Fully Furnished

We've always lacked sufficient seating in past abodes.  Even though most of the time it's just me, Tommie, and the dog, it barely seems like there's enough comfortable seats for the three of us, let alone any one else we have over.  Mostly, I blame Maya, who for a small dog, uses her length to her advantage, stretches out, and takes up the space of three grown adults.

In our new house we found ourselves with more space than we've ever had before, which meant we could finally accommodate more seating.  Due to the narrow shape of our living room, we settled on this small-space sectional on sale at Macy's (called "Clark").  It's stylish, compact, and even has a chaise, which I've always wanted.

When the delivery men came to set up the couch Maya got scared of the truck and hid in a closet, but when the coast was clear she came downstairs and it's as if she thought, "Oh, that's nice, they got me a new couch." She jumped right on it and fell asleep--ignoring the old couch which we hoped could become "her's." 

Couches are one of the few things I don't look for on Craigslist.  Tommie has a fear of used upholstery, and I agree that a stained couch is worse than a dusty table.  So, while we splurged on the new sofa, we saved on this used dining room table.  I found this solid piece on Craigslist for $80.  

It's in great shape and will be perfect for holiday meals (we're rumored to be hosting some of those this year).  In the meantime, it serves as our home office with a pretty view out the front bay window.  

I also scored a set of four dining room chairs on Craigslist for $10 each.  You know I love a good deal.  Our homes have always been a mix of the old and the new and I love the challenge of putting it all together.