Trip to Ethan Allen to Look at Sofas.

 Feeling a bit chipper a few days ago, I asked hubby to take me to our local Ethan Allen shop. He did. When I first walked in their store, the most stunningly gorgeous sofa was sitting right in front. It was the Chadwick (seen below in photos 7, 8 and 9) in a beautiful fabric. It took my breath away. I've asked the designer to take a photo of that setting so I could show it to you. 

This is my sofa now. It's 17 years old and I'm due for a new one. The pillows on it now aren't the regular pillows but since my surgery I've had them on because they're feathers and nice and soft for my head and feet to lay on. Corbett is its name but it's been discontinued years ago. This looks about like it did when new though. I take excellent care of my furnishings and have it treated with a stain repellent every five or so years. Clean and nice. Ready for my granddaughter's house when she finds one.

There are 5 sofas I'm looking at. I've narrowed it down to these sofas but I'm pretty sure it'll be the Marlowe one down a couple from here. I gave the designer my five favorites and told her to put the same fabric I looked at in the store on all five on their website where they can do it and send me the photos of each to compare. I doubt that this will be the final fabric. It actually shows darker here than when actually seen. I don't want something very dark. I'll make the final fabric selection next time we go in to the store. Here they are.
This is the Paris sofa.

Savoy sofa.
I liked this one also, but it's not going to be my final selection.

Marlowe.
This is my final selection. Longer than the old sofa, which was 92". This one is 99" and hubs wanted it bigger rather than smaller. You know men! ;-)

This is a tight back and it wasn't comfortable with my tight-muscled back. So it won't be my final selection either.
Montgomery sofa

Marlowe in another fabric. I want to see this fabric in person before I decided. Probably not what I'll select but I never know until I see the fabric in person and the colors in natural light. Very Pretty though.

This was the stunning sofa in the entry, but it was done in a fabric similar to the top three, but it was a gold/yellowish. It drew my breath away when I saw it. Stunningly gorgeous! It has nail trim and the back and arms are tufted with buttons. The back scrolls over a bit. That would make it stand out a bit far from our window behind it. But the greatest consideration is that it was stiffer than the cushioned sofas.

Chadwick sofa

Well, to my delight, the designer took this photo and emailed it to me after I'd completed this post. I didn't want to change the post so I just added these photos of it. This is the sofa in the entry of Ethan Allen the day I walked in.

I cannot tell you how beautiful it is in person. No photo ever does justice to the actual things we're photographing!

I also played around with the fabrics on the sofa I'm wanting—the Marlowe. This is pretty but I'm wanting something less floral. I'll know it when I find it.

This is a pretty paisley print on the sofa.

Also, I pulled up this one in pink stripe fabric just for fun. I'm not getting another pink stripe fabric for the living room. But I like it. I think it's darling, but not as formal as I want.

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I love this small outdoor patio with the darling birdhouse. I have no clue where it is but it's beautiful, especially with all the patio lights running along the fence.

A quaint pathway between 2 houses in a small village. Perhaps in the UK somewhere.

If only all entrances could be this welcoming with petunias, it would be a much nicer place to visit.

Lovin' these refurbished shoes!

Wishing I could have something like this in our backyard.

A beautiful bedroom for your little princess. The bed is in that Cinderella coach. I'm wondering if this is a decorator's showcase house room.

I like the way this homeowner decorated her lamp and hamper with the same beautiful roses fabric. Sweet!

The mirror reflects the actual home and what a sweet way to decorate a fence.

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Another tidbit from the blog post on U.S. Presidents I posted here.
Once while reprimanding his child for school grades, one Vice-President said, "What do you want to end up like—one of these?", while sweeping his arm to indicate the SS agents. So let's hear it for the SS agents! I think those guys are wonderful to protect a man for whom they had absolutely no respect. My brother-in-law is a retired FBI agent so I know what these people go through. They should be applauded for their heroism and non-judgmental attitude.
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Linking to WOW.

Random Thoughts 6/22/12

Random Thoughts:

My son's friend was married to a Russian woman briefly several years ago. I think it was one of those mail-order bride situations. Her parents came over to visit them in Southern California, first visit ever, and they were stymied by all the food and food items available as well as the orchards. They couldn't believe the orchards in Southern California didn't have fences around them. (Now, we're talking S. Cal here, where most people have a few trees in their backyards even.) Anyway, they were aghast at the plethora of orchards. They said in Russia all the orchards had fences around them and if you tried to pick the fruit, you'd be shot as there were sentries posted. How awful that must be. They even "sneaked" into an orchard and pulled a few oranges off to eat while visiting. So if you ever think about living in the eastern European countries, think of what you'd be missing.
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My hubs' brother and his family lived in Italy for several years. Their apartment came with walls. That's it. No cabinets, floors, sinks, toilets, etc. You got walls. When they moved into the apartment, a window was broken. It took months to get another one. You don't just walk into Home Depot and get one. You wait and wait and wait. I think they were happy to go to Belgium after that. ;-) But I haven't heard the Belgium stories either.
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Living in actual cowboy country I made this observation: Cowboys don't whistle at women; they nod when passing. Yep, they sure do. Cowboys are the last true American men, in my opinion.
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A couple of weeks ago, I read about a woman on American Idol who didn't win. (Having had no television for over 25 years, we have never seen AI.) But her reaction was: I have absolutely nothing. Seriously, how ungrateful can a young person be? What does it say about our society when a very young woman laments that she has nothing?! She lives in the best country on the face of the earth. She has some talent or she wouldn't have been a contestant on a television show. She has the ability to set her own fate. She could get a job!! She's alive and breathing. I'm sure she has food provided to her by her mummy and dada. In the photo accompanying this story, she had on a very pretty dress. What does she mean she has nothing? How tragic she must be.
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The above young woman sounds like a few other people I know who have upgraded basic stupidity to disability level.
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Now on to some beauty:

What the woman who lives in this home did to her sofa is fantastic. Just adorable. Of course, I love that style.

More white slipcovers in this cute living room.

How clever to display your roses and carnations in a button jar.

I’d love to have a bathroom with a shower that didn’t need a door or shower curtain. This color is beautiful also.

Tiny office but it’s enough. Very clever and so attractive you don’t have to hide it. Looks to be a closet turned into an office.

More lovely blossoms surrounding this entrance to several apartments.

Another unique birdhouse. I plan on getting some more done in the next several weeks.

Another clever and innovative homeowner using a basket to hold towels. Look at the sprigs of evergreens in her toilet tissue.

Pretty porch done on the cheap it looks like. Cute and cozy.

And yet another pretty sun porch to laze around on.

This homeowner likes exactly what I do also. Lots of cushy seat pillows and roses everywhere I can find a spot to put them.

This is a miniature garden. I’ve never done one but they are cute if you like tiny things.

Another clever idea for a laundry room. I don’t think I could stand doing laundry in a dreary room or area. I did mine just like the rest of my home—pink with roses border and pictures hanging in there.

Another tiny fairy garden. Cute!

I like the wallpaper and the curtains best. But the whole room is lovely.

Somebody’s eye candy in their studio. ;-)

A crown someone made. Why don’t you make one to put around your living room or wherever you choose. I have one in my bedroom on a shelf, but I am going to bring it out into my living room so everyone can see it.

Cakes we love to look at and not even eat. This whole setting is just adorable.

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