The HOVAS has landed

Remember last December when I was dreaming of a white HOVAS?

At the time JEGs and I decided to wait until we got settled into a house to A.  make sure the couch fit, and B.  we wanted to have enough cash to purchase it.

After spending 8 weeks on our couch during my maternity leave, I just couldn't take it any longer.  I didn't like how high the arms were because it made it difficult to reach anything on the side tables, and I always felt like my ass was sitting on the springs.  We needed the HOVAS: stat.  

One night in November, I listed our set on Craigslist and for kicks and giggles posted the link to my personal Facebook page.  The next morning around 6 am, I got a text from my friend Sarah demanding I let her purchase the set.  We didn't expect it to sell so fast so JEGs and I were all "holy crap... we are really doing this!" 

Sarah and her brother planned to pick up the set on a Monday.  We decided to purchase the HOVAS the Friday beforehand so we would not go any days without a place to sit.  Since I was at work, we secured my parents to baby sit the monster and JEGs went to pick it up. He texted me this picture:

followed shortly after by this picture:

I was all sorts of giddy.  Ten minutes after Sarah and her brother carted out the old set, we tore into those boxes.  Since it is IKEA, clearly it had to be assembled.

About a week before we actually decided to buy a new couch, we went back to IKEA to test it out-- just to make sure this is what we really wanted.  The floor model had a brown, corduroy slip cover on it and we started to rethink our decision.  The brown slipcover looked so-- college dorm room.  Sitting next to it was the smaller EKTORP with it's classic shape, white slip cover and cheaper price tag.  We went back and forth between the two, mostly because I was afraid the HOVAS would completely overtake our teeny living room.   We decided that the extra leg room for JEGs out weighted any of our other concerns and hoped that the white slip cover would make it look less dorm roomish.

We made the right choice.

After it was all assembled, I don't think it looks nearly as obnoxious as I thought it would!  The white slip cover looks much more tailored then that hideous brown crap they had in the store.  Seriously, I don't know what they were thinking.

Anyway, after living with the white couch for a couple of months, I'm not 100% sold on it.  It does show the dirt, and I have washed it with *gasp* bleach, even though the tag said not to.  I still feel like I see the dirt.   I am leaning towards dyeing it a smokey grey.  If it doesn't work, a new white slip cover only costs $50.

What's the total cost breakdown?
Couch: $499
Cover: $50
Delivery:  free (JEGs borrowed a truck from his office)
Total (with tax): $528.94

A husband that can comfortably stretch out:  priceless.

Always&Forever,
  ME