Pottery Barn Adventure

August 12, 2013



I finally got rid of the old couch in my family room this week. The one that reclined and had a table attached to it. The really big one that families with kids own. I got a really pretty, much smaller sectional from Pottery Barn. Another big purchase I made on my own. Well, okay. Mary and Alyson saw it with me in Westport, then Hilary came to look at it, then Margo met me at the Westfarms Mall when I was ready to buy it. But basically it was on my own! I measured the room and the couch a million times to be sure it would fit.


It's slipcovered. I never had a slipcovered couch. "Will the delivery men put the slipcovers on for me?" Oh no, I was assured it would be easy. But they really didn't know how bad I am at that sort of thing. So it arrived here on Thursday. No muss, no fuss. The men, who just about spoke English, left the slipcovers on the seats. I asked if they were on the correct seats and they said yes. But I'm not really sure they could understand what I was asking.


You can guess what happened next, right? I put the wrong ones on. On the bigger sectional the covers were not long enough. I was sure the white part of the couch should not be showing. The wedge part was impossible to fit. A big bunch of material was hanging off the top. What to do? I'm not proud of this but I actually cried. I sat on the floor amidst all the packing material and cried! It became much bigger than just the slipcovers. How was I supposed to do this all alone? Not just the sofa but life?


Then that little voice in my head spoke, Yes, I hear voices all the time. I prefer to call it "talking to myself" instead of any other more sinister terms. "Pull yourself together. You save people's lives. It's just a sofa!" So I called Pottery Barn. While I was talking to the very nice salesperson I stepped back and looked at everything. It seems like I forgot to take off the cushions, which get covered separately. And indeed, the slipcovers were not left on the right sections. I realized I had put them on the wrong pieces. The arm part of the slipcover should go on the arm part of the sofa!


Now it looks just like it did in the store. Throughly put together and sophisticated. Now if only the rest of my life would follow suit.