The Pink Sofa

In an early episode of Sex and the City, Miranda talks about re-building her bed karma. “I figure if I can make my bed a place I really want to be, others will feel the same” she says. “If you build it, he will come”.

I used to feel the same about my own interior design choices. I went from throwing all kinds of fairy lights and flowery decor around when I initially started living without a man, to being a bit more masculine with my decorating decisions. My thought was that, at some point it would be nice to live with a man again, and so I wanted to create a home environment a man would feel happy in.

It made sense at the time, and Sex and the City can’t be wrong.

The Pink Sofa

But four years into solo living, and with no male of the species anywhere near the house (excluding my four year old, obviously), my field of dreams-esque way of thinking was waning. Having spent this period of time developing my own style without the pants on the floor and dodgy bachelor artwork,  I settled into an aesthetic that I was really happy with: cosy, colourful and, with two kids, always practical.

Moving house has meant I’ve been able to indulge this aesthetic again, all over the place. And choosing a new sofa from DFS last month was one of the most enjoyable parts of the move. I wanted to keep my wonderful workhorse of a Habitat sofa, but with a bigger living space I knew I’d want the additional seating that a new 3 seater sofa would bring, one that would really make a statement.

Initially, I erred on the practical side of my interiors ethos. I decided to go for a warm brown leather sofa, and the Reign seemed perfect for what I was after. I put my order in and happily awaited its arrival, only to be distraught a week later when I was told it was going to be discontinued (the Dynasty is very similar, though).

And so I went back to the drawing board.

I can’t remember how it happened, but as I was browsing the DFS website for the eightieth time one evening the Sofa Workshop Bailey jumped out at me. It was everything I hadn’t known I was looking for in a sofa: classic, quality, stylish… and pink velvet. I mean, hello. PINK FREAKING VELVET. I knew then it was going to be mine, and I didn’t even visit the showroom to confirm it. I just knew.

Three weeks later, it indeed was mine!

The Pink Sofa has been the final piece of the puzzle in our living space jigsaw. As soon as I knew we’d be the proud owners of the Bailey I started planning the rest of the lounge interiors around it: I picked out the pinks in the photo above the fireplace, purchased a couple of cushions to tie the colour scheme together and introduced textures into the mix. I picked up a couple of extra plants – the green goes brilliant with the dusky pink – and added some warming throws. I love it.

Although it wasn’t what I initially wanted, this sofa has been the perfect one for us. It’s girly, but this is tempered with the dark blue Habitat three-seater and Made wing chair. The velvet means it’s warm and it’s so beautifully made and comfy to sit on (though don’t tell the kids, they’re not allowed ;). I’m so much more thrilled with it than if it was a brown leather sofa.

I love how it adds classic styling to my otherwise fairly mid-century/Scandi style. And it makes a wonderful statement when you enter the room, whether you’re a man or not.

Cushions: the white ones came with the Bailey, and the others were M&S and Made.com. The blankets are IKEA (light grey) and Made.com (dark). The lamps are both IKEA, and artwork is a poster I had printed with Photobox.com and displayed in a John Lewis frame (I love this so much I’ve just bought another for the bedroom). The rug is La Redoute and is just as soft as it looks. 

Huge thank-yous to DFS for sending us the Bailey: it has made me happier in one short month than Tinder has in an entire year.