The cheese stands alone

About six weeks ago we bought a new couch for the family room, we found it on Craig's list for $300. The previous owners of the piece had purchased a set of furniture and when it was delivered to their home found that it was too large and did not fit into their space well. It is virtually brand new. (It still has the new furniture smell) It is a beautiful taupe micro fiber sofa. It has deep seats and clean, modern lines. We absolutely love it. The best part of the sofa is that we can all fit on it.

Our old set was an over-sized love seat and chair. The chair was large, but not quite a chair and a half. With three growing boys, and a lack of seating, we were usually all smooshed like grapes unto the furniture. Plus, the furniture had an icky smell. It smelled like feet and Doritos. I guess that is what happens as furniture begins to age, it smells like nacho cheese.

Enter the dilemma. When we got rid of the old furniture, we were left with an empty space. The place where the old chair used to reside was begging for a new chair. So we hit Craig's list again and found what looked to be a promising recliner. I did not want another recliner. I have real issues with recliners. They are for convalescing people, and people with bad arthritis, they don't belong in family rooms. But my husband wanted to be able to put his feet up, and since he is so darn cute, I decided to acquiesce to his request.

The day that we were supposed to go and look at the chair we had a fight. I can't even remember now what we were fighting about, but it seemed very important at the time. Important enough for me to not want to go with him to look at the chair, a decision that would come back to haunt me. Not only did he go and look at the chair, he bought it.

When he arrived back home with the chair and plopped it into its new home, I remembered why I was mad at him- he buys ugly, uncomfortable chairs that don't in any way, shape or form, match our decor. (You can see him through the window in the background of the photo. He's cute, right. The cuteness is what saved him.)

I know what you are thinking- it does not look that bad, and in truth, it doesn't. But, I did not want chocolate brown. I have black tables in that room and pairing black with brown, in my world, is reprehensible. Then I sat in it. To say that it is firm is like saying that the Jonas Brothers are popular. Understatement.

I have short legs, and when I sit on it the backs of my knees do not touch the seat, it is that shallow. And don't even get me started on reclining it. It is difficult, nigh impossible, for the kids and I to recline it without help. It is almost as if this chair was made for hobbits with freakish upper body strength.

In some ways I feel badly for this chair. It is the red headed step child of all of the furniture in our home. The kids would rather sit on the floor than attempt to get comfortable in it. It has to go.

The moral of the story, besides don't fight with your husband, is don't let your husband purchase things from Craig's list without your expressed written permission. And sit in a chair before you buy it.