Sometimes the dogs win.
As I’ve alluded to (more than once), Fritz likes to chew. A lot. His teething “phase” has gone on for about 6 month now, despite bitter sprays, plenty of chew toys, and good, old-fashioned rationalizing (more effective than anything, frankly). He especially likes piping, which our old (and by “old” I mean we bought it a year ago) sofa had a whole lot of. It’s too depressing to photograph, but suffice to say the sofa I spent months agonizing over and then finally finding and buying at the DWR Annex now looks like a hobo should be sleeping on it in a shanty town under the Manhattan Bridge.
Enter the $500 replacement sofa from IKEA:
Not bad, right? It’s the KARLSTAD, with the Sivik dark gray slipcover. I went with the optional aluminum legs instead of the included birch ones, because I prefer a less blocky base and there’s already a whole lot of wood going on in my living room. Now, if anything horrible happens, I can just replace the slipcover. I’m trying to avoid that, though, and have been covering the sofa with a canvas tarp (yes, this is my life) whenever I have to leave the house for an extended period of time. So far, so good (though the tarp has seen better days!).
It’s actually very comfortable, and I don’t have any concerns about the durability. I had an IKEA sofa (the now-discontinued FALSTERBO) for years, and only gave it up because a sectional doesn’t work in this house. No, it’s not an heirloom piece, but that’s okay. I’ll have a slipcover made for the “old sofa”, and it can go in the forthcoming 2nd-floor lounge. All is well.
And yes, that’s a coffee table. FINALLY. It only took me 3 years to make a decision, and this is definitely the right one. It’s the Urban coffee table from CB2 (discontinued; I think I bought the last one), and it’s made of steel—which I’m pretty sure is Fritz-proof.
Always remember: Pets (and children, or so I hear) are more important than furniture. Sometimes you have to adjust your life a little, and settle for a compromise. (I’m not sure what Fritz is giving up, of course, but that’s beside the point.)
GOOD BOY!!!
