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My couch is really hard to move and/or doesn’t fit into my new apartment. Where in San Francisco can I find a couch designed for long-term urban apartment living?
Even if you managed to get that old free couch from Craigslist with padded arms into your current place, that doesn’t mean it won’t create huge hassles in one of the many future apartments you’ll inhabit. Dan once paid half the value of his couch to have it hoisted into his first urban apartment and then when he moved out had to give it away for free to anyone on Craigslist who could hoist it back down. When you are planning to buy a new couch (or are forced to do so as your old one sits outside your new pad), the best plan for long term city life is to look for a sectional with the following attributes:
- Relatively low profile back (preferably lower than the cushions) so that it will fit through narrow doorways when rotated vertically and on its side.
- Reasonably short individual pieces. Doors are generally 6’8″ or taller but that doesn’t mean there’s that much clearance as you make turns in your stairwell.
- Completely removable cushions. This minimizes the bulk and lightens the couch for maneuverability — even if you’re on the fifth floor with no elevator.
You really want to avoid getting a new couch that just fits unless you bought your home and will be sticking around for a while. Plan for the worst case scenario and you can’t go wrong.
I’m all for shopping locally, but when it comes to couches, the small shops can’t really compete with the larger chains whose economies of scale give you access to better quality materials at lower prices. Here are a few places to try in my order of preference:
- Room and Board – This is one of my favorite San Francisco furniture retailers, but it is pricey. We also found that even though some of their sectionals could make it into our apartment, they were scaled for more luxurious spaces than we have.
- Crate and Barrel – Dan and I found that Crate and Barrel provided the best value because of its more-affordable-than-Room-and-Board prices and high quality materials. If you don’t feel like doing a lot of research/spreadsheets, you can shortcut by looking at the Troy sectional which we decided was the optimal choice (at least for us).
- CB2 – A down market Crate and Barrel with a more modern design aesthetic.
- West Elm – Love the look; don’t know about the long term durability.
- EQ3 – Good scale for smaller urban spaces.
Some shopping tips:
- Research online in advance of visiting the store so that you are familiar with the available options.
- I personally prefer firmer cushions as they seem to age better (with less bowing).
- Unless you have a really good reason not to, opt for a durable material like leather or microfiber. Red wine was splattered on our microfiber couch at a party but you’d never know it now. On a related note, be patient. Don’t shy away from materials with long lead times just because you want the couch as soon as possible. What decision will make you happiest in five years — that you had a couch right away (like in five weeks, haha!) or that your couch isn’t the same color as everyone else’s simply because it was in stock. Neutrals, however, are probably good for resale value.
- Tape out the dimensions of the couch on your floor before buying! Make sure it’s the right size for the room (with consideration for possible future rooms it will inhabit).
- Ask for a deal. I learned from my experience working in a furniture store the summer after my senior year of high school that many of them will do almost anything to close a deal. If a customer asked, we’d extend a past sale or a future sale price to them. It’s reasonable to get 10-15% off a large furniture order. Certainly you can probably do better, but if you get in that range you can feel good about your purchase. If you are persistent and can’t get a discount, at least you know that you probably weren’t charged more than someone else.
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