Friday, August 20, 2010

Hello, Handsome!

He's here!

Robert Ware Applegate (Rob) arrived on Monday, August 9th at 11:22 am, weighing 8 lbs, 11.6 oz and measuring 21" long. We are smitten with our little guy!

Pardon my hiatus from blogging, but I'll be taking some time off to be with my little one- and, of course, to sleep whenever possible!


Friday, August 6, 2010

A Feathered Nest

A day past my due date, and still no baby. But, we finally have a sofa, and that's a good thing.

Long story short, our old sofa, bought second hand from a sweet lady in D.C., had to go because Mr. Edgar had taken it over and, well, it smelled a lot like him and was no longer suitable for lounging, especially with a baby.

Exhibit A (we tried to protect it as long as possible with a sheet, but he always found a way to move it and get on the actual upholstery, preferably on top of a throw pillow...he's snobby like that):


In addition, our den is long and rectangular, and serves as both a TV room, office and our only access to the back deck. Therefore, the space had to be carefully planned and I found that, to optimize seating, a sectional really fit the best.

One of the most valuable things I learned from my first job as a design assistant was the importance of floor plans. No matter how well you think you can visualize a space, it's always best to put it on paper so you can play around with different sizes and configurations and can see what really works best in the room. From my floor plan, it was obvious that a sectional was the way to go...


I had ordered a sofa for a client from a North Carolina manufacturer, King Hickory, and we had a great experience with them; great price, great quality. So I ordered our sectional from them, assuming I'd be pleased again. Well, I'll spare you the horrid details and will just say that it was TERRIBLE. Designers, beware! Not only did they make the sofa incorrectly and refused to resolve the issue any other way than refunding my money (which wasn't great consolation, considering the old Edgar couch was now gone and time was ticking towards baby's arrival), their excuse was that "they don't really like working with designers." Interesting. If I keep thinking about it, the frustration could send me into labor, right here, right now.

Thankfully, there is a new design studio in Greensboro for the trade called The Studio of Greensboro, and the staff there is fabulous. They introduced me to a great upholstery line called C.R. Laine, made in Hickory. Their pieces come standard with many sustainable features, such as frames made from responsibly harvested hardwoods and eight-way hand tied coils made with recycled materials. They have a quick lead time (about 4 weeks), are priced well, and their fabric selection is great. If you're in the market for new upholstery, it's a great line to consider.

So I ordered our sectional and it was delivered last week. It's SO nice to have a sofa again!! And I've paired it with an ottoman that came from Goodwill which I had reupholstered in this fabric.


The fabric on the drapery panels & throw pillows was found at an antique shop in Middleburg, Virginia. I think it's a vintage Lee Jofa print, but I've been trying to determine its name and production date since I bought it three years ago (if you're able to identify it, please let me know). It's my favorite.


So I feel like my "nesting" (and my den) is finally finished. Now, if we could just get this baby to come...

Have a great weekend!