My mother is a genius, and other stories

I've been in my new apartment for a couple of months now, and I absolutely love it, except for one thing: the couch. (Note: The photo above has absolutely nothing to do with this post, other than it has an old couch, and also that I liked it. Photo from here.)

Don't get me wrong, the couch itself is great -- it's a midcentury wooden frame, found at an antique store for $100, which we stripped, stained and fixed up to near-perfect condition. But the original cushions had to be tossed, and my attempt to upholster it on the cheap (foam cushions from JoAnn Fabric, with my mom sewing up printed Ikea curtain fabric to cover them) was a bit of a disaster. First, the cushions flattened out and became misshapen in, like, a day. The fabric covering them was awesome, but it ended up not matching my interior at ALL (plus, it was a very loose woven, so cat claws started destroying it in no time).



Eventually, I threw a basic Ikea comforter the whole thing -- which felt super dorm-room-y (see above) -- and vowed to get it redone asap. Except, do you know how much upholstery costs? Like, $1,000 for six cushions. And when faced with deciding between couch cushions or 3.1 Phillip Lim, I will always, always pick the clothing.

And then my mom came for a visit the other week. I lamented my goofy sofa set-up and she suggested I look into replacement patio cushions for an easier way to spiff it up (at least, until my ship comes in and I can splurge on Hable Construction fabrics and a pro upholster). I ordered six cushions in a neutral taupe from Target.com (total cost: $210) and voila! Instant upgrade. See Commander Robot pose on the new set-up, below.




Two things to take from this post. One: If you are in ownership of a nice wood-frame couch without cushions, try the patio department (while the fabrics will be more hardy/less comfy, they're great for those of us with small pesky cats who like to sink their claws into things). And two: Mom is always right. To an unfailing degree. Might be time to just accept it. (Thanks, mom!)