One Room, Many Functions

 We have a new addition to our sofa family!  Introducing the HOVAS' little brother, the HAGALUND:

Side note:  every time I say HAGALUND in my head, I am actually thinking Hugga Bunch.  Do you guys remember those creepy dolls and their movie from the 80s?  I totally had the purple one, Giggler or whatever.

Now that I've potentially given you nightmares for weeks, let's talk about how this little guy came into our family.  The second bedroom wears many hats:  it's a man cave.  it's Hunter's play room.  it's a guest room when my mother or cousin comes to stay with us.  it houses all my crafting crap.   The long and short of it:  we want to spend some time in there.  However, we fall into this situation when we are up there:

Instagram: LizzieInProgress

Sittin' on the hardwood floor.  Not so comfy.

We went back and forth about what do get in there -sofa, daybed, sofabed, DIY a bench- and we finally decided a sofa bed was the best bet for our situation.  Specifically, we wanted something from IKEA because in order for us to get it up our narrow, 90-year-old staircase, it needed to come apart.

I've been scouring Craigslist for a couple months, and mostly only coming up with futons (which we did not want).  Originally, we had our heart set on the KIVIK, but 1. they were hard to come by as a sofa bed and 2. when they did, they were a little out of our price range.   One day I stumbled upon a listing for the HAGALUND outside of Center City for $275. JEGs was a little hesitant about it's small size, but I pointed out we didn't need another 93 inch couch-- we weren't going to be sprawled out upstairs.  We needed something was comfortable enough for him to strum a guitar or me to perch and sip my coffee while Hunter played.  I offered the chick $200 for it and she agreed (over 60% off from the store!!) and we made our way down on a Saturday afternoon.

So far we really like it-  it's 59 inch width is the perfect size for our little nook area.  Two of us can comfortably fit on the couch but all three of us is a bit of a squeeze.  The cushions are firmer than the HOVAS, but they aren't uncomfortable.  We aren't crazy about having another white couch, so we are eyeing up the beige cover instead.  At only $60, it's not a huge expenditure and I think will save me from having to wash it every other day.

The bed extends out to the length of a twin bed, and not quite the width of a double bed.  The seat cushion unzips to become the mattress of the bed.  I'll be honest-- it's not the most comfortable thing in the world, but for a weekend stay, it will do.

It also sits pretty low to the floor.  I might try to beef it up for height and comfort with a couple thick foam egg crates.  

The HAGALUND has storage for linens, but all I could fit was the blanket and pillows.  All other items (mattress pad, extra sheets, as well as deflated air mattress) are kept in a wicker laundry basket I purchase months ago from Home Goods.  I love this basket because not only is it great for storage, it doubles as a night stand.

Confession:  the swing arm lamp is a hand-me-down from my parents, and we've had it for as long as I can remember.  I was so glad I caught my mom before she threw it out, because it's always been a favorite of mine.  The shade that is one there now doesn't fit (it's from the lamp in the nursery) so I will have to replace it.  I am, however, keeping the original brass finish. I totally dig it, and I love that brass lamps are so in right now.  

As far as toy storage in the room, we have a small Little Tykes books shelf that keeps all his toys for now.  

I know it looks like we are really awful parents and this kid has no toys, but we are in the process of putting away his "baby" toys and bringing out his "big kid" toys.

Wondering what the other side of the room looks like?

.. it's kind of a hodge podge right now.  We've got our book shelf and TV, and then just crap we need to go through.  

Getting this couch and spending more time in this room has made me want to get rid of that hideous Buzz Blaster Blue paint.  I'm still holding off, however, because our next big project is going to be turning this:

... to this!

As much as it kills me to get rid of anything that is original to this house, that closet door has got. to. GOOOO.  We  plan on busting it out and installing bifold doors and better shelving ( like we did for the nursery).

You guys, I am like a friggin linkasaurus today.  That is like my seventh link in this post.  What is with me today?

Anyway, we are also throwing around the idea of completely gutting the entire room.  It's hard to see in pictures, but there is a 1/2 inch gap between the dry wall and the top of the baseboard.  And I'll be honest, I don't think there is enough primer in the world to cover this god awful color.

Is it awful that I would rather re drywall the ENTIRE ROOM rather than try to paint over this color?

When we do finally paint, this is what I'm thinking of:

I am thinking of doing a white stripe about 2/3 of the way up the wall.  Below the stripe I currently have a swatch of Benjamin Moore's Revere Pewter and above is Benjamin Moore's Edgecomb Gray.  I plan on using the curtains that we had in our great room in the apartment (shown) but I go back and forth about keeping them the soft blue they are or dying them navy blue.  

...and on the eighth link of the post, I am going to end this before I get too out of control ;)

This room has a long way to go, but the addition of the sofa has made it so much more livable!  Isn't it amazing what a simple thing like seating can do to a room?

Always & Forever,

  ME