Living room transformation aka sofa switcheroo

I finally got rid of my husband's sofa from his bachelor days that has traveled with us though this past 3.5 years of marriage.  It had finally gotten so uncomfortable that Keith was ok with looking for something new.  But I knew we couldn't afford to spend alot since we have a kitchen reno coming up. I thought about the Ikea Ektorp but decided I wanted something more substantial but I was in love with the white color and easy clean slipcovers for spills from future kiddos. 

Enter Craigslist and estate sale shopping. I lost the chance at a Pottery Barn classic sofa by being too slow on Craigslist but  I really lucked out this weekend.  An estate sale showed this lovely piece on their blog..I know it didn't look like much but I saw promise.

After some early morning investigating on Saturday, I discovered it was a Drexel Heritage sofa made in the USA and in impeccable condition.  I imagine it sat covered in vinyl for years.  But the $350 price tag was still too high for me especially since I figured I would have to have it recovered since the fabric was a smidge "old lady" for me plus Keith wasn't impressed by the picture since he didn't go to the sale. 

But lucky for me, Sunday is 1/2 price bargain day and it was still leftover.  With some neogotiating and Keith being hesitant over the phone, the sale knocked the price to $100.  I and the sofa was sold!  So Keith and strapped down the 85" sofa into the back of my Buick Rendezvous small SUV and drove over an hour back home on Interstate 95 at over 70mph praying that it wouldn't fly out.  We made it home safely.

And the best news is that I discovered that the Ikea Ektorp sofa slipcover fits this sofa exactly.  It was made for it!  So a $50 solution to update this great sofa.  You can see the progress and the difference it makes.

I know it needs ironing and a little steaming but you can see the before and after pics what a huge difference it makes in the room.  We updated the coffee and end tables and the decor awhile ago but it was still so dark feeling and now it feels like a huge weight has been lifted off the room.  I'm still looking for a loveseat to update but for now I'm keeping it until I can find something new.

Before circa 2007:

After circa October 2010:

I'm looking for cute throw pillows or cute fabric to cover the old pillows that came in the original fabric.  Keith thinks that our table set is too large now but we are holding off replacing these since they are in great shape and have lots of storage.