Couch: So long, Klippan

You've seen my couch before; everyone has seen my couch before. It's every student's first piece of furniture that wasn't poached from a curb, and it's not even a couch at all. The Klippan love seat is a rather large love seat that can fit 3 people no problem (as long as they like each other), where as the sofa version is kind of massive and expensive. I actually got my Klippan off of Kijiji nearly 7 years ago when I moved into my first apartment; 99 bucks, and she even threw in a free Lack table! During the one year I didn't have a black slip cover on, it was beige, as can be seen here (in my faithful old bachelor circa 2011).

7 moves, 4 homes, several summers in storage, and one unfortunate incident of the left arm caving in during one of the many transporting endeavours. I'm pretty liberal with spilling things as well, and it was getting a bit silly to be turning away guests because my couch couldn't hold anyone over 3'10". I've also acquired an extra person over the years and I guess he wants somewhere to sit too.

In October, my lovely family provided a graduation gift to me of $500 to be used specifically for a couch. I was stoked and very thankful, but a quick peak into the furniture market showed that $500 was not as lavish as I was expecting. That was the cost of the standard (real) couch at IKEA, but then there was tax, delivery, and OH CRAP assembling IKEA furniture. Next.

I ventured back into the world of used furniture with several parametres that you should also follow if you're looking to replace your tiny furniture:

• Less than 90", more than 70" (Measure all available space as well as your current unit - my Klippan was 70")
• Under $500 (or whatever your budget is)
• In brand new condition (no point upgrading your furniture just to end up with someone else's crap)
• Easy to assemble (if you want your relationship to last, this is crucial)

Kijiji and Craigslist are the worst. People who don't respond, people who don't speak English, people who sell things out from under you (thanks, Kathy in North York). It's work. So it was a miracle when I found my new sofa, Karlstad. Also IKEA, brand new condition, only $350, and leaves me with $150 leftover to throw back into my fix-up fund! So I rented an Autoshare cargo mini-van, had many problems getting out of the parking garage in a vehicle 3x the size I prefer to drive, and picked it up. 4 big pieces, and cushions. Seriously, those were all the parts. My boyfriend pretty much put it together single-handedly in just over half an hour!

The Sivek Dark Grey looks almost like a grey denim - a nice change from your standard black fabric. The sofa looks massive, but it's actually only 80". With arms half the width and not nearly as much "fluff", there's just so much more sitting room. A full-sized human can in fact lie down on it, and you're not even perching on the edge anymore. It's adult!

Funny how a larger sofa actually seems to make the room look larger, but I think it's because it takes up more of the wall and allows for  cleaner look, rather than a black hole of junk a la before.

But, let's not forget Klippan, who after 7 faithful years of CSI marathons and mid-day naps, was left out in the cold last night for a nice gypsy family to pick up.

Cost of Sofa: $350
Original Price: $499 + tax

Source: Craigslist