Girlfriend Collective Everyone Hoodie | size 5
Leset pointelle pants | large
Melissa sandals | maybe a year old? no longer available
Rachel Comey Barrie jumpsuit | size 10
Misha & Puff cardigan | m/l
Birkenstock birko-flor sandals | old, here’s Ochre on sale
Some recent outfits. Also realizing the hoodie and cardigan are similar colors. And i don’t love either one LOL.
I do love them both, the style, fit, etc., just not the colors. There’s just something “off” about each of them, in a different way? I don’t know how to explain it. It doesn’t stop me from wearing either one as much as possible, but I do wish I had ordered different colors of each.
If you’re curious about the Girlfriend Collective For Everyone collection, I’d encourage you to try it out – I wear this hoodie every couple of days and it’s wonderfully comfortable/easy/cozy. I ordered the size 5 which seems like it’s right in the middle of their unisex sizing. It stretches enough so it’s big on me, which is what I wanted – but I was disappointed at first that it wasn’t bigger. And the color is just meh. I wish they did this big hoodie in their new orchid color – I find that so pretty and am tempted by a cropped sweatshirt….
I just received the RC barrie jumpsuit from Shopbop (purchased with credit I earn for displaying their widget here) after returning the size 12 which was much too big. The size 10 is even big, but I think I’ll run it in the dryer for a bit next time I wash it and see if that brings it in a touch. Not that I mind it big – I can’t tell you how much I enjoy the absolute HEAVEN that is not having a waistband sometimes. And wow…I love this blue! It’s not quite as bright as it appears in the photos, it’s more of a deep bright blue if that makes sense. It makes me happy 🙂
Moving on…we’re closing on our house on 3/22. It’s official!! I’m so anxious about moving…
But I want to know: furniture recommendations? Really just couch/sectional recommendations. We have never bought a nice, grown-up couch and we’d like to do so this time, since the sitting room is really the center of the house. I’m looking at some modern sectionals at West Elm, and also Article, but if anyone has furniture they love, please tell me about it!! Also, keeping in mind I have a toddler, messy dog and possibly a second messy dog soon !
Oh, also rugs. I’m leaning heavily towards ruggable because they’re washable, pretty affordable (we’ll need lots of rugs), and attractive. Anything else I should check out?
Happy Friday, have a wonderful weekend!!
I have long love Mitchel GOld & Bob WIlliams furniture (even though it’s really too modern for most of my style/taste 😉 They just moved their outlet store from Hickory NC to ASheville NC, which is….not too far from Atlanta. If you follow their FB page, they put up furniture (and prices! very rare for NC outlets) there. I’m looking for new LR side chairs now, and hubs wants new something in the basement – probably recliners (ugh – I want a couch but he wants two arms, and we’ve had a couch there for ages – a couch I inherited from my mom that was purchased in 1996 – it’s navy leather, classic, has worn like steel BUT it sags and isn’t comfortable anymore) My favorite LR chair is King Hickory – I bought up at Green Front in Farmville VA (huge furniture outlet – farther from me but I prefer to the High Point or Hickory outlets in NC, though I’ve shopped all those places since I moved to NC in 1998) Good luck!! I can’t just order online – comfort is SO important to me, I must butt test. And since I live in the middle of nowhere, going to a big outlet center makes sense for us to be able to sample many brands at the same time.
I love Ruggables – I purchased my first one and it won’t be my last. It is so easy to wash and that is very important to me. As to a couch – we had loved Interior Define. Beautiful quality and decent prices, but it does take a while to receive, once ordered. They have a lot of good options and configurations. Highly recommended!
And congratulations on the new house! Happy for you!
Congrats on your upcoming move! Crate & Barrel is amazing and has really durable fabrics that last. We have the Axis II sofa and loveseat in a durable performance fabric. They have survived stomach bugs by kids. I’m totally serious.
Congratulations on the new house! I think it would be a BLAST decorating! That’s one of my strong suits. 😉 My daughter and SIL are doing a major renovation on their house, including all new furniture in the living room and “adult” sitting room and they’re going with a lot of Arhaus, which they use in a lot of their builds, and Interior Define, which her BFF, the professional decorator, recommended.
Congratulations on your new home Gretchen! I’m a Slowre customer and long time reader and admirer of your blog but haven’t commented before. As someone with a long career in residential design, I’d like to second the suggestion to look at NC sources or at least US made products. Both West Elm and Article manufacture in Asia – China, Vietnam typically.
Neither of these companies are producing a better product than what you’ll find made by centuries old workshops in NC nor is the design anything particularly special. Krypton fabric is bulletproof for kids and pets and washable slipcovers are great too. Look for cushions (seat and back) that can be reversed. With a kiddo in the house, a nice throw to catch the worst spills can save the day.
In the end, it’s a bit like buying Rachel Comey clothes – I love knowing that locals are continuing a long tradition of craftsmanship, earning a decent living and keeping our environmental footprint small. That blue jumpsuit is so great on you! Best of luck with your move!
Seconding Interior Define. I got my chaise longue from there. I love the way you can customize the legs, fabric, etc., and it’s really comfortable.
Congratulations on the new house and upcoming move!!! We recently got our first rug from Lorena Canal and love it. Same concept at Ruggable, but they make all natural fiber washable rugs, either wool or cotton. They’re a more of an investment, but prices are similar to a non washable rug from West Elm or similar.
Congratulations on the move!
I have one possibly useful piece of advice re furniture buying: get fabric swatches and use them as coasters for a while and smear them with whatever stuff they might get smeared with in use and see how it hold up I am, in fact, using an old leather swatch for my coffee as I type this, and it–like the chair that is covered in the same leather– is beautiful five years later. My partner’s chair, however, has stains from the first week he bought it because the leather shows every little thing. Both chairs cost about the same amount, so price is not a good gauge on these thigns.
I’d echo the advice to stay away from Article and West Elm. Anyone else remember this fine piece of the Internet?
https://www.theawl.com/2017/02/why-does-this-one-couch-from-west-elm-suck-so-much/
I’ve been very happy with furniture from Room & Board: most is made in the US and the prices are very reasonable for the quality. The Design Within Reach ebay outlet (this is directly from DWR, not a third-party seller or used) sometimes has very good deals, especially since shipping is usually include whereas the shipping rates from DWR on full-priced furniture is exorbitant.
And, having moved last summer, I’ll say it really is better to go slowly– like with clothes! but even more so since furniture should last. I have a chair I wanted for years (and it took years to save the money to buy it), and it remains perfect. Even though I’ve had it now for 5 years, I still sometimes just say to my partner, “wow this chair is nice!” or “this leather has ruined me for all others” because it is the perfect chair for me. (That chair — which can be expanded into a sofa– is the Vitsoe 620). That said, most of my furniture is still Ikea!
Love these outfits!! And excited for your move! Would love to hear about the decorating process, since you’re such a thoughtful shopper (and with the best eye)! I also like Revival rugs — they sell really beautiful vintage rugs, but in a modern way!
Wow, I never saw that article. 1-3 years lifespan for a COUCH??!! Unfreakingbelievable. I had a cheap used futon that lasted 3 times as long! Guess I’m happy I’ve never shopped WE?
Although it’s been extremely frustrating at times, I agree to “go slowly” with decorating – esp with new houses when you really need to learn how you’re going to use the space, what colors & style you want based on what exists and what you want to change, etc. Sometimes I hate that I’ve never had the budget to do a full refresh with total cohesion, but then I look at houses that were decorated in 1 or 2 orders from Wayfair (Sis, I’m looking at you…) and that showroom look isn’t my style. So I guess the way I’ve been doing it is ok for me 😉
ha, I was going to comment exactly what a previous commenter said: Room and Board and DWR eBay outlet! Good quality stuff and I just buy slowly as my budget would allows. Our family room couch is R+B I bought in 2015 and it’s only just the past few weeks I thought the seat cushions are looking a tiny bit worn (I just need to vacuum and rotate them) and our living room sofa is from DWR that I bought in 2003 but had it reupholstered a few years ago (the upholsterer said “let me see if it’s good quality” before he’d redo it and he instantly gave this one the thumbs-up). Also estate sales and the rare craigslist find if you can do refinishing (it’s easy and fun!).
I like FLOR sometimes for area rugs – if you pick the right ones (the ones rated for “high traffic”) they wear really well and are low maintenance. I like the ones with the rubbery backing bc you just put them in with the flor dots and you’re done. Area rugs that require a rug or nonslip pad are my enemy bc those non slip pads have left some awful residue on my hardwood floors. ((Also bonus with flor, if a pet or a kid pukes or spills on it you can replace just those few squares if you have planned ahead and bought a few back ups, haha.))
Gus Modern, Blu Dot for furniture and FLOR tiles for rug options. Have 2 dogs and to be able to hose off separate tiles and not a whole entire rug is awesome. If you want to look at Gus and Blu Dot, they have a place here in Dallas (neighborhood store + gallery) to look at their line and they will ship.
I have ruggables too – but you probably want to check them out before committing. They’re not plush and soft like a normal rug so they don’t soften the ground underfoot (or, to be honest, look as nice). We have them in our entry way so they collect the snow and mud and I know people who have them in kids rooms. I end up sitting on the floor with our kiddo a lot and a normal rug is more comfortable for that.
I concur that it’s best to wait on furniture and build it like your wardrobe: slowly and with intention. We really wanted to get a new couch years ago, but we are so glad we delayed it. Our toddler has spilled numerous things on it; our (new) cat last year used it as a scratching post, and on and on.
Now, with our toddler turning 4 (whoa), we now have the confidence and knowledge about how we want our couch to perform. Anyway, just my two cents. Thank you to all the reader comments about furniture! I hadn’t heard about a few of these. Grechen: maybe a sustainability post on furniture soon? Happy moving and congrats!
Congratulations on your new home!! How exciting! I love the Bonnie + Clyde from Bludot. We’ve had the Clyde for probably 8 years + I would totally choose it again. I only want attached back cushions on a couch, because I learned my lesson with our first couch’s back cushions looking wilted after a couple of years. Clyde is comfy + would be easy to make a slipcover for. The lines are also so clean that I always consider that I could just lay a drop cloth or sheet over it + it would still look cool. Just my 2 cents. 🙂
Congrats!
In terms of sectionals, I LOVE the Lounge series from Crate and Barrel:
https://www.crateandbarrel.com/lounge-ii-2-piece-sectional-sofa/s303768
I bought ours on Craigslist, and have had it for 5-6 years and it’s still in great condition. I like it because it has a very deep seat, and is super cozy.
Best of luck with the move–as someone who has moved cross country twice within 18 months , you have my empathy!