Fall is the time of year when I want everything to feel cozy. My plush duvet slippers make me feel cozy. My favorite yoga pants feel cozy. The fireplace feels cozy. EVERYTHING IS JUST.SO.COZY. Except my family room. It wasn’t feeling cozy at all after the “dog barf episode” that involved our white slipcovered sofa.
After that incident I threw away two of the three seat cushions, leaving the sofa shell sitting in the family room naked and unusable. Without cushions, it wasn’t comfortable or inviting. The whole room felt disheveled and torn apart.
That’s not how I picture life at home in the fall.
I cleaned the sofa thoroughly so there was no smell, which was a relief, but it still had no cushions. Not ideal.
When I realized my new sofa wouldn’t arrive until after the holidays, I decided I couldn’t spend the whole winter with an uncozy family room. My options were to live without a sofa or to get creative and make the old Pottery Barn sofa work for another few months.
Years ago, when the back cushions started to lose their fluff and look flat, I had slipped bed pillows inside the zippered covers to give them more firmness. It wasn’t perfect, but it was “good enough” and made the cushions feel more comfortable.
Determined to restore fall coziness, I sent my husband to the storage space under the house to retrieve a gray slipcover I’d bought at IKEA a few years ago. In the garage I found two outdoor chair back cushions that would serve as temporary seat cushions (the outdoor seat pads weren’t the right shape for the slipcovers, but the backs worked).
With only one original cushion still in good condition and the rest made up of bed pillows and outdoor cushions, plus a slightly imperfect IKEA slipcover, this isn’t a fancy, high-end sofa. But we’re not a fancy, high-end family, so it suits us fine. The gray slipcover is a cozy change for fall, and I was relieved to have a functioning sofa for the baby shower I hosted this week. It’s comforting to have something to curl up on until the new sofa arrives.
Jack and Lily are happy to have their sofa back, too — which is both good news and a little chaotic, given their enthusiasm.
Cozy imperfections — that’s what this season is about.
Let the fall coziness continue. Amen?
PS. For those who’ve asked, here’s my tufted ottoman.
Related Posts:
Loving Fall Day 1: Getting in the Rhythm, and Day 2: Quiet
The Truth About White Slipcovers: Part 1, and Part 2 (Pet Edition)
Creating a Cozy Corner for Fall
How to Decorate: The Slow Process to a Style You’ll Love