I finally committed!

After months of searching and nth-guessing myself on the colour (gray? cream? brown?) and style (scooped arm? no arm? tuxedo frame? sleeper? button-tufted? blind-tufted?) I finally committed and bought myself a sofa yesterday!

I price-shopped, stopping first at GH Johnson Friday afternoon where I took another look and sit on this style here by Toronto-based Brentwood Classics:

I like the clean lines and deep seats, which definitely passed my butt test*. I then spent at least an hour flipping through all the fabric options before falling for this rich brown cotton velvet, which, incidentally, is called Toblerone (yum!) I, of course, had to pick the highest grade fabric to love:

I was treated to very indifferent service at GH Johnson despite it being not very busy that afternoon so after getting the sofa priced for my fabric, I dropped Direct Interiors a line and asked to speak to G, the saleslady I met in February on my first visit to their showroom. I'd been in touch with her throughout my search and she'd been very helpful in pricing things for me by phone. She quoted me a slightly better price so I made my second visit to their showroom out in the west end of the city with the intention of finally making a purchase.

There was a floor model sale on this weekend so I took a look around. I was tempted by a few things, including a pair of gorgeous occasional chairs in a flocked floral pattern that were on hold and this sofa by Bernhardt with its Charles of London-style arms which I've always liked:

The heavy white cotton of the floor model would not do so I flipped through more fabric and after finding out that this option would cost more, I decided to stick with my initial choice, which I think was the right choice: the clean lines lend the sofa a more casual air but the velvet makes it more comfy and luxe...plus, I like that it's manufactured in Toronto - it has a shorter distance to travel and will therefore have less of an impact on the environment.

I also showed G a picture of the Tulip table I'd taken on my phone and asked her if they carried it as well. After a check, it turns out they do, plus the price for the marble-top was very competitive compared to the going rate of other Saarinen-inspired pedestal tables on the street! Oh, and they also have the Eames-style molded plywood dining chairs too! So maybe this vision could become a reality, sooner rather than later(!):

Litwin Davies Design

* How to perform a butt test: Stand in front of a sofa with the back of your shins just touching the sofa, when ready, fall back, butt-first into the seat. Take note of your reaction to the drop: was the cushion too firm? was there just enough cushiony-give to be comfortable for you? was the back of the sofa too far back? etc.