Hi friends! I’m writing you from our basement sitting on our new sectional! We began couch hunting in early February, knowing it was the first addition we wanted to make for our newly updated space.
Mike and I had a lot of fun checking out different stores and sat on a lotttt of amazing couches. The key for our couch hunting? Making sure the couch would fit down our very, very narrow 1950s doorway.
We thought we were settled on a couch from Macy’s, but on a whim we visited our local Ashley Furniture just to make sure we didn’t miss anything. Well, it’s a good thing we did because that’s the day we found our couch. Look at that beauty! They even let me borrow this pillow to see the fabric in my home – I wasn’t excited at all! 🙂
Ashlor Nuvella by Ashley Furniture
Introducing the Ashlor Nuvella Sectional! So, why did we pick it?
- Nuvella fabric is stain-resistant, fade-resistant, and often used on outdoor furniture so it’s very durable. Alright!
- I mean, just look at that gray, woven fabric. All the heart eyes.
- It’s customizable, so we could it piece together to fit our space!
- We could hire them to deliver it to us! Haha.
Gosh, we love the way it looks in this space! Recognize that rug? We brought it down from our bedroom because we love it so much and the 8’x10′ fit perfect! And we’ll probably buy it again for our bedroom again because it’s just that good.
All of the cushions are movable and the back cushions are reversible. It sits pretty firm which Mike likes, but I am just getting used to it since our couch in our family room is soooo slouchy and comfy.
Putting it together was a breeze except the wood feet, since I had to drill those into place and there weren’t any pre-drilled holes like the other feet. But the bottoms are super grippy, so the couch stays put! The sections don’t clip together – they just slide up next to each other.
Overall we LOVE it, guys! We find ourselves scheming for reasons to hangout down here – even to do laundry! So thankful.
The Ridiculous Delivery Story
We hired Ashley Furniture to deliver our couches because…well, Mike and I don’t move furniture well together! Haha. And we knew the couches would be a tight fit to get downstairs so we thought, “surely the professionals can get it down there!”
Well, they showed up. And immediately they said, “This isn’t gonna fit.” GAH! But guys, they didn’t even take it out of the packaging, which had alllll the pillows and was wrapped up with cardboard and plastic. I suggested they take it off and they said they weren’t supposed to do that…what?!
So they left everything and said we could try to get it down ourselves. If we weren’t able to get it down to the basement, Ashley Furniture would pick it up with no charge and we could pick out something else. That’s when they told me it was their SECOND DAY ON THE JOB. I can’t even…
They were very sweet and kind, but I guess I was imagining professional movers. So, as soon as they left, I did what they said couldn’t be done. I got it through the doorway…by myself. 🙂
When Mike got home, we moved it down, but certainly not without (a lot of) struggle! There were 4 pieces. The two loveseats went down well with the right positioning. The single seat was easy peasy. The corner piece…nope! We seriously thought we were going to have to find another couch. But after we almost got it stuck, removed our DOOR CASING (oh my goodness guys) and frayed the fabric pushing it through (don’t worry it was only on the bottoms), the corner piece was down. Phew. And now this couch will be here for the rest of our days. 🙂
DIY Cabinet Handle Update
A few weeks ago, I shared with you how I painted our basement cabinets. We liked the shape of the handles that were already on the cabinet doors, but wanted them black. So instead of buying 26 new handles, I spray painted them!
It was a super simple project and would be an easy update for any handles or knobs. We used Rustoleum spray paint in flat black. I laid them all out on cardboard boxes and went to town! The key is to do very light coats to prevent the paint from dripping.
After letting them dry for 24 hours, up they went! Aaaaaand, yep we love them! A simple, low-budget update for a big impact.
It’s coming together, friends! Thanks for being so excited with us and for all your support!
What a transformation Kristin & Mike! Great Job- can’t wait to see the final product!!? Those walls are just screaming for design! I feel like some under cabinet lighting could add a cool ambiance for moving watching & entertaining!
Movie* watching!
Thank you, Erika!! Oh yes, lighting would be awesome! We can’t wait to decorate!
Hello,
Great job on the basement!! We just purchased the same sectional and our basement door is 29″ wide. I’m concerned the sectional won’t fit into the basement. What was the width of your basement door? Was it really hard with the corner piece?
Thanks, Joe!! I’ll check when I get home. We ended up having to remove the door jams WHILE the couch was halfway through! The corner piece was the most challenging for sure. I hope it will fit for you, because we do love the couch!
We’re getting the couch delivered next week. I’m really hoping I can get it down the stairs. The opening is 29″ but much larger as we move past the door. My wife if pregnant so I’ll need to ask a neighbor for help. Thanks, keep me posted on your door width size.
Our doorway with the door-jam is 29″ and we had to remove the door-jam for the corner piece. Without the door-jam, the opening is 30″ wide. The doorway to our basement is in a very narrow hallway too, which made it even more complicated! I hope it goes well!
Hi Kristin! I am in the process of sectional shopping and a friend of mine at Ashley suggested this fabric for me and I came across it online on your blog! Yours looks great! Has it held up pretty well? Also, in your opinion would you put a square cream colored tufted ottoman or a dark grey… or maybe just the ottoman in the same fabric?
Hi Ashley!! My sincerest apologies for the delay! Our son was born a few days after you commented here, we blinked, and it’s 6 months later! 🙂 It’s held up great, but it hasn’t been put up to the test yet – I’m sure it will get plenty of jumps, spills, and fort-making in the future. I will say since it’s a durable fabric, it’s not the softest couch, but we love the promise of durability. I think a square ottoman would look great and would lean toward cream! Hopefully this is helpful, even months later!
Hi Kristin
I just came across your post (your room looks great) because I’m thinking of buying this same Nuvella couch, but will have to blind buy because it’s not in any showrooms near me. I’m hoping you can give me your opinion…would you say the fabric color is more of a “warm” grey (leaning greige/taupe/beige) or a “cool” grey (leaning bluish/charcoal)? Sorry to ask but my decor is more warm and a cool toned grey would clash badly!
My wife and I were just looking at this sectional. Our only concern was the modular sections not connecting together. On your post you mentioned that grippy bottoms on the legs help keep it in place. After a couple years does that still stand true? Many years ago we had a sectional that didn’t connect and moved all the time, it was quite aggravating. Any update on your experience would be very grateful. Basement looks wonderful!
Thanks, Michael!! Still an awesome couch and it doesn’t move around for us! It’s definitely not as soft as I prefer, but I think that helps it to be durable. I hope that helps!
I just 9rdered this sectional and can’t wait for it to arrive. 12 to 13 weeks!! It really is a beautiful piece. I knew the second I seen it I wanted it. I’m slightly ci concerned about it not being soft and warm enough to the touch. I seen you said twice it wasn’t soft. Is it u comfortable material to you like you don’t enjoy laying on it or are you just stating it doesn’t feel like a velvety or microfiber material? We’ve had terrible material in the past and I definitely don’t want that. Thanks! Your basement looks great.
I’m so sorry for the delay on both your comments! We’re just used to a leather couch, so I think it’s just a different texture! And I think because it’s more durable, it’s not quite as soft! Hopefully that helps! Still really comfy!
We are looking at this same sectional and when googling, I came across your blog. Your basement looks so good and I’m happy to read that you love the couch! We have 4 littles 9 and under so definitely need something durable 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
Oh awesome!! It’s a great couch!!! I hope you’re enjoying it (and all your littles! How sweet!)!
Love this post. Curious if you know the dimensions of thos sofa?
Hi! Thank you!! I don’t have the exact measurements but I think Ashley Furniture would have it in their description of the product.
I’m so glad to hear it’s still holding up! It’s hard to find information on this couch online. I ordered mine about a month ago and it should be delivered in March. I’ve been so nervous while waiting worrying it would not hold up as well as our Karlstad ikea sectional has. We just needed something with more back support as our Karlstad sits low below the shoulders. Thanks for still responding to comments! Great blog!
Hope you are enjoying it!
Wow! This is super inspiring! Your before pictures are insanely similar to our 1970s basement. Like scary similar. 🙂 We are just starting to wrap our heads around how we can DIY the basement up something more cozy and updated. This transformation is so helpful for ideas!! Thank you!
Aw that’s awesome!! We love it!! It was incredibly low cost and made it so much more enjoyable! Thanks for your kind words and good luck!
Looking good! We’re looking at the same couch. Do you know where it is made (USA, Vietnam, etc)? At the store I could not find a tag, but I see some tags on the bottoms of the sofas in your pics. Thanks!
Hey Roger, the official verbiage on ours is “Made in USA of US and non-US parts.” Hope that helps!