Cool Stuff: Sofa, So Good

I'm still on the hunt for a new sofa for our living room. Not that we have the cash to be buying major pieces of furniture right now, but hey -- that's never stopped me from looking and wanting before.

Almost all of the ones I have my eye on seem to share a few key traits: simple, relatively clean lines (though I am a sucker for a bit of button-tufting and perhaps a slight bohemian-louche vibe); tight backs; single-cushion seats; slim, sexy legs; and yummy gray velvet upholstery. My current faves: Long Snooze Sofa, above, from Ochre (No idea on the price, but I suspect it's steep.)

Jamie Dream Velvet Sofa, £2,075 (about $3,276) from Graham & Greene

Loring Sofa, $999 from Room + Board (I love the price and the look, but unfortunately this model wasn't that comfy when I tried it out in the store.)

Reese Sofa, $1,499 from Room + Board

Andre Sofa, $1,699 from Room + Board

Ditte Sofa, $3,498 from Anthropologie

Lampert Sofa, $2,950 from Jonathan Adler

Nell Sofa, $5,495 from Jayson Home & Garden (This one may just be my favorite -- but, ouch, that price!)

Wilshire Sofa, $2,950 from Williams Sonoma Home (This photo from the WSH website doesn't really do the couch justice; I've seen it in person and it's gorgeous.)

None of these has every single thing I want -- I'm lusting after a really deep sofa to curl up in, for instance, which seems to be hard to come by in a more tailored style. And none even has enough of my wish-list items while also being within the realm of financial possibility for us right now, so the search continues ...

By the way: Anyone out there know anything about having a sofa custom-made, or how much that costs? If so, please let me know!

Object of Lust: Jonathan Adler Lampert Sofa

I'm never, ever going to convince Nick to go for tufted velvety furniture (men!) -- but I think this Lampert Sofa, which I recently went nuts over at the San Francisco Jonathan Adler showroom, is pretty close to perfection.

Maybe you'll have better luck? If so, it's $2,950 right here.

Objects of Lust: Anthropologie's Ditte Sofa

Yes, please.

I'm completely in lust with this new Ditte Sofa from Anthropologie: It's tailored yet feminine, modern but pretty. Plus, it's 25 percent off until the end of September -- so it's a slightly less wince-inducing $2,623.50 (instead of the regular $3,498).

Cool Stuff: Couches Under $1,200 at Room & Board

I know it's true: You get what you pay for. And I know that this is especially true when it comes to the components of your home, which you'll be sitting on, staring at, and living with year after year for the foreseeable future.

But I'm also thrifty, and can't help but be tempted by what seems like a great deal on something I actually like. Plus, since I've grown to loathe the blah and boxy couch we bought just two years ago (and know that we'll only recoup half of what we paid for it if we wind up unloading the thing on craigslist), I practically gave myself whiplash when I caught sight of these cheap-and-chic new sofas from Room & Board. All of them are priced under $1,200 -- and a few are under $800.

They're not Lilliputian (most measure between 77 and 89 inches); they don't appear to be upholstered in icky, cheapo fabrics; they feature sophisticated, modern styling; and the copywriters swear the sofas are meticulously constructed and that quality has not been compromised.

So what gives? Why are these so inexpensive? Is there anyone out there who's given them a test run in a R&B showroom and who can report back on their comfort and quality in person? Let me know. In the meantime, a few of the styles I'm already mentally moving around our living room:

Loring Sofa $999 (I am especially drooling over this one -- and even more so when I compare it to the strikingly similar, but tres pricey, Long Snooze Sofa at Ochre)

Westwood Sofa, $899

Hawthorne Sofa, $1,199

Eugene Sofa, $999

What do you guys think -- are these couches, at these prices, too good to be true?

Cool Stuff: MetroSofa Repurposed Classic Furniture

One part of the "Green" equation ("Reduce, Reuse, Recycle") that often seems to be overlooked is repurposing older things instead of replacing them with new ones. (No joke: I recently received a glossy press release for a new, "green" home here in Oakland. Great -- except that the place was over 5,000 square feet and no doubt replaced a much more modest vintage home that had been torn down to make way for the supposedly eco-conscious behemoth. Honestly, how green is that?)

Luckily, the folks at MetroSofa have taken the "Reuse" mantra to heart in an incredibly stylish way. The brainchild of MetroShed founder and green building pioneer David Ballinger, MetroSofa rescues vintage sofas and chairs that would otherwise be headed for a landfill and reinvents them with new, eco-friendly cushions, upholstery (many of the fabrics used are remnants left over from big commercial projects), and paint.

The results may be certifiably green, but they're anything but crunchy. Take a look:

Green and White Striped Chair

Green/Numbers Louis Armchair

Pink and Black Modern Sofa

Red and White Curved-Back Modern Armchair

Black and White Retro Lounge Chair

Red/Multistripe Modern Louis Settee

Chairs range from about $700 to $1,100 apiece, and sofas run about $1,900 to $3,600 each. See all of MetroSofa's eco-fabulous seating right here -- and contact the company directly for exact pricing and shipping details. (Pssst -- if you're in the Portland area, Flutter stocks a few MetroSofa designs, as does Seattle's Revival Home & Garden.)