Hi friends! I’m sorry I’ve been so quiet around here lately, I’m in the thick of the final stages of design/sourcing for the Ojai house (phew!) and these last minute decisions have been all-consuming! I’ve enjoyed every last second of the process and hunting for the materials, finishes, etc and I can’t help but wonder how I’m going to satisfy that creative fix when this project is completed! I guess I’ll cross that bridge after we’ve moved in and I’ve completed the decorating. I mentioned casually to Lou the other day that maybe one day we could sell this house for enough and could tackle a ground up build?! He did not find that amusing. Oops! Probably best to not start making plans for another house before you’ve even moved into your current project! I am a special kind of nuts.
Which brings me to a critical question that has been haunting me- can me make a white sectional work in an open concept living room with a wild toddler running amuck?? Generally speaking we haven’t changed much in our house since we brought Teo into it- those cream colored curtains I so worried about are still hanging and still in great shape. We removed a rug from under the dining room table but I am ready to put it back- I feel like we’re past the messiest stage. But a couch, a white couch, with a toddler whose feet are generally covered in dirt, whose hands are usually at least partially covered in some sort of snack remnants- it feels like maybe that’s just plain nonsensical.
BUT, the heart wants what the heart wants and the heart wants a white couch in spite of practicality. What I am looking for here is for you to talk me off the ledge and tell me it would be INSANE. Certifiable even! C’mon, help a madwoman out!
As a thank you gift I present you with these inspiration photos of beautiful spaces with light colored furniture. I hope they inspire your own designs and that those of you with messy toddlers won’t hate me for this. I’m in the boat with you! Let’s just say eff it and get white couches, wanna!?! xx- Sarah . (photo sources: 1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 //
Definitely having the same battle with what I want and my practical self at the moment! I think I’m going with white but with removeable covers for easy washing.
DO IT Julia!!!! haha maybe I just want company in the madness. But I did receive SO many positive comments on Instagram from people who have white (slipcovered) couches and lots of mess (even a mini pig haha!) . I feel confident we can have a white couch AND a toddler now. 🙂
Go for the white couch! Just get one where you can remove the cover and launder it. If its a crisp white, you can always bleach it!
Thank you Lizzie!!! I think that’s the only solution- it HAS to be slipcovered. 🙂
Go for the white!!! I have 2 crazy toddlers & a third baby on the way and lots of white in my house. Nothing has been ruined yet! Only thing I suggest is def use slipcovers. I have white linen slipcovers and those bad boys wash SO well. They look beautiful after a wash no matter what has been on them. People think white is so difficult with kids, but I’ve really found the opposite to be true.
Marissa this is so encouraging, thank you!!!!! I love this! I am gonna do it!!!
I love white furniture, it looks so classy and in contrast with everything around the room. It’s a little tough to have white furniture when you have kids and pets in the house though. I have both, and our couch has lived through all kinds of horrors, from chocolate smeared all over the coushions, to crayons and permanent marker stains from all those drawings. My brother has a white sofa at their house, but it’s made from an artificial leather or something, nothing sticks to it and you can clean almost everything off it with a wet towel.
I hope you get slipcovers! We have a cream colored couch, unfortunately with no slipcovers and it’s in pretty rough shape after 5 years. Kids are messy, well beyond the toddler years! Two boys here, 9 and 13 years, and they’ve done a number on my cream sofa and rugs.
I love these photos! Wow! I think the white couch is a crisp ad classic staple! I love it! Very clean and modern looking.
Shandel | babygirlsbible.com
I love these photos! Wow! I think the white couch is a crisp an classic staple! I love it! Very clean and modern looking.