topic Re: Life without a sofa in Home

Life without a sofa

Mominohio — Mon, 09 Oct 2017 14:34:49 GMT

My living room sofa is approaching 30 years old. It is still in great condition, but I got tired of the print a couple of years ago, as well as the colors as I was changing to a more neutral look in that room.

I bought a slip cover (not super expensive) in order to see how I would like a solid, and what shade/color would look best for the long haul (I do keep my sofas forever!).

Well, the experiment did let me know I was right in wanting little or no print/pattern and gave me an idea of the colors to be looking at. So it worked for that.

But the slip cover was always askew and driving me nuts, plus over the years, the room was just too full and looking overcrowded.

I had decided a couple of years ago, I would replace the sofa at some point in the future, and with a love seat instead of a sofa, to scale down the crowded room. So when my son got his first apartment this month, I sent the sofa off with him.

I spent the weekend rearranging the room, steam cleaning the carpet (geeze how does the carpet get so dirty when no one wears shoes in this house!!) fussing with the details of having too much, but wanting to use what was left in the room in just the right manner.

I'm now in no particular hurry to replace the sofa with a love seat. I do have limited seating in the room for now (just two large upholstered chairs), but we rarely have guests in that room anyway, and still have the family room with plenty of seating and the tv is in the family room too.

I have a lot of wood pieces in that room and don't want to relocate or get rid of any of them. In the future, I will find just the right love seat, and plan to scale down the size of the chairs in that room when I replace those, so I can keep all the wood pieces, still have adequate seating, but "unstuff" the room a bit!

Anyone else give up a sofa in the living room, and have any input in how it worked out for them?

Re: Life without a sofa

chrystaltree — Mon, 09 Oct 2017 14:43:16 GMT

No, I've never seen a room without a sofa or loveseat and it's not something I would do but if it works for you, that's all that matters. I do know a couple of women who live in small condos and they loveseats instead of sofas. One has two loveseats that face each other with coffee table in the middle. The other has a loveseat and one chair.

Re: Life without a sofa

Mominohio — Mon, 09 Oct 2017 14:44:44 GMT

Re: Life without a sofa

alicedee — Mon, 09 Oct 2017 18:22:33 GMT

I use a loveseat and one overstuffed chair in my apartment living room. Works fine for my needs.

I am not a fan of an "overstuffed" room either!

Re: Life without a sofa

Mominohio — Mon, 09 Oct 2017 14:46:16 GMT

Re: Life without a sofa

dex — Mon, 09 Oct 2017 15:00:42 GMT

I think four chairs would be nice and no sofa.I like the idea of each person having their own space.

Re: Life without a sofa

software — Mon, 09 Oct 2017 15:01:33 GMT

@Mominohio wrote:
My living room sofa is approaching 30 years old. It is still in great condition, but I got tired of the print a couple of years ago, as well as the colors as I was changing to a more neutral look in that room.

I bought a slip cover (not super expensive) in order to see how I would like a solid, and what shade/color would look best for the long haul (I do keep my sofas forever!).

Well, the experiment did let me know I was right in wanting little or no print/pattern and gave me an idea of the colors to be looking at. So it worked for that.

But the slip cover was always askew and driving me nuts, plus over the years, the room was just too full and looking overcrowded.

I had decided a couple of years ago, I would replace the sofa at some point in the future, and with a love seat instead of a sofa, to scale down the crowded room. So when my son got his first apartment this month, I sent the sofa off with him.

I spent the weekend rearranging the room, steam cleaning the carpet (geeze how does the carpet get so dirty when no one wears shoes in this house!!) fussing with the details of having too much, but wanting to use what was left in the room in just the right manner.

I'm now in no particular hurry to replace the sofa with a love seat. I do have limited seating in the room for now (just two large upholstered chairs), but we rarely have guests in that room anyway, and still have the family room with plenty of seating and the tv is in the family room too.

I have a lot of wood pieces in that room and don't want to relocate or get rid of any of them. In the future, I will find just the right love seat, and plan to scale down the size of the chairs in that room when I replace those, so I can keep all the wood pieces, still have adequate seating, but "unstuff" the room a bit!

Anyone else give up a sofa in the living room, and have any input in how it worked out for them?

I have a small living room. I have 2 loveseats.

There's enough room when family visits. I have small folding chairs for the grandkids. Plus I have other seating I can move into the room if necessary.

Re: Life without a sofa

KathyM23 — Mon, 09 Oct 2017 15:06:50 GMT

@Mominohio

You are correct in thinking to replace sofa with love seat and scale down the chairs in the room. You do have alot of wood furniture which I thlink adds interest to a room, so I would go with the smaller seating and keep the wood. Since you have a family room for gathering of family/friend, no need for seating for more than four in your seldom used living room.

Re: Life without a sofa

Meowingkitty — Mon, 09 Oct 2017 15:08:24 GMT

I don’t have a sofa or loveseat either, just leather chairs. Sofas take up to much room and limit the possibilities. It’s just the two of us and six cats that can each have a chair.

Re: Life without a sofa

panda1234 — Mon, 09 Oct 2017 15:11:59 GMT

Four chairs....yes. You could get a bench and put that infront of your window for extra seating.

Re: Life without a sofa

ptagirl — Mon, 09 Oct 2017 15:13:34 GMT

In our previous home, we had a small living room and a long sofa along one wall and two other chairs. I decided to move it downstairs into the basement and get a loveseat. Made the room look bigger, but I hated it from day one. I didn't know how much I liked to stretch out on the couch when watching tv or reading.

So when we moved to this home, I gave away my loveseat and purchased another long sofa. I love it when reading, on my computer or watching tv. My hubby has his recliner,I also have a wing-back chair with matching ottoman ,and my sofa in my living room. Wouldn't have it any other way.

Good luck in finding a loveseat, I think it would look great in your room with your two other chairs. Have a great day!

Re: Life without a sofa

DREAMON — Mon, 09 Oct 2017 15:17:27 GMT

I have been in many homes that do not have sofas in their living rooms. They all do have a family room with a sectional or sofa and love seat etc.

My daughter has 2 love seats in her living room.

I think the love seat would look perfect or 4 chairs is an option if you want to make a conversation area. My friend has 4 chairs/no sofa in her living room and it is so cozy and warm looking. We sit in there often when we just want to talk.

The days of rules and regs in home decor are long gone. Give it some time and choose what you think best fits you, your family, and your style.

Re: Life without a sofa

Mominohio — Mon, 09 Oct 2017 15:21:35 GMT

@KathyM23 wrote:
@Mominohio

You are correct in thinking to replace sofa with love seat and scale down the chairs in the room. You do have alot of wood furniture which I thlink adds interest to a room, so I would go with the smaller seating and keep the wood. Since you have a family room for gathering of family/friend, no need for seating for more than four in your seldom used living room.

@KathyM23

Great point and exactly how I feel about the wood, I'd rather have it than more seating.I've never had seating for more than 5 (if you consider the average sofa proper seating for three people in a pinch), and can't imagine how big a room would have to be to seat more people than that comfortably in upholstered furniture.

We used to have company often, but many of those people have passed away, so while two seats in the room right now isn't the best option, I can see it working until I find just the right love seat. I've been looking casually for a year now and have found nothing I'm in love with. It's great to not be in a hurry and let the right one come along!

Re: Life without a sofa

MoodeeFan — Mon, 09 Oct 2017 15:26:23 GMT

We just had our new, smaller sofa delivered last week, and I am glad we purchased this one. Had a rather large looking, for us, sofa that was 86 inches long and 12 years old. Our dog passed way in the spring of 2016, and the living room was just looking so dark, along with our sadness, that I donated this red, gold, blue plaid Thomasville sofa to the Salvation Army. Not a thing wrong with it, just didn't like it anymore. It was one piece of four that was color coordinated with a chair, and club chair w/ ottoman, both solid colors with small woven prints.

I moved a small settee into the LR while deciding on what to buy. It is oyster white and looked odd at first because it was 58 inches long, and I did consider just leaving in there, but the inside measure (46 in.) was to short for me to lie down on comfortably. Still, it did make the room look bigger, but not practical for seating more than two small people. This is our living room (no family room or great room here), and we are limited in arranging the furniture because of windows and archways!

The new sofa is in a matching solid color of blue (also Thomasville) taken from the blue in one of prints. The LR looks bright and cheery and this sofa is 78 inches long, with the same inside measure of the larger (86 in.) which is 66 inches. Just enough room for me to stretch out as I am just under 62 inches tall.

If you really don't use the room that much, and you have seating for company elsewhere, then maybe it will work out for you the way you now have it arranged. It could become a "quiet space" in the home, to just relax and read a good book there.

My 2 cents!

Re: Life without a sofa

Q4u — Mon, 09 Oct 2017 15:26:40 GMT

I have seen a love seat replacing a sofa and I think it looks great.

I have also seen "stagers" of homes for sale (professional decorators) use love seats instead of a sofa to make a living room look bigger....

Re: Life without a sofa

Mominohio — Mon, 09 Oct 2017 15:27:39 GMT

@DREAMON wrote:
I have been in many homes that do not have sofas in their living rooms. They all do have a family room with a sectional or sofa and love seat etc.
My daughter has 2 love seats in her living room.
I think the love seat would look perfect or 4 chairs is an option if you want to make a conversation area. My friend has 4 chairs/no sofa in her living room and it is so cozy and warm looking. We sit in there often when we just want to talk.
The days of rules and regs in home decor are long gone. Give it some time and choose what you think best fits you, your family, and your style.

@DREAMON

Four chairs is sounding appealing, and I can picture a grouping and how intimate and comfortable that could be. It isn't something I have ever considered, but hearing about it on here is giving me some great food for thought.

I'm just wondering if it would actually take up more room though, than a love seat and two chairs. I'm sure the size of the chairs chosen would have a lot to do with the answer to that question. And I love that big window, but it does make arranging furniture a bit more challenging, as I don't like upholstered pieces in front of it, so it is like loosing an entire wall in the room from a decorating standpoint.

For now the room looks so different than it did before, and I'm really enjoying the change!

Re: Life without a sofa

Mominohio — Mon, 09 Oct 2017 15:36:28 GMT

@MoodeeFan wrote:
We just had our new, smaller sofa delivered last week, and I am glad we purchased this one. Had a rather large looking, for us, sofa that was 86 inches long and 12 years old. Our dog passed way in the spring of 2016, and the living room was just looking so dark, along with our sadness, that I donated this red, gold, blue plaid Thomasville sofa to the Salvation Army. Not a thing wrong with it, just didn't like it anymore. It was one piece of four that was color coordinated with a chair, and club chair w/ ottoman, both solid colors with small woven prints.

I moved a small settee into the LR while deciding on what to buy. It is oyster white and looked odd at first because it was 58 inches long, and I did consider just leaving in there, but the inside measure (46 in.) was to short for me to lie down on comfortably. Still, it did make the room look bigger, but not practical for seating more than two small people. This is our living room (no family room or great room here), and we are limited in arranging the furniture because of windows and archways!

The new sofa is in a matching solid color of blue (also Thomasville) taken from the blue in one of prints. The LR looks bright and cheery and this sofa is 78 inches long, with the same inside measure of the larger (86 in.) which is 66 inches. Just enough room for me to stretch out as I am just under 62 inches tall.

If you really don't use the room that much, and you have seating for company elsewhere, then maybe it will work out for you the way you now have it arranged. It could become a "quiet space" in the home, to just relax and read a good book there.
My 2 cents!

@MoodeeFan

I'm so sorry about the passing of your dog, and it does make a home rather bleak and sad looking regardless of the decor, to no longer see a beloved furbaby there.

I think you new sofa sounds like the best of both worlds, still big enough for your comfort but smaller than what you had in the past, opening up more space for you.

In my opinion, the sofa is the hardest thing to choose in home furnishings. For me there is a challenge in finding the exact style I want (I always look at the style/shape of the piece first), then couple it with the comfort and good quality brand that I want. I find the right style, but a cheap brand that I won't invest in, or the perfect in sitting comfort, but don't like the style, or find great quality and style, but the fabric choices don't thrill me. Pulling all aspects of it together kind of drives me insane!

I can look at a wood piece and know instantly if I would love it or want it in my home, but upholstered pieces are much more challenging for me!

Re: Life without a sofa

Mominohio — Mon, 09 Oct 2017 15:45:15 GMT

@Q4u wrote:
I have seen a love seat replacing a sofa and I think it looks great.

I have also seen "stagers" of homes for sale (professional decorators) use love seats instead of a sofa to make a living room look bigger....

@Q4u

That would be my purpose as well, to make the room look bigger and give us a bit more space, but still provide seating for two.

Could just be me, and my lack of finding many upholstered pieces that I love lately, but a full size sofa in many living rooms is simply overbearing and takes too much attention from the rest of the room.

I grew up in older houses, with huge rooms, and a standard size sofa was just 'normal' to me. My current living room is rather large for the age and style of the home, but with the big window, two archways into the dining room and kitchen, and the stairs on one end, there isn't a lot of wall space for placing big things like a sofa, and the center of the room for upholstered furniture placement has been something I have done for quite some time now.

One can still keep full sized furniture but reduce the amount of space it looks like it takes by choosing pieces with low backs, not over stuffed and 'puffy', but with cleaner, thinner lines too, should they need the seating, but have smaller rooms.

But I have walked into a lot of living rooms in my life, and the sofa seems to be disproportionately large for the space. Hoping to avoid that from now on in choosing upholstered furniture.

Re: Life without a sofa

MoodeeFan — Mon, 09 Oct 2017 15:54:18 GMT

@Mominohio wrote:
@MoodeeFan wrote:
We just had our new, smaller sofa delivered last week, and I am glad we purchased this one. Had a rather large looking, for us, sofa that was 86 inches long and 12 years old. Our dog passed way in the spring of 2016, and the living room was just looking so dark, along with our sadness, that I donated this red, gold, blue plaid Thomasville sofa to the Salvation Army. Not a thing wrong with it, just didn't like it anymore. It was one piece of four that was color coordinated with a chair, and club chair w/ ottoman, both solid colors with small woven prints.

I moved a small settee into the LR while deciding on what to buy. It is oyster white and looked odd at first because it was 58 inches long, and I did consider just leaving in there, but the inside measure (46 in.) was to short for me to lie down on comfortably. Still, it did make the room look bigger, but not practical for seating more than two small people. This is our living room (no family room or great room here), and we are limited in arranging the furniture because of windows and archways!

The new sofa is in a matching solid color of blue (also Thomasville) taken from the blue in one of prints. The LR looks bright and cheery and this sofa is 78 inches long, with the same inside measure of the larger (86 in.) which is 66 inches. Just enough room for me to stretch out as I am just under 62 inches tall.

If you really don't use the room that much, and you have seating for company elsewhere, then maybe it will work out for you the way you now have it arranged. It could become a "quiet space" in the home, to just relax and read a good book there.
My 2 cents!

@MoodeeFan

I'm so sorry about the passing of your dog, and it does make a home rather bleak and sad looking regardless of the decor, to no longer see a beloved furbaby there.

I think you new sofa sounds like the best of both worlds, still big enough for your comfort but smaller than what you had in the past, opening up more space for you.

In my opinion, the sofa is the hardest thing to choose in home furnishings. For me there is a challenge in finding the exact style I want (I always look at the style/shape of the piece first), then couple it with the comfort and good quality brand that I want. I find the right style, but a cheap brand that I won't invest in, or the perfect in sitting comfort, but don't like the style, or find great quality and style, but the fabric choices don't thrill me. Pulling all aspects of it together kind of drives me insane!

I can look at a wood piece and know instantly if I would love it or want it in my home, but upholstered pieces are much more challenging for me!

Thank you for your kind words, and we have added a new friend to our family, so the hole in our hearts is mending.

Boy, you are so right about shopping for a sofa!! That is why I went back to Thomasville, and the one we bought was the smallest one they had because everybody wants hugh, theatre seating or sectionals now. The other stores just did not have a variety of style or colors, and quality. Like what you have to say about wood pieces, too, feel the same as you do.

Re: Life without a sofa

Irish1210 — Mon, 09 Oct 2017 16:12:00 GMT

I love the idea of no sofa and have been contemplating it myself! We have quite a large living room ~ I have three love seats in addition to a sofa now. However, I'm not "in love" with the pattern/color so have been hoping to sell the sofa and reconfigure the room.

Glad to hear others are thinking similarly : )