Couch or No Couch: The Decision!

Two months and opinions from family, friends and readers alike helped us make a big decision.  We weighed the pros and the cons of purchasing another large piece of furniture.  We tested what life was like without it, and thought about how this piece would add to the value of our every day lives.  In the end, we did decide to go ahead and purchase a couch!

This was not a light decision, and we took everything into account.  After 2 months of trying the 'no couch' lifestyle, we decided that having a comfy area for ourselves to rest and to entertain guests was something we truly wanted.  Then..... we entered the furniture store....LOTS of options!  There were futons, sleeper sofas, sectionals, and sofa + love seat combos.  I was first drawn to a sofa that our friends had in their home that was initially what I had envisioned for our home, but with all the options and price ranges I felt the need to browse.  In the end, we made a decision based in what I like to think, are minimalist principles:

1) Make purchases that fit your lifestyle the way it actually is, NOT what you think it COULD be.

As we browsed the store and looked at huge sectionals and combos we realized we were starting to base a decision based on maximum seating potential for the 'just in case' we have a large amount of people over for a dinner or party.  When on a regular basis it's usually just the two of us, or just a few friends over at a time.

2) Spending less on more is NOT always the best thing.

We highly considered a sectional that was on clearance, but wasn't comfortable and we weren't thrilled with the fabric, but were considering it on price alone.  If we had gone with this item, we would have gotten a piece that was too large for our space or our lifestyle and we would not have been comfortable!

3) If you are going to spend money on an item, make sure you love it, it is useful and will bring you joy.

What we ended up taking was exactly that.  We went back to the item we initially came in for.  It has all the characteristics we were looking for, fits our current lifestyle and we are SO happy to have a new place to chill out at the end of a long day!