Even before we moved into our house I had been eyeing this green sofa (1) from Room and Board. I hesitated to order it because it was supposed to take over three months (I don’t have the patience for that!) and also it was expensive and there were other more boring things that were begging for my money (paint, electrical, new windows.) I finally went in to order it a few weeks ago and discovered it had been discontinued. (Apparently you can still custom order it but they increased the price $800!) I was mostly annoyed at myself for not paying attention but couldn’t bring myself to pay more for something that was significantly cheaper just a few weeks before.) That little turn of events has ignited the Great Green Sofa Search of 2014. Once I got my heart set on emerald green I couldn’t think of anything else. Here are some of the sofas I’ve been looking at:
I actually purchased the second sofa (2) last week (long and low cheap mint green sofa!) but after seeing a fabric sample in person discovered that it is more of a blue than a green. I was so sad it wasn’t the right color.
The third sofa is really beautiful (3) but I realized after looking at it for a few minutes that it is literally the exact same sofa we have but in green (they are both made by Crate and Barrel.) No go. I can’t handle having the exact same sofa so I continued my hunt.
The fourth sofa represents my Craigslist search for something vintage. I’ve been looking for a really great vintage sofa with nice lines I can reupholster. (It’s all I do in the evenings these days. ) I’ve run up against two problems there. 1. I haven’t found the right fabric yet. (My designer friends say I need to go to the Design Center to look.) And 2. By the time I spend money on a sofa, fabric, and upholstery it’s getting much more expensive than a new sofa. If I could find a cheap fabric and a great deal on a sofa it is more competitive. I’m still considering this option but waiting for the fabric and sofa to fall into place.
I also considered this IKEA sofa (5). The price is right but something about the legs bothered me and I couldn’t do it.
The last sofa I considered was this Room and Board sofa (6). I liked the lines and the silver legs the only thing is the tufted seat and cushion. Someone told me once to never get a tufted sofa as your “practical ” sofa because it isn’t comfortable. I still haven’t found what I’m looking for but am getting really serious about my hunt. Do you know of any great green sofas? I’m looking for something modern, with personality, clean lines about $2000, and comfortable. Any suggestions? Where are you green sofa??!!!
katie
January 30, 2014
http://boulder.craigslist.org/fuo/4309242738.html
this would be cool with emerald green velvet…if you want to try to ship it from Colorado…
katie
January 30, 2014
http://boulder.craigslist.org/fuo/4294260941.html
actually this one is cool too…but I think a sleeper sofa might be super uncomfortable…
katie
January 30, 2014
Gah! Did you see the sofa Jenny has on her post today over at Little Green Notebook? That might fit the bill…
http://littlegreennotebook.blogspot.com/2014/01/rug-for-sale-new-chairish-app-and-huge.html
Michelle
January 30, 2014
Try Furniture Envy on Lombard. They do a lot of Room and Board knock-offs, and have custom fabric options. Good luck!
SBC
January 30, 2014
http://www.thrivefurniture.com/sofas/
amyks
January 30, 2014
I feel your pain, we have been looking for the perfect modern sofa with a chaise for the past 4 years. I will not buy a sofa without sitting in it and my husband is super super picky. I have found “a few close, but no cigar” sofas, but haven’t pulled the trigger. It is so frustrating. Hoping to find the perfect one this weekend during a trip to Miami. Fingers crossed.
Kaitlyn @shopMACK
January 30, 2014
Our Graham is out of your price range, but I thought I’d leave it for anyone else on a great green sofa hunt: http://shopmack.com/product-category/seating/#product_detail_5390
Best of luck! Let us know if you’re price budges and you’d like to come see the Graham in person, we’re in SF!
Selina
January 30, 2014
Have you looked at the options at Therapy on Valencia? We bought a light blue velvet couch there that is almost the same style as that last Room & Board one. There are a lot of different fabrics and sizes to customize. Also, I love having the long single cushion. No one falls in the crack! The tufting has never been an issue. Ours is a bit shorter with two back cushions instead of three. I think I like the top option though. If you can afford it, do it. It would go well in a large Victorian room. I don’t think I’d go for the Ikea one. Too many pillows!
Natalie
January 30, 2014
Couch in Seattle custom makes their sofas, i.e. you pick out the color, but they aren’t too expensive (depending on the style you pick). http://couchseattle.com/ That first one is lovely, so sorry it got away!! A good sofa is such a hard find, but is so satisfying once you do.
Maggie
January 30, 2014
Oh! You get me! Green makes me so happy and these silhouettes are lovely. I’ve had some trouble with sofas myself, though I’ve got one from CB2 that I’m happy with. I had one from West Elm and wasn’t happy with it, but it was also a sleeper, so maybe that was the problem there. What about changing up the legs on that Ikea sofa? Best of luck! Can’t wait to see what you decide on.
Carmen
January 30, 2014
Check out EQ3 in Emeryville. They are a Canadian company with one outpost in the US, which happens to be in the Bay Area. Wide range of similar sofas in a variety of colors. They offer no-interest financing for 12 or 24 months (as long as you don’t miss a payment) or will give you 10% off if you pay all at once. We just bought a sectional there and love it.
emily
January 30, 2014
green sofas are definitely on-trend right now…i even did a post on my own blog this week rounding up green sofas from all over. love your choices!
diana
January 30, 2014
Green is my favorite color! get them all 😉
-Diana
karin
January 30, 2014
oh yes, I have to agree with everyone else who said, go for the bright green IKEA and splurge on the things the kids won’t be eating on! With new legs and some lovely pillows it will be even better than the R&B. Now, I love R&B passionately (and have been known to troll CL daily looking for deals!), and my slip-covered Jasper has held up well, but my next couch will be Ikea. Until the kids are in college (and college is paid for!) THEN I’ll splurge on the brand new, custom R&B couch.
Oh, and do you know about Bemz? http://www.bemz.com breathes new life into all things IKEA. And their customer service is amazing!
Your new home is looking lovely. Enjoy!
Stephanie
January 30, 2014
You could try to source the sofa you wanted from a different place. eBay or firstdibs.com. I needed to replace a discontinued chair from Crate and Barrel and that’s what I did. I just kept doing searches for the chair on Google, craigslist and so on until some one said, “I have one how much?” I paid as much for the used one as I did the original and I’m ok with that. It was worth it.
Valeria
January 31, 2014
I can show you a great green sofa. Come and take a seat if you like it!!
http://www.valeriacis.com
😉
jill
January 31, 2014
Why don’t you order a sofa from Lee Industries. They have every style imaginable and every fabric to choose from. They’re very well made and you can get exactly what you are looking for. Several of my clients have them and are very happy. Good Luck!!
Amy
January 31, 2014
When I went looking for the perfect navy blue velevet sofa I couldn’t find one-I almost setlled and instead I had something custom made. It’s perfect, and only came in about $100 over the other options I was looking at. Best decision I’ve ever made besides the man in my life.
kate callahan
January 31, 2014
Oh my … my best friend got a green sofa on craigslist for like $50 and it’s exactly what you’re looking for! It’s so huge, green, comfortable, and awesome! I hope you find one, too … especially if you can find it for $50!
Jen
January 31, 2014
Check out Design Within Reach…they have several similar sofas to the Room & Board one and in green…however, it is a similar price to Room & Board (& might even be more expensive).
My two cents is, if you love the Room & Board one you should just go with it. As someone who spent months and months finding the “right” sofa for my small NYC apartment, I ended up with a Room & Board one that I loved but was hesitant on the price. In retrospect, I’m so glad I sprung for it because it truly is as perfect as a sofa can get for me.
Another thought- you’re uber crafty, can’t you swap out the Ikea legs for something different? That seems like a simple “fix”. Maybe even call Room & Board and see if you can just buy “legs” to a sofa…they’re a pretty accommodating company. I have nothing but positive things to say about my experiences (and furniture) from them!
Tasneem
January 31, 2014
I currently have a yellow silk tufted sofa as my everyday sofa (crazy with a one year old-but it works). I got it for $75 off of CL and figured at that price even if the little one ruins it it will be ok. We have had the sofa for over a year now and love it. I would say if you want tufted go for it. Worse comes to worse you can always put a few cozy pillows on it.
Raven
January 31, 2014
I was told the same thing about the all-tufted sofa that I was on the hunt for. I ended up getting one very similar to the last Room & Board one on your list, still worried it wouldn’t be comfortable. But let me tell you…I love it! Sure, it’s firm. But it’s still totally comfortable. I lounge on it, sleep on it, watch tv, work on my laptop, curl up…it’s perfect. I’m so glad I trusted my gut and got it. Don’t be afraid of the tufts! There’s a picture of it in this post if you want to see: http://www.theravenscircus.com/home-improvement/
Hope you find your perfect green couch!
Erin
January 31, 2014
The IKEA sofa is so affordable and you can customize legs easily > check out this sweet site, they have an amazing selection (or you could easily make them your own)
http://www.prettypegs.com/en/
Collette
January 31, 2014
I say go with the IKEA one. Hack it! You can easily change the legs to something different. The colour is really lovely too.
Alison
January 31, 2014
You know what’s really easy to change on a couch? The legs 🙂
ROK
January 31, 2014
Try sitting on the R&B one–when people talk about tufted seats being uncomfortable, I feel like they are discussing deep tufts (like a chesterfield). Those are barely-there…I would be surprised if it affected the comfort much.
Jamie
January 31, 2014
Have you ever heard of Pretty Pegs? Just discovered them today and they make beautiful legs for IKEA furniture!
Jennifer
January 31, 2014
Hi Jordan!
Have you tried Sunbeam Vintage? They have gorgeous pieces for amazing prices. http://www.sunbeamvintage.com
Happy hunting!
Jessica
January 31, 2014
there’s a really great place here in San Rafael – http://www.designplusgallery.com – I have found several couches here that are cheep but in great condition and perfect for reupholstering.
HTD
January 31, 2014
The Edward Sofa from Dwell Studios is similar, but it’s over budget, and more blue-green:
http://www.dwellstudio.com/DwellStudio-Edward-Sofa-4025-S2-DWL5400.html
I agree with the two most logical options; get the cheap IKEA couch and hack it to your liking, or take the plunge and spend the money to get the R&B couch you really like (no point in bemoaning the additional cost now – it is what it is).
I myself went the craiglist vintage route, but I spent a year patiently waiting and looking until the perfect one came along, and it did. It was like finding the Holy Grail.
Mel
February 1, 2014
I LOVE the one that got away!!!!! None of the others compare to. I would pay the extra it is Gorgeous.
kim @ DESIGN + LIFE + KIDS
February 1, 2014
What about going with the Ikea couch, removing those side pillows… I’m never a fan of those and adding the beautiful babes from Pretty Pegs? It would still be an incredible price all together! http://www.prettypegs.com/
Paulette Leto
February 2, 2014
I’d like to add my voice to the people who suggest replacing the legs on the IKEA sofa.
Also, sofa #6 really doesn’t look all that comfortable.
Stacey
February 2, 2014
This is probably already posted, but my eight month old is calling… http://www.prettypegs.com/en/8-all-pegs for better legs for the IKEA couch!
jade
February 2, 2014
If you like the ikea one, consider getting different legs. I know Design Love Fest mentioned on Instagram about a company that makes fun legs for ikea furniture. Might be something to look at and the price is so good. Good luck!
Sydney
February 2, 2014
http://www.roomservicestore.com
Harmony
February 3, 2014
Thrive has the best looking stuff. I also own the Crosby and the Paidge sofa from West Elm and love them both.
A Feteful Life
February 3, 2014
Sometimes you just gotta DIY! Well, sort of. We had a custom couch made for around $2000 from Vastu — we got a chaise sectional Jackie sofa in a grey/brown fabric with custom legs. They have HUNDREDS of fabrics/colors to chose from. It’s a tufted back everyday sofa and super comfy.
http://vastudc.com/product.php?cat=1&subcat=1&product=776
Rebecca
February 3, 2014
I think someone might have said this earlier but I had great luck at Furniture Envy in the Marina. I had a custom sofa sleeper made based on a room and board pattern with all latex cushions. It turned out great and was just over half what the room and board model would have been and was the exact size I needed. They had hundreds of fabrics to choose from as well. ( Or you could bring your own)
lynn
February 3, 2014
I love our Gus Modern sofa, not sure if they do green but they do other colors.
http://gusmodern.com/collections/sofas-sleepers
Joan
February 4, 2014
Buy the IKEA sofa, switch the legs for the brushed metal ones that they sell, and buy yourself something fabulous with the $1000 you saved!
RKBC
February 4, 2014
Try Restoration Hardware. They offer their upholstered sofas in an amethyst vintage velvet and another lighter green. Go into a store to see the swatches.
Carolyn
February 5, 2014
SF Bulid-a-sofa…show them any picture and they will duplicate. Typically for less than store price. Tons of fabric swatches.
http://buildasofa.com/san-francisco.html
ErinY
February 5, 2014
I don’t think this one is quite as modern as what you’re looking for but she’s still pretty!
http://www.highfashionhome.com/william-sofa-vance-emerald.html
Britt
February 6, 2014
Seems like a job for the local sofa unicorn shop: http://furnitureenvy.net/
Currently saving up for a sofa there!
Sara
February 6, 2014
Jordan,
I’ve read your blog for years! I don’t really know you, but feel like I do.
Spend the extra and get THAT sofa. The one that got away.
It’s like an extra eight dinners out. Think of something (or somethings) that add up to that added cost, and don’t spend it. Skip eight dinners, or etc etc.
You will regret it, and whichever one you end up getting won’t be the same.
That said, one other place that has fabulous sofas is Mitchell Gold Bob Williams. They might not have THAT sofa, but they have so many good ones, and such good lines.
http://www.mgbwhome.com/sofa-collections-C10.aspx
Melissa Klages
February 13, 2014
If you are still wanting to go the vintage route, 1stdibs.com is a great site for antique furniture from all over the world. You can search specific colors, designers and easily inquire with the galleries for details and quotes.
Good luck!
Melissa
P.S. I love the 3rd that looks like the one you own!