Hello Peeps ! Introducing to you my new handsome couch or call it sexy if you Please. But let me hype it a bit first and actually admit , I fell in love the moment I saw this one and I really mean it. An ‘ English Roll Arm ‘ is something I dreamt of for the longest time and here in India I never found anyone really who made them, at least not without costing me both my Kidneys.
Having said that I was looking to upholster my old couch into a lighter neutral shade as the old fabric had started to worn out a bit and I wanted a lighter shade for this very tiny rental apartment’s living space which merges well into the Dining area.
And on one such random visit to my Home town in Jaipur that has a lot of Furniture export stores I happened to visit this factory set on the outskirts of the city where on a hot summer afternoon ‘ I found the couch of my dreams’ quite literally.
So much so that inspite of the company refusing to manage outstation transportation or take payments post production & quality check, I just gave in , I was even ready for the logistic challenge it imposed on us. Its called ‘ TRUE LOVE ‘ you see.
Now without bragging anymore let me introduce this beauty to you. And share how our Living Room looks after we brought in this handsome fella home.
You maybe interested in some Before Pictures and comparisons to get an idea of what it looked like before so sharing some old Photos of the dark green couch we had for 7 years or so and loved equally.
Why did we change the old couch when it looked good already
Other than the fact that I fell in love head over heels with it, we were anyways looking to upholster the old green one to a lighter more neutral shade this year , the old one was very dark for this new rental’s tiny living space in my opinion. The idea was to get something that would lighten up the area and make it appear more fresh and airy and induce an illusion of a larger space because the rains never seem to recede here and it rains half the year so everything gets very dark, dingy and depressing.
I have also been leaning heavy towards Neutrals , Fresh whites and French Country style of decorating for a while now so this one did tick all the boxes. English Roll Arm is not quite French country you may argue and its true but its one of the most comfortable styles for couches out there with the back being slightly slanted and a deep seating.
The Roll back arms actually make it wider to sit yet it doesn’t look exceptionally bulky or masculine.
The other selling point for us was we like couches with raised legs over the ones that are floor hugging, just makes it easier to sweep & mop floors in our country which has ample dust.
And what if I told you this one has the most beautiful legs with brass casters attached. One hundred percent old world charm, no wonder I was smitten to the bones. You cannot blame me here or can you.
But getting to the big advantage ‘ Brass Casters ‘ don’t just look absolutely drop dead gorgeous but are hundred % a help when you want to move around your furniture too without scratching the floor.
Choosing The Striped Upholstery – Going Retro or unconventional you decide
When it came to choosing the upholstery even though I really liked the look of this striped one that was originally displayed on the one that we spotted, we had a second thought and spilt minds both from an upkeep point of view and styling stripes. Was it too Nautical , What kind of cushions would pair with stripes etc etc.
Another big concern was this absolutely gorgeous Handwoven Fabric, it was all kinds of gorgeous with its Texture and slightly loose weave but was this even a practical choice for a couch, A cotton Fabric like this is very prone to pilling , attracting dust that settles , getting stained easily and it would show.
Trust at one point we just dropped the idea and actually chose a Beige Linen that seemed more of a safe bet both in terms of maintenance and styling but something in me kept going back to the stripes every now and then.
On one of my visits to Jaipur , I just decided I would go choose something else that is considered a proper upholstery fabric and comes with stain & dust resistant features being all sorts practical in my head. But just when I was walking towards their fabric selection room, an in-house Tailor had a huge pile of the striped fabric spread on his Table and it looked all sorts of amazing.
In a fraction of a second I decided to opt for the Stripes and work around my way with this demanding Fabric choice which meant frequent vacuuming, shampooing , dry-cleaning or just live with the pilling and stains because the truth is nothing practical came close to the sheer beauty of this Handwoven. And the finer things in life are meant to be enjoyed over being fussed about. Do I make any sense here. I bet not.
So that’s my new couch for you , it received a lot of love from the Instagram community (Hey are you following me on Instagram ? I share lots of interesting things there too ) Once we had this reach us just a week before Christmas, I couldn’t contain the Joy of actually seeing it and lounging on it day in and day out.
It made all the difference I had hoped for. The Living space opened up a bit and looks much lighter and airy now giving an illusion of a larger space.
What Kind of Cushions would Pair with a Striped Couch
I’ll be honest this question did cross my mind quite a few times before the couch arrived. Will my existing cushion collection be a waste, which kind of cushions would actually pair with this couch because I do love a cushion or two.
But this wasn’t a problem too big , I tried a few combinations from my existing collection first then to invest in new ones straightaway. And I find solid cushions in Rich fabrics like velvet in deep hues would pair very well. I don’t mind even dark Plaids on it and my Hand embroidered cross stitch looks lovely too. It is definitely more work to style this over a plain couch but I have a lot of ideas in my head and actually love styling unusual patterns. Its Fun isn’t it !
I hope you enjoyed reading my love affair with my new couch that I have bragged so much about. What are your thoughts about this major furniture upgrade. Do you like it as much as me. Let me know, as I am generously taking praises for a few weeks now. Next I need in life is a Wall to Floor Book Shelf filled with Books to the brim hanging behind this couch , ok may be an old rocking chair too. Enough said, I am off to day dreaming now. Bye !
Ciao
Kamakshi
