Splurge Denial

I've got an empty condo in Denver to fill. With so many pieces to get (couch, kitchen table, rugs, omigod it's overwhelming), I've had to go about this thoughtfully and frugally. Stay tuned for next weekend's project: refurbishing wrought iron furniture!

Anyway, I've taken to perusing home decor blogs and catalogs for inspiration. The AJC recently featured this gorgeous remodel, which is actually in my Atlanta neighborhood. This father-son duo snapped up a loft on the cheap and transformed it into a chic bachelor pad.
I fell heads over heels in love with their leather chair. It's rustic. It's modern. It's got character. It's a beautiful, warm color. I want it sooooo bad. But let's be realistic: quality leather chairs don't run cheap and there are so many other things that I need first. So I filed this chair to the back of my mind.

Today I visited The Dump, a discount furniture store roughly the size of an airplane hanger. The Dump is hit or miss. Sometimes it's filled with the tackiest crap you've ever seen (purple brocade settee with mahogany claw feet, any one?), but today was a good day. I found my chair! Well, darn close to it. It's also a recliner (although it doesn't look like one, thank goodness), which is a nice space saver in lieu of an ottoman. And it's so comfortable and the leather is so soft! The lighting isn't great, but it's a beauty.

The best part? I got a great deal! It was marked down 50% from full retail, then marked down again due to some minor scratches. I'll investigate some leather repair products, but I decided that the scratches won't bother me.

Hooray for new furniture! I'm so thrilled to get a high quality piece at a great price. So although it's still a splurge, I feel good about it.