Hellooo!
Hope all is well with you…now you wanna see some white love? Come on down ;-)
This is the result of my trip to the little Nordic boutique of mine Iqkea to buy a rug the other day…yep go for a rug, come back with an armchair…
Can I tell you I have Armchair Love? Well I have.
I must say this corner has been the bane of my life for oh such a very long time…you see this funny little corner is in the Sitting Room, it’s a very hard to fit stuff in room…small, with two doors and a window all across the front…which makes furniture placement tricky…
I have had all manner of things here and nothing really has stuck…
This then I am hoping will work better…a seat just for me for when I plonk down at the end of the day with a pile of cooking books and a drink…
It seems to look really, really really white at the moment…there is not a single sign of life, a child, a pet or anything on it…YET…for sure in this old place that won’t last long…no doubt before long there will be pen, chocolate, sticky finger marks, any manner of drink spilled on it, biscuit crumbs…and that’s before I untie the kids from the tree out the front (thank you Kasey for that parenting tip, it’s working so well in helping to keep everything white)
I can’t resist slip covered white furniture and so looking for this has been very easy, really I couldn’t even consider anything else, though I did look at, fleetingly, a gingham grey, which if I had a bigger room for another chair or two I would definitely add…
So before I went to IKEA to buy the rug, I had looked at quite a lot of other slip-covered white chairs and not many of them really floated my boat…most stuff at the moment is too sleek and modern for me with very plain lines…but this Ektorp is a little more traditional, bit more classic, at least that’s how I see it..you may well thing that it just looks old-fashioned..
My criteria were
puffiness
whiteness
comfiness
washableness
and this met them in one fell swoop
plus it was seriously more budget friendly than any of the others that I looked at…
Now considering there are three male brains in this house and one very impatient female one it is surprising that it took as long as it did to get it put together…yeah yeah I could have done it myself, but you know what, I like to let those men think they are in charge, they are the superior ones…when really we all know who wears the trousers ;-)
I had to promise a few things though…it seems the partaking in the watching of sport in the weekday evenings is the fore runner to the partaking in sport at the weekend for those three…and not much else gets done…
There was quite a lot of mumbling and eyebrows about the chair…
…and I hadn’t yet mentioned the clock-putting-up…(no purrrlease I’d rather you didn’t email me about the ease of usage of the power tool..right now that is one boy thing I don’t want or need to learn…that may well change in the future but for now, leaving it to the boys for me is kewl)
but ladies in the DIY-Clock-Putting-Up-Department and as you will know if you have been in BC Land for very long I had a very good card up my sleeve…do I need to tell you which one I played ;-)
I am assuming that if you too are an IKEA aficionado you too will have lusted over this clock….
I don’t know how long they have been carrying it, but I am pretty sure I was giving it the eye back in England…I love it…rather more over-sized when I got it home that I thought it was…it was ear-marked for the Breakfast Room but didn’t quite fit in there once I got it out of the packaging…so it ended up in the Sitting Room for now, which really is not perfect because I want to be able to see this when I am running late, and tucked in here that won’t happen…
I did enjoy putting all this together…and taking photos of it…sometimes it’s a great thing to have this blog…’cos this sure won’t look quite like this by the end of a weekend in this place…
I imagine that you wouldn’t have wanted me to wait until Sunday night to show you when this corner, will more than likely, have about it’s person the addition of at least two sport bags, possibly one or more pairs of soccer boots, the odd AFL jersey thrown around for good measure, and just the general clutter from a family of 5…
I thought you’d prefer to see it like this :-)
Most of these bits are from vintage treasure hunting…the crochet you already know about, same with the unit which is an old meat safe I painted white and is absolutely rammed right now with books and stuff…I really need to have a clear out…
I love layering up mirrors…these have been with me for ages now….
and I love hooks and pegs and the like…I am going to make some book bags and hang them on here…
The greenery is Australian Gum/eucalyptus…LOVE LOVE LOVE…if you can get your hands on this stuff, do, you won’t be disappointed…it smells divine…I love having this in this old cottage….talk about knock your socks off…wowza, the fragrance is da bomb
..I used all the bottom leaves too to float in little glass bowls and popped them here and there….
…and you know about the Wellies…Hunter’s
I guess then that is it from my new little corner, I hope you like it…
think of me this evening…when it’s chilly Down Under and I will be curled up here, no doubt there will be soccer or sport being played somewhere in the depths of this place, but I will be here…with a cookery book, perhaps a Limoncello, definitely a Curly Wurly and ready with a bottle of bleach…
See you next time
oh p.s. …Target Winner will be up soon :-)
shared at White Wednesday at Faded Charm, thanks
Sarah dear,
I love the ektorp couches and chairs!
I adore this one and this little corner and what you’ve done with it…what a cozy spot.
My dream is for a 3 seater or a loveseat the same as this with removable cushion covers of course!
I am so glad to hear how comfy they are!
Love your style, and the ecalyptus must smell fabulous!!
Loved your post..you are so refreshing!!
have a great weekend!!
Deborah xoxo
I love what you have done with your corner..I love my ektorp sofa! and yes..it has kitty and puppy prints all over it right now..I really like that clock..i was just saying to myself…we need a big schoolhouse looking clock in our kitchen…we just moved and there are no clocks anywhere except the TV…I never know what time it is when I put something in the oven. How big is your guy? I wonder if I have room….great corner…so soothing..
Sarah
I love your style and your sense of fun with making your home a special place.
My husband thinks I’m crazy when I arrange and rearrange furniture and ornaments. I find it so satisfying and soothing. It brings me such joy.
I continue to be surprised at how many things you and I both like.
very cute, love the chair & also love that eucalyptus smell….mmmmm
have a great weekend Sarah!
LOVE LOVE LOVE is right. Is the coat hook from Ikea too? I missed where that came from. The closest store I have is over by San Francisco in a town called Emmeryville. It’s the town right before you cross the Bay Bridge to go into the city. San Francisco is about 1 1/2 hours from my home. I need to take a drive over there. So many people are sharing some really, really cool buys from Ikea lately!
Hi Sarah, one word – DIVINE!x
Stunning corner. Such a shame the kids will soon be taking it over. You need a “secret reading room” like Layla’s with a big sign at the entrance saying “NO KIDS ALLOWED”!
ps – found how to animate the pics ;-)
Love it!
And yep, been eyeing off that clock for a while now!
Lovely corner…everyone needs one even if a day later things are thrown every which way.
The crner looks great with this chair! The chair looks like you could just curl up in it with a cup of tea and a good book! Have a wonderful day!
You are just fabulous! I love your blog!!! I just recently did a post on visiting IKEA here in Italy while we’re living here this year. I got the exact same pitcher you have in the background of these pics!!! (and some other white lovelies!)
Hugs/have an awesome day/I can’t believe it’s fall there around the world,
Lana In Italy
This looks like the absolute perfect corner to sit and have a drink and a flick through a book or two. Any chance you can pop over Stateside and work your magic here in this old place??? Lx
Love your new corner Sarah, especially the photo with you in the mirror…looks really cool….however, the moving photo, although very clever and quite fascinating…is doin my head in…it’s Saturday night and I’ve had a couple of champas (after, I might add, helping at the village church fair all day)….love ektorp…great value and washable!!! Robx
p.s. I think I spied some blue gum at a local florist recently…my Mum hated getting an arrangement of flowers with blue gum in it…her generation just doesn’t get the idea of gum leaves in their floral arrangements!!
Now that looks quite cozy! I love my big comfy white chair in my master~paris hotel suite…I want another for my den and one for my studio!!
Armchair love…yeah…I have it too!!!
yum yum……..no need to say anything more :)
Hi Sarah, I have loved the ektorp too and contemplated it for our family room but I have a french styled couch with thin cushions needing a revamp to thicker and squishier cushions but I dont know where to start. Your corner looks great and I hope you can enjoy it as per your plan. Have a great weekend, Fiona
Beautiful Sarah!! That ektorp looks amazing, with all your other fab finds!! Very Very cozy!!
I so love Ektorp too! It is what I hope to have one day soon in our family room. Just love your little corner. what fun you must have had putting that together!
soooooo cute!
gotta love the hooks – I don’t know why, but I really love hooks!!
I just found your blog – I’m a Canadian with kids getting education down-under.
Love your site!
I LOVE IT! My house is white, white and more white! I sometimes argue the “linen” “cotton” and “sand” labels, but it is what it is- white. Our family room (aka the mancave) is the one spot that has a cowhide rug, dark tables and gasp! a big screen tv! Eeew, is it ugly. but it keeps the menfolk busy while I bask in the sea of white!
Thanks for sharing!
Kerry at housetalkn.blogspot.com
hey been thinking about getting a 3 seater ektorp for yonks!! loved all the reviews about it….australian gum/eculyptus is divine!! We do all our cleaning with eculyptus oil…smells gorgeous!! Your corner looks insanely comfortable….so jealous
ektorp = squishy!
love ektorp!!!
love that striped grey scarf you have on the hook too! ;o)
i have a question for you while i am here…have your ever posted a floorplan of your house? if not, would you? could you? i love navigating my way through spaces and a floorplan makes it easy to visualize!
love from winnipeg, manitoba canada where summer is here and the temps are rising – you all think it’s cold in canada but you are all very sadly mistaken – sure, minus 30 degrees celsius in winter from november to february but we’re plus 30 degrees celsius in summer.
teres :o)
Looks great and when reality strikes and it becomes kiddoed you will always have these gorgeous pics.
seriously gorgeous……. just pop that chair in the post for me lovey… that’s the girl ;)
I have two seriously divine chairs from France that are a scrumptious duck egg blue…… my small boys have completely trashed the fabric and my heart is broken….. but your story has made me think I could get them seriously steam cleaned and then have some slip covers made for them during this dreadful phase of incessant sticky fingers
thanks xx
I do love the chair and everything about your corner spot, but I can’t seem to wrap my head around using white chairs. One day with my grandson eating chocolate donuts or my pets deciding to take a nap on a such an inviting chair …well, I’d be covering all that white up. I guess some people do cover up the fabric until company comes by and that’s their answer. Don’t you worry about getting all that white dirty beyond cleaning just a spot or two?
Ooh, that chair looks so cozy! And I love the hooks. Ok, I’m off to browse the Ikea website.
I love the Ektorp chair and it looks just like it belongs in your little corner! Enjoy! Looks like a great place for Sunday morning tea and reading too…:0
Seriously the Ektorp covers wash up like brand new everytime and become much softer with age as they crease and wear and look shabby all the more. Love mine, I have two x 2 seaters in white with Kids and pets and never had a problem in the last 6 years or so. Have two sets of covers, one in the wash and one on the sofas and change them about every 6 weeks or so depending on when they are no longer white looking. Some basic food rules apply but nothing more and everyone is happy! I hope you love your armchair as much as I love my sofas Sarah, gorgeously stunning corner. Love it!
LOVE that style from IKEA! I recently bought the white slipcover for the couch and it just happened to fit my old junker! I blogged about it here- http://postroadvintage.com/2011/02/my-living-room-ikea-country-style.html LOVE that corner of your home Sarah!
That corner is such a perfect replica of heaven! Makes me want to grab a book and a mug of hot cocoa :) Really pretty!!! :)
Ah Sarah, you have lifted my spirits again. Feeling a little down today and what do I do, see what your blog and you of course has been up to. Love what you have done. Keep up the good work! Hugs
What a heavenly and white corner! You do such soft colors and white is my fav.,specially by the beach in “Australia”!! Thanks for your visit and lovely comment! I love that I visit thru blog friendship, with great ladies, such as you, from a far away land!!… it keeps my spirit in life uppity!! Lots of hugs. FABBY
I love love love your style. Are you a trained stylist or merchandiser? It looks like it because I love the way you can make ikea things look good! How do you pick things out on there, all I see is bright colors and loud prints???????????
Also if you don’t mind how did you do the floors?
Thanks sarah
Thanks for playing along Sarah. I’ve admired your blog and home sor sometime now. This is a perfect little corner for you to get inspired in the evenings:-0
xoxo
Kathleen
What a lovely little corner. You’ve got me thinking about that Ikea clock now!
Lovely sarah, could you tell me when your shop is re-opening? I bought one of your runners and it has pride of place on my table, I would love the pillows to go with it. Your shop was only open for a week or so, wondering why :-).
Couches and chairs are very beautiful! They are comfortable and stylish. Thanks for sharing really very nice post.
I absolutely LOVE your little sitting area!! I have a mostly white home out here in sunny Southern California and I love to see what other people have done with theirs. I’m really pretty new to blogging and I find it so exciting that after a couple of clicks I could end up in someones home on the other side of the world. Thanks so much for sharing. I guess I should post pics of my place too :0)
Wow! The sitting room looks great. I love your use of accent items.
A few years back, we went to Ikea to look (did you read “look”) at some furniture, and came home with $2500 worth of the stuff. In our living room, we have the Ektorp sectional and ottoman, and in “my” room (part stitching room, part retreat), I have an Ektorp chair, just like yours, but not in white. We have a large german shepherd dog, which sheds everywhere, so I’m not sure that a white slipcover would work, but your room looks so gorgeous, that when I buy new slipcovers, I might have to buy the white ones.
Thanks for the inspiration!
Hi Sara I have been admiring your blog for a while now and love it . I’m new to the blog world… don’t have one of my own but love visiting all the great ones out there. Yours was the first I found after googling beach cottage styled rooms and the one I come back to
the most. Your’e a funny lady and I always have to smile when I visit you. The one that made me lol tho was when you talked about
stashing your findsunder the house and all over the place and bringing ‘em out a few at a time. Reminds me of me. Your corner is
adorable, like the rest of your cottage.
I love the style. I just found a chair like that for sale on a local ad website for 40.00 US dollars. It is fluffy and comfy, my requirements.
I have shopped Ikea and enjoy it once or twice a year for kitchen items and decorating. I like the hook sequence you have over the chair,
a great place to put a tote bag or sweater Am going to search my local Goodwill for a similar shell glass holder to incorporate my large shell collection into for display. My Mom collected shells since the 30′s and I have oodles of glass jars full of beauitful different shells from beaches all over the USA. .
I to was a sport widow we call it here in the states, is when your husband chooses sports. Here is hoping you enjoy your quiet corner while the noisy games are on elsewhere.