It wasn't a big enough space to put the comfy chair-and-ottoman that matches the couch (it basically ate the room), the smaller-scaled chair I put in was just too skimpy to be comfortable and that only fit one person into the same amount of space that now seats two.

A lot of my stuff is vintage from eBay... a favorite is a little dining-room buffet to hold my tv and all the tv-related junk because an armoire would dominate the room. Since it's up on legs it looks less massive than most tv stands with storage beneath, but it's got loads of storage. Waiting VERY impatiently for delivery of a pair of tall skinny antique nightstands. Tabouret tables are dead cheap and perfect for tiny spaces.

GGG, what about an antique bedframe? They're pretty much ALL double size! Maddening if you love antiques like I do but have a queen mattress and don't like the look of the mattress sticking out by 3" on each side. :-( If you want to buy new, look at "youth furniture" lines - they almost always have the beds in twin and double size, while the "adult" lines are queen (or full/queen) and king. Since kids' rooms tend to be smaller than the master bedroom, the dressers and suchlike tend to be a bit smaller scaled as well. There's a thread on this subject in the Furniture forum.

Amy-
I reupholstered my couch by taking a class at a community college. It was fun! They have the pneumatic staplers and industrial sewing machines, so that helps. There actually is very little sewing involved- If you have ever operated a machine, you can do this.

Suzanne

Most of my furniture is vintage too - most via garage sales and thrift stores. We decided to get a modern platform bed with drawers underneath. The style is not particularly noticeable, and it functions well without taking up excess space.

I do find it hard to find upholstered pieces that fit. Pier One used to have a large collection of upholstered pieces, but they no longer carry them here. I've heard people say that the Pier one stuff is poor quality, but we do have one arm chair and ottoman that we bought there 15 years aga, and it has held up to my 260 lb. dh quite welll!

Cost Plus World Market has a few smaller scale things. We currently have a gorgeous but way too big sofa (also uncomfortable to me.) I'm considering the sofa below from Cost Plus...not fancy, but I like the color and have always liked velvet.

{{gwi:2071886}}

Thanks, we did find a very simple bedframe at a European import store. I was looking for one that also had the drawers under it, but we could not find one here in a double bed size...we do like the bed we purchased. It's simple and was a platform so we could use it without a box spring ( I needed just a board and memory foam. My back is terrible, this is the only thing that works!!). We also could not find a vintage bedrame that fit our room. I would have really liked a 50's one with the slanty headboards that slide open for storage...but they made the bed too long for the room. The bed is the only piece of furniture in our home which is new. Except for a few small appliances, everything is vintage. Even our major appliances are old as they came in smaller sizes then...

When I lived in a studio apartment I gave up on furniture. Even most vintage furniture was too big for that shoebox. I had a futon on the floor and made huge floor pillows to lounge around upon.
Sometimes you just gotta make due!

GGG

Nothing beats a platform bed! And yes, GGGG, I know what a pain it is to find just the right one! I found something close in the end, but if I could do it all over again I would have someone build one for me. The platform design isn't really complicated, so I can't imagine that it would be too difficult to have one put together in a custom wood and headboard style for a decent price. (maybe this is wishful thinking?)

Postum, we bought a sofa from World Market last year and have been really happy with it. It looks snappy, doesn't feel rickety, and doesn't hog the room. I liked the style of their dining tables there as well, but after keeping an eye on how the tables weathered their stay in the store, I have to say that they really aren't put together well. I saw a lot of cracking and warping on wood that obviously hadn't been dried properly or something-- what a shame! Anyways, I love World Market none the less, and their sofas are great! I hope you enjoy yours!

--Jane

Platform beds - I had one from Anderson Manufacturing in my last smaller house. It made the room livable. Here is a link to Anderson. It is very reasonably priced and I have no connection to them beyond living in the same state.

Here is a link that might be useful: A great platform bed

Geeze, what a bed. Who needs a house when you've got that bed! It's got everything!!

GGG

Wow! What an intelligent use of space. I think it would look great painted. too. There are so many wonderful paint colors and glazes now that it could be finished for quite a few styles.

I thought of another source for smaller sized furniture - unfinished furniture. There are quite a few manufacturers who offer tables, chairs, beds, bookcases, armoires, etc. in numerous sizes. I have bought quite a few pieces from a local store and always enjoy putting my own finish on them. I have a brochure from John Greenleaf that has a create a table section where you can choose the size table top and base or legs. You can create your own chairs, too. I like the large pedestal bases and would love to paint one in a basil color paint I recently bought. Then stain the top a color similar to our wood floors. Yum. : )

Scroll down the linked page for the create a table area.

Diana

Here is a link that might be useful: create a table

wow... i'm simply blown away by that bed! people can be so brilliant :)

we're currently in the market for a new couch and have had no luck. the living room has just one couch and one armchair, so i can get away with things that are a bit bigger than i'd like if need be (but it would be nice to free up some more space, you know?). now, if i could find a couch or loveseat that had storage like that bed, i'd be set.

Maco Furniture makes grown-up captain's beds (basically the bed frame is a big low dresser with a mattress on top). I came thisclose to getting this one but decided it didn't really jive with Victoriana and it was going to make for a very tall bed. :-) Pottery Barn's got a nice looking storage bed right now although it's very overpriced for what you get; it would be easy enough for a handy person to copy though. The concept of the Ultimate Bed is a very good one but I just can't get past the look of it - it's almost exactly the same style as a (less efficient) storage bed I had back in the 1980s, after the hideous Sears faux French provincial canopy bed I got when I was 9 fell apart. (It had help. ;-)) Stacks and Stacks carries underbed bins that actually look nice, in wicker with lids and little wooden wheels and muslin liners. Homevisions has a slightly cheaper version that IMO is not as nice. I wish I could remember who had the leather underbed boxes - gorgeous! Regular cardboard underbed boxes can be covered with wallpaper or fabric to improve their looks though. If the bed is low, risers can be put underneath to gain extra storage space (and make it easier for creaky aging bones to get out of the bed).

joyy, I did a quick search and came up with these links (Ok, I poached a lot of them from apartmenttherapy.com, which is a great site for the tiny-roomed). I'm too lazy to html them so you'll just have to copy and paste. :-)
http://www.homereserve.com/storage-solutions.html (not gorgeous although apparently they look much better IRL than in the pictures, but inexpensive and effective and comes in a range of sizes)
http://zfurniture.com/suin.html
http://www.dwr.com/productdetail.cfm?id=8600 (spendy!)
http://www.touchofginger.com/cat/view/pullman_sofa.html (WAY cool, but also $$$ and would have to be imported from UK... taking photo to a custom furniture maker for copying would probably be cheaper)
http://www.furnitureoutletwarehouse.com/sofa_beds.html
Apparently IKEA has a couple of options?
http://www.eco-furniture.com/docs/living_ls_romeodaybed.html (daybed but not very "beddy" looking)
http://www.wiedersofabed.com/
www.dormdepot.com (a little "dormy" for my tastes but the price is right)
http://www.spacesandiego.com/products-let-for-storage-day-bed.html

And I found a couple of references to taking the "guts" - the mattress and mechanism - out of a sleeper sofa and filling the resulting big gap with a lidded plywood box. (I hate MDF but I think MDF would work better at least for the sitting surface, because it's more rigid than plywood.)

It would stand to reason that this sort of couch would be somewhat less cushy than a conventional couch with springs.

Would a daybed be too "beddy-looking" for you? (It would be for me, I don't like them in living rooms for the most part, although I saw some in the Ballard catalog that I was just browsing that aren't too bad.) You could use a drawer trundle underneath a conventional daybed, or choose a captain's-bed style. Google "daybed storage", there are bazillions of options.

Oh, and if you'll permit me a little gloat, those tall, narrow antique nightstands are here:
{{gwi:2071887}}

I am back to square one as far as finding a sofa. The furniture showroom that I was ordering from called and said the manufacturer is no longer making the the one I wanted. : ( But I was at another place today and spied a Broyhill that I liked. So I've been playing around on their site. You can click on various sofa styles, then click on fabrics to see what they will look like.

There are other sites like this, but theirs shows the furniture in a nice large size. Even if one didn't buy from them it's great to see what a certain style might look like in a particular color. I'm having too much fun. : )

Here is a link that might be useful: fabric preview

I've found that the department stores have smaller scale sectionals. They're not as deep and are small on both sides.

I had been looking for a sectional for ages that could fit in my livingroom without taking up the whole room. I decided that a sectional was the way to go so I wouldn't have that wasted corner--plus it's a pain to clean back there.

Try any department store showroom. Or you can usually get them ordered with shorter sides. Just make sure you pick one that isn't deep and doesn't have the big roll arms. Those roll arms take up a lot of room.

I always get irritated because europe seems to have smaller furniture. Whenever I do a search online, everything that would fit in my house is from a company in the UK. I guess most of them live in smaller 200 year old houses or something.

Good Thread, our house is 816 sq ft and we have had a hard time finding furniture that isn't huge. I have found that antique stores have furniture that works, plus Hitchcock Chair Co makes small chairs and dining tables, doesn't fit in with what we need, but they do have smaller pieces. In our living room we went with a loveseat instead of a couch, and the smaller arms the better...

angelcub: if you want a table that goes up and down try Harden furniture, they are pricey though.

I love Harden, too! They have some dining chairs that I am in love with. Really good quality furniture.

Diana, thanks for the link to the "create a table" website.
I have such a small dining room that is a FR/DR combo and since our table & chairs are 30 years old we've been on the search for a new set. My problem is that DH wants at least 2 leaves for a big table and I would be happy just to seat 4 or 5 snuggly. I don't have big sit down dinners very often, maybe a couple of times a year, so I would like a very small table and then have one of those long foldup's from Sam's Club that I could set up & put a table cloth on it so no one could see it just for my big dinners. It would probably seat at least 8 comfortably.
I am looking at something oval as we have to walk through the DR from the back door into the house. It's like Grand Central Station!
You can't really tell how tight it is from this picture but I took the shot standing from the back door looking into the kitchen. To the right is the 3/4 bath & laundry closet and to the left is the FR. It's just a really small area.
{{gwi:2071888}}

As I said concerning the Captains chairs, you just can't see them, they're tucked under the table enough that they aren't blocking any "views". LOL
I'm hoping to get DH to check out the table website because I'm thinking it might be our solution. It's such a neat website.

Marilyn in NM

Thanks, bluesbarby! I checked out their site and saw one. A little too traditional but at least I know they're out there. And I found a site that sells the hi-lo mechanisms so we may go that route if we decide on that type of table.

Marilyn, glad you liked the "create a table" site. I think it's great to have such options. I have a few furniture pieces from Greenleaf and have found them to be of good quality. If we don't go with a hi-lo table, we will probably get one of the round tables with the large pedestal base. If you have an unfinished furniture store near you, they probably order from this company.

Another note, the furniture is very well sanded, so if you decide to do your own finish there isn't a lot of prep involved. We have two nightstands and a corner tv cabinet in alder, plus a pine armoire. They were all sanded perfectly smooth when I bought them, so I just had to do my thing with paint. I love painted, distressed furniture. : )

Diana

Diana,
I absolutely love your Club chair, and the fabric is wonderful! It is exactly what I have been searching for! I also love your white table beside the chair! As my walls are the same color as yours, you have the look I am going for! Thanks for the pics!! Can't wait to see the whole room!!
Jackie

Diana Love thta chair it is gorgeous... the fabric is awesome you are so talented!!
RaNae

Can't find the post that mentioned Pottery Barn Kids furniture. Since I just moved....the previous owner had children and their catalog is being sent to me. It has great ideas for bed/bath/storage. Most of their beds are available in full and some even queen. And most have storage under, or those trundle beds with pull out drawers which are solid for mattresses....could be a great storage area. You wouldn't have to order two mattresses.

The bath "furniture" is smaller and room designs have a lot of ideas for smaller areas. Plus, most of the furniture even for other rooms is smaller.

I am ready to put my bed up on "lifts", these would add enough height to store underneath. If I hadn't bought an expensive mattress before moving, would have gone with a double rather than queen. Not too sure about the added height or stability though.

Sandy

For smaller couches, look for "studio" or "apartment" size, which is between a loveseat and a conventional couch in size.

You may also find it described as a "condo sofa." I have always had this size, about 72 inches long, so it's spacious for two people but snug for three. My living room is long but narrow, with an opening to the dining room, a patio door, and three other doors -- a longer sofa would fit but allow no space for tables or lamps, and even if end tables aren't essential, lamps are.

My taste is for mid-century modern furniture, but genuine MCM sofas tend to be very long, even longer than standard sofas. So I am thinking about a new sofa with very simple lines. The one below is a possibility, not necessarily in the sleeper version.

Here is a link that might be useful: Apartment sofa

Thanks, Jackie and RaNae! The table was my grandmother's. It has metal "feet" for the bottom of each leg and metal drawer pulls with one drawer that opens. I lost one of the feet so am always looking for one - no luck yet. I love that table. I stripped it down once thinking I would stain it but the top was in bad shape. I am now thinking of doing a faux marble effect on it. Hey, it's only paint. : )

I'm STILL looking for a sofa. I found a Flexsteel sofa that may work. Found the perfect green fabric. Got ready to order it and it was discontinued. Bummer. Then I found another green but was afraid it was a little too formal looking. I'm going to go look at it again. I need to get this done. I've got too much going on with this kitchen remodel to worry about a bleepin' sofa!!! lol!

Here's the new green. I think I can make it work in our cottage style. And it's sooo comfy.

Diana

Here is a link that might be useful: new fabric choice

Our 'little house' is quite small. 3 bedrooms, built in 1924, SoCal Spanish beach cottage (2 min walk to sand). It's about 1100sq ft. The good thing is the previous owners opened the place up a bit, with an open kitchen, to give it a nice spacious feel.

Furnishing it was a pain. Living in SoCal, houses here can be quite big, 2500+ sq ft is pretty common, with those HUGE great rooms. Things wouldn't fit! We ended up have almost all of our funiture custom made. It ended up working great. Was definately more expensive than we wanted to spend, but, the guy that made it locally made everything to my specific dimensions, woods, stains, etc. Build quality and finish is excellent, better than you'll find than in all but the very most expensive furniture stores, and his prices really weren't all that bad.

{{gwi:2071889}}

Check the link for some examples of our place

Here is a link that might be useful: Check here for some pictures:

This forum is getting me into so much trouble. Postum.....you mentioned CostPlus and since I hadn't been there for a while, dropped by while at Lowes yesterday. They had a taylored slipcover couch on sale for half price, plus their extra slipcovers. Bought it and an extra cover on the fly. My 5 yr old chair is same and have enjoyed being able throw the cover in washer as needed....like the smell of fresh washed too. Currently have a leather couch which is too large for the living area...I am telling myself to approve of the new purchase.

A note about slipcovers. They can be pricey, but the taylored ones are worth it...when on sale. Make sure they are machine washable and of a heavy fabric. Most of the "casual" covers use very thin fabric which does nothing but slide around and won't last through long use/washing. I like canvas/twill, but with any fabric cover quality can be identified by fabric weight.

Angelecub....Upholstering furniture can get me in trouble too. The fabric outlet stores are like a candy store and it is so easy to consider changing looks. For those of you who haven't upholstered there are good classes available. You take the actual piece to class, many novices have created some wonderful results. With slipcovers I also use them for a pattern.

Cnolan...your room looks great. Costplus had their couch similar to yours on sale too. If I hadn't been in slipcover mode and seen your photo sooner...woud have considered.

Sandy

I just love my Natuzzi leather sofa and recliner that allows me to touch the floor with my feet and I am only 4"10.75" tall. It is so comfortable with pillow arms and it is not large and looks wonderful to me in my family room. When my room is more complete, I will take updated pics for everyone. I just love this thread.

I now need a new bedroom set since mine is falling apart and the bed fell apart a few days ago. It is almost 15 years of age.