Living Room Blues -

I'm not keen on the idea of purchasing home accessories online - I really

prefer to see what I'm buying upfront and close up.

These days, real shopping, where you call a friend, make a date for

 lunch, and look forward to "let's take whirl around Home Goods, 

TJMaxx, Target etc. for a couple of hours" is out of the question.

I'm missing those special days and spending time with my friends.

Following the annual packing away of colorful holiday decorations -

other than leaving out some candles to brighten the long evenings - the

 living room has taken on a bit of a tired look. . . . . perhaps because we

 now spend so much time there and have to look at it so much!

So today you get what has to be the first 'cottage interiors' post

 in a long time, and I require a little help with this one.

I purchased the pair of blue and white 'ginger jar' style lamps online, 

throwing caution to the wind in hopes they would work in the room.

Despite a initial scare when I noticed some serious damage to both

 boxes they arrived in, thankfully the lamps and shades were intact and

 not damaged at all! 

Removing them from said boxes is another story - let's just

 say styrofoam made from millions of miniscule balls should be

 banned now!

My old table lamps were just that, old and dull. 

This small room has a wall of windows facing north, no direct sun floods in,

just enough natural light in the daytime, and for evenings ambient lighting

 from table and floor lamps, and two ceiling spots over the fireplace.

Notice that the lamp on the left of the sofa is currently standing on

 three books! This is because that end table is lower that the one on

 the right - something I never thought about before because the former

 lamps were not a matching pair and apparently their different

 heights worked. 

So, and this is where your help would be appreciated, should I raise the

 lower table by adding something (pieces of wood perhaps) underneath it; 

look for something else to stand the lamp on, such as a wood or ceramic 

plinth/pedestal; or just continue using books which can be changed out 

now and then regarding colors and sizes?  

Needless to say, the right hand table cannot be lowered and I have no

 plans to buy new tables anytime soon, if ever, because I like these!

I enjoy the shades of blues and grays in this room. It was a big change

 after saying goodbye to the old sofa and white slip covers on all the

 upholstered pieces for many years - such a lot of extra work! 

Now however I realize I need a few pops of another color, again to

 brighten up the room - so today I added the velvet mustard patterned 

pillow and citron candle for the time being.

Curiosity makes me want to ask how you feel regarding online shopping.

Have you purchased home decor items this way, and if so were they 

delivered safely, undamaged, and did you keep them?

I was really nervous seeing the state the boxes arrived in. I thought

how awful if I unpacked them but needed to repack and ship them 

back to the seller. 

Life is different these days in so many ways.

Slip Cover battles!

Slip Covers. Love 'em or leave 'em?

Not sure if this post is informational or useless, but it stemmed from those 

too many days last week stuck in the cottage under two inches of solid ice!

 I do know that I'm rethinking slip covers for the future.

The sudden need to do something constructive on Thursday caught me unaware.

Before you could say 'TIDE with bleach alternative', I found myself stripping slip 
covers off the chairs, throwing them into the washing machine, and then, a little later, 
thinking about going Spring furniture shopping once the roads were thawed out and 
travel was safe again.

Why new furniture?
Because I now realize slip-covered furniture can turn the living room into a
 war zone once you reach a certain age.

I didn't even get around to the sofa cover, the main part has to go out to 

the laundromat - much too big for my washing machine - although I can do the 

the seat cushions here at home.

If you have slip covers you must live with someone else. Even a big dog or a 

feisty cat doesn't help in this situation.  

Preferably a strong-armed, patient person is required - and that's not me - who 

can push, shove, pull and squeeze those fat cushions back into those suddenly 

brilliantly clean, but oh so tight, covers. One can just about remove them for 

laundering, but trying to get the danged things back on again alone is impossible.

Bob is my patient person - without him I would be nothing!

I would never get the covers on, and even with him helping I was caught between 

throwing them at him, or suffocating him under them, when my patience gave out!  

We moved from the living room to the bedroom where we thought putting them on 

the bed would be easier. . . . .fighting those blasted seat cushions all the way.

A sweet little Italian lady custom-made my slip covers and did an amazing job.

They cost me a small fortune.

They're somewhat of a pain in the you-know-what. I love them and hate them.

 I would perhaps enjoy a new sofa that doesn't require a slip cover, but it's 

hard to find the right size for the room - most are gigantic and overwhelm the 

small space.  

Do you have slip covers? 

Does anyone make small sofas anymore?  Not love seats which are really too small.

Bob sustained no serious injuries on the battlefield!!!