Bertridge: A Year in the Life, Part One

Just like the Gilmore Girls revival, only with slightly less disappointment and better life decisions.

A year ago this weekend, we were moving into (the then-unnamed) Bertridge.

Though moving day was in mid-January, we actually got the keys to the house several weeks before. The regret started seeping in several minutes after walking in the door.

We weren't expecting to walk into our dream house. We were aware that the house needed some extra love. Built in 1948, the house had seen plenty of small renovations, but few large upgrades, and we'd had to replace the old shake roof before even gaining possession of the house.  And we were gearing up for the task of painting every wall in the house. What we weren't expecting was...

• Years of old dog food coating the garage and kitchen floors
• Rodent droppings in a kitchen cabinet
• Literal piles of debris in the backyard
• Cat pee covering every wall of what was to be Teddy's room
• The discovery that the previous owner possibly tried to stain the wood floors around the couch
• The discovery that half the windows and doors were missing their wood casings
• A heavy coat of grime on virtually everything

Ah, home sweet home. 

With a lot of help (and even a little bloodshed) from family, gallons of paint, and a ton of enzyme cleaner, we were able to scrub away the grunge.  But the issue of the floors remained. We're not whether it was mistreatment or simply age that left them in such poor shape, but the dark stains, scratches, and discoloration lent the house a permanent vibe of filthiness. With the help of parental benefactors, we opted to have them sanded and stained before move-in day. Finding a Sacramento floor guy in the days following Christmas wasn't easy, but Young's Hardwood Floor Sanding saved the day.

The effect was immediate. Sanding the floors alone made such an enormous impact on the house. The impact made it all the more difficult to choose a stain. Should we say light or give it some color?

Initially, we were going to try to choose a very light stain, but in the end, due to a few subtle but deeply-rooted stains, we opted for Minwax wood stain in Colonial Maple. I worried it would be a bit too orange, but it turned out great.

And so, before we even moved in, we tackled some pretty big home improvement projects. We've made a habit of taking on a project each weekend. Sometimes it's just a matter of touching up the trim, while other times it's soliciting dozens of quotes to demolish and rebuild the pesky cement steps out back.

This post wasn't what I imagined it would be, but as it's been sitting my drafts folder for a good six months now, I'm going to go ahead and post it. Don't judge me. I'm a busy working mom with a high-energy toddler, Crohn's disease, and limited spoons. As the great Nina Bonina Brown would say - "Sue me!"

Review: Joybird Soto Cushion Review & Mid-Century Chair Restoration

Disclaimer

Because I know you're wondering - I was not compensated in any way, shape or form by Joybird or any of the other brands mentioned in this post. I have virtually no readership, so how the heck do you think I'd snag a sponsorship? Pfft.

You know, just another unexplained 9 month break in posts. No big deal. Carry on.

I started drafting this post back in April, but decided to revive it based on the popularity of my West Elm Jackson Sofa review. It would appear that there's a dearth of sincere mid-century inspired upholstery reviews in the dark and dangerous world known as the Interwebs, and over 2,000 curious sofa shoppers found their way to my last post. 

So, let's do it again, shall we? BAM! THE SEQUEL!

(Why, yes! That was a reference to a LSFYL from RuPaul's Drag Race. Thank you for noticing. Admit it, Sharon totally dominated that song.)

The Chair 

This all started with a humble, simple wish - I desperately wanted a wood-framed, mid-century modern living room chair. At that point in time, I could care less whether it was truly vintage or a replica. It just needed to look and feel right. I searched high and low, but couldn't find a thing that I liked for less than $600. West Elm's Mid-Century Show Wood Upholstered Chair seemed way overpriced at $800+ for any decent color options, and even Craigslist was failing me. It would seem that scoping out antiques in the Sacramento area is an increasingly tough game.

(Note: This was several months prior to the release of Cost Plus World Market's Xander armchair. It comes in a wide variety of colors and the price is right, so if you're still on the hunt for one of these - you're welcome.)

Luckily, the baby didn't roll off the sofa while I took this photo.

And so, I made a concession. I purchased an abused wood chair from an oblivious guy on Craigslist for about $300. I wish I'd snapped a decent photo, but I was (and remain) a busy working mom and in the holiday season while purchasing our first house. So this lousy shot will have to suffice...

See it? You probably notice is dull, deflated, depressingly taupe cushions. What you can't really make out in this photo is that the previous owner not only painted over the original wood grain, but coated it in glossy black lacquer. Not a good look. Oh, and pardon the baby. Getting him to nap back then was a chore and when it happened it called for a photo.

Shortly after we got settled into the new house, I decided to get to work. Luckily, the cushions weren't attached to the chair, so it was simply a matter of taking them off, popping out the support bands in the seat...

The naked chair. Not a good look.

...and then stripping, and then sanding, and then stripping and then sanding. Getting the poly coating off alone took several rounds of Citristrip and scraping. The gunk that resulted was absolutely foul and destroyed a tarp or two. After I got the bulk of the varnish off, I invested in a small sander and went to town. I think I went a little overboard in a few spots, most notably the arms, but the finished product still boasts a fair amount of the wood's original grain. 

I'd originally wanted to just finish the wood with teak oil, but the black varnish left a few irreparable stains. After quite a bit of hemming and hawing, I opted for Minwax's wood stain in Gunstock. In retrospect, I wish I'd chosen a slightly cooler tone, as it almost matches my floors, which are finished in Minwax's Colonial Maple. Nevertheless, the finished product was such a huge improvement upon where it had been just a few weeks before that it was impossible for me to be anything but satisfied.

Fifteen steps down. One to go.

But...those cushions. Yeah, they had to go. 

Which brought me to Joybird. I'd spent many an hour ogling their gorgeous furniture, both in my quest for the perfect sofa and for the perfect chair. My sofa purchase experience with West Elm turned out to be such a disappointment that I'd wished I'd just opted for the extra cost and gone with Joybird. (If I could do it all over again, I'd snag the Hopson Apartment Sectional in Dawson Brindle. Sigh.)

Since purchasing the chair, I'd honed in on the Soto Cushions & Covers but had been hesitating for number of reasons. Primarily the price. $200 for cushions seemed awfully steep, and I was still recovering from my sofa burn, which made me extra-skeptical of the "pet-friendly fabric" claim. Also, I wasn't sure the cushions would fit my chair correctly. After all, the cushions were designed to fit their products, not rescued and refurbished chair. 

So I passed the buck and asked my husband to get them for me for Valentine's Day. I figured that if I hated them, I could always pass some of the blame and shame onto him. 

I'm a horrible person. I know. And you've been waiting for a review. So here we go.

Look, Ma! New Joybird cushions!

Joybird Soto Cushions & Covers - Pros

Aesthetics -  4 out of 5

Yaaaaaaaas! So full, so plump, so well-formed. They truly transformed the chair. Though my refinishing helped, the cushions really made it scream "I was manufactured hella long ago!" once more. I do wish that the color were just a smidge more mustard rather than marigold. (In case you're wondering, I went with the Bentley Daisy fabric - more on that later.

Comfort -  4 out of 5 

The Joybird site says, "The well-stuffed cushion features an unbeatable blend of high density polyurethane foam that allows the seat to keep its shape through daily use, plus layers of fiber for added comfort." And yes, it's comfortable. It it the first place I want to sit when I walk into the room? Meh. Granted, that says more about the height of the chair than the cushions themselves. 

Durability -  5 out of 5 

In case you missed it, I opted for the Bentley fabric in Daisy. This fabric is described as "Bentley is a superior plush chenille-like fabric with a deeply striated texture. Yarn-dyed and densely woven to give a rich and substantial texture, Bentley provides the soft comfort of Chenille with exceptional durability." Now, if you'll recall, I've been burned on supposed "pet friendly" fabrics before, but Joybird does it right. Nine months later and there's not a cat scratch or a stain to be seen, which is remarkable as I was worried the textured fabric would be a magnet for cat claws. Also, the cushions have completely kept their shape. That polyurethane foam? Legit. I'm really, really impressed.

Joybird Soto Cushions & Covers - Cons

Price -  2.5 out of 5 

I'll admit it - $200 is steep for just cushions. While I definitely think that in this case the value lives up to the price, it may not by do-able for the average Millennial consumer. The entire Xander chair at Cost Plus is currently going for $249 - not a big jump from the cost of Joybird cushions. (It's also worth noting that the Soto cushions are currently on sale for $160 at Joybird.) If your scales are more tipped to short-term aesthetics vs. quality and durability, you might be better off seeking a cheaper alternative. For me, having cushions that could stand up to my upholstery-hungry cats was well worth the extra cost.

Time -  2 out of 5 

If you're used to waiting for custom-made pieces, 10 weeks is nothing. But in the age of Amazon Prime, the cost of craftsmanship can feel like a ridiculously long and painful wait. Order well in advance. Try to forget about it and then you'll be super surprised when they show up on your doorstep. And remember...

Aftermath and Conclusion

I'm pretty sure that my next sofa will be from Joybird.  Expensive? Kind of. But you know what's more expensive? Buying poor quality sofas from the usual suspects every three to five years when your seat cushions are pancakes and your cats have dug a hole into the lining in the bottom and built a cat kingdom inside your couch and are inviting the squirrels inside for diplomatic meetings. True story. The cat kingdom, not the squirrels. That I know of. 

Do your thing. Buy your cushions. Or don't. 

Review: West Elm Jackson Sectional Sofa

I want to preface this post by pointing out that I rarely make purchasing mistakes. I conduct my research before making any major purchases, and I thought I did my due diligence before purchasing the Jackson Sofa from West Elm.

Unfortunately, in this case, I think made a mistake. And who can blame me? There are so few comprehensive West Elm furniture reviews out there. So I thought I'd contribute mine so that others don't make a similar mistake.

Let's rewind a bit, shall we?

The Quest for the Perfect Sofa

The Macy's Ava Metro Sofa after five years of heavy use.

Back in 2009, I purchased the Ava Metro Sofa from Macy's. Actually, my parents purchased it for me as a Christmas present, but I digress. At $699, it was my priciest piece of furniture, and would continue to hold that honor until June 2015, when I purchased the sofa that's the subject of this post. I prefer to buy vintage pieces, but sofas kinda need to be new.

Ava wasn't the most beautiful of couches, but she had one major thing going for her - durability.  She was structured and was constructed of that kind of strange microfiber fabric that showed every brush of a hand but could survive the nuclear holocaust. And considering we had two cats that exhibited rare but aggravating periods of destructiveness, we were grateful for her high performance and vowed to continue opting for non-woven microfiber or velvet fabrics in the future.

Okay, let's jump forward. Picture this - Sacramento, 2015. I'm nine months pregnant and in full-blown nesting mode. I just want a place to put up my feet during my maternity leave, and the chaise sectionals at West Elm, Crate and Barrel, Joybird, and CB2 are looking positively dreamy.

And then, it happens. West Elm has a sale.

I'd been eyeing the Peggy sectional for quite awhile, but with a price point of nearly $2,300 (pre-tax) in my fabric of choice, I was understandably hesitant. So when I saw that the the similarly-styled Jackson Sectional was listed at a mere $1,279 and was in available in the "high-performance" marled microfiber fabric, I just had to jump.

A family nap on Teddy's first full day home. The last time this has ever happened.

My son and the sofa were delivered within hours of each other on the hottest day of the year.  Needless to say, we definitely got some good use out of our new sofa in those first few months.  Now that both Teddy and the couch are over eight months old, I've had some time to compile my thoughts.

West Elm Jackson Sectional - Pros

• Aesthetics -  3.5 / 5 I have to admit, this couch is pretty darn cute. It's got a slight mid-century vibe, but doesn't veer into kitsch territory, so it works well within a variety of decorating styles. The tufted pillows are surprisingly structured, and can be flipped and rotated easily. The seat and chaise cushions are not reversible, which causes some uneven wear, but this is due largely to the fact that the chaise itself can be configured to sit on the left or the right.

• Comfort -  3.5 / 5 Pretty cushy. In fact, maybe a touch too cushy. I think it could use a tad more cushion structure. My only real complaint is that the chaise is about a foot too short. Notice how I had to curl up in the picture above?
  
  
• Adaptability - 5 / 5 Holy moly is this ever a cool feature!  We had in configured in one direction in the old house, and then flipped it in the other direction once we moved.  Great for people like me who like to rearrange their living room every once in awhile.
  
  
• Price - 3 / 5 Again, this ran (and continues to run) a lot cheaper than the Peggy.  And, to be honest, I think it's more comfortable. Would I say it's affordable? No. But it's at least somewhat comparable to similar chaise sectionals I've seen at Macy's or even Ikea.
  
  I'm glad I went with the cheaper sofa, because my issues are mainly with the fabric, which I'll get into in a second...

West Elm Jackson Sectional - Cons

West Elm's "high-performance" Marled Microfiber fabric.

• Durability - 2/5 West Elm describes their Marled Microfiber fabric as follows:
  
  "High performance, low maintenance. As hardworking as it is welcoming, this light, heathered gray microfiber not only has a great marled texture, it also resists stains."So you'd expect such a high performance, hardworking fabric to be able to endure daily use, right?  Not so much. Though the marled microfiber is definitely stain resistant, it's less of a traditional microfiber and more of a tight weave. According to my research, microfiber typically consists of fibers less than 1/5 the diameter of a human hair. The fibers in West Elm's Marled Microfiber fabric are considerably thicker. If I were to guess by eyeing one of the frayed threads that have popped up, I would say it's close to 2 times the diameter of a human hair.
• 
  And guess what happens to weaves when exposed to high traffic? You guessed it - fraying and pilling.  Almost immediately.  And forget about having pets.  Anyone who knows cats knows that weaves, even tight ones, are cat claw magnets.  Hell, they make cat toys out of weaves. Had I known that West Elm's Marled Microfiber consisted of such thick fibers, I would have shelled out the extra dough for the Performance Velvet.
  
  Also, the seat cushion covers are already getting a big baggy.  They get pushed toward the front of the cushion, making the seam uneven.

• Value and Longevity - 2.5 /5 Yes, I just listed the price as a pro. But value is the perceived benefits received divided by the perceived price paid. If I'm honest with myself, I can't see this sofa working for my family for more than another couple of years, and so what originally seemed like a reasonable price now feels exorbitant.  Remember, my $799 couch lasted me five years. For me, the value of the Jackson Sectional falls short.

Aftermath and Conclusion

I ended up contacting West Elm about the problem, and they provided me with a small amount of compensation for our trouble.  Still, I'm feeling a little down about the whole ordeal.

Sofas are tricky.  There are so many factors to consider when purchasing the bedrock of your living room. In the case of this purchase, I think I went against my better judgement and prioritized aesthetics and comfort over durability. Next time, I'll be sure to put a little more thought into the potential lifespan of a piece before shelling out the dough.

I'm not going to tell you that the Jackson Sectional isn't worth the money, because for you, it might be. Your lifestyle and needs might be vastly different from mine. But, in my case, the purchase was a dud.

May the upholstery fabric odds be ever in your favor.