I’m really happy with how my apartment is shaping up. But, there are some things I would change if I could wipe the slate clean and start furnishing from scratch with a larger budget (I’m not talking Kardashian-level, but, you know, spending as if these are things I wouldn’t potentially need to replace if/when I move).
So, I give you my dream apartment. That is, my dream apartment if I were just to replace all of the current furnishings in my seating area with something new. Same formula, different components.
This is what my living room looks like now:
This is the dream:
My couch is an English Roll Arm in dark grey velvet. It’s classic, but, I am craving a more loungey sofa I can really sink into, and also would love something in a lighter tone. The Lounge II from Crate and Barrel has a more casual feel, and I hear it’s super comfortable.
I wrote an ode to my rug here. It’s great. But, I think it may be just a smidge too small. A hand knotted 8×10 is my ideal for this space. And I’ve mentioned this Savafieh before. The color just sings to me and with the lighter couch, I would go darker with the rug than what I currently have.
The sconces are the same in both versions! I bought these from CB2 for the room and I honestly wouldn’t change them. At the time they didn’t come in black, and now I’m not sure which finish I would get if they were both available to me. With the lighter sofa though, the black is the way to go.
I have wanted a leather Safari chair for years. In general something in a camel leather would be my perfect accent chair for this room. I don’t think it would really fit in with the other furnishings I have, but, if I were to re-do it from scratch and had the budget, it would be an easy buy for me.
Oh man, this coffee table is perfection. I love the light wood tone, the pedestal base, the curved edges. I was looking for an oval coffee table when I purchased my current one, but they’re harder to find than rectangles, especially at a lower price-point.
The Art. Okay, okay, this is where I go off the rails with price. But, I saw this photo from Daniel Kanter and I needed to know everything about that artwork. They are Louise Nevelson paper reliefs and they’re basically only available from auctions every once in a blue moon. They would cost a lot. But, I LOVE THEM SO MUCH AND THIS IS MY DREAM.
Okay, but, let’s be serious. How much would I be spending in the dream vs. reality? Let’s break it down.
Dream Sofa – $2,463 Rug – $1,289 Sconces – $298 Chair – $2,198 Coffee Table – $1,599 Art – $10,000? (who knows?!) Total: $17,847 Ok, and if I picked a very nice but not exclusive piece of large-scale art ($1,200): $9,047
Reality Sofa – $0 (Okay, okay, fine $2,480, but back in 2014) Rug – $568 Sconces – $298 Chair – $470 Coffee Table – $159 Art – $0 (An NYC garbage find!) Total: $3,975
I have to admit finding the art was a huge money saver, but, even if I had to pay for it, I think considering the budget differentials, my apartment is doing okay for itself.