Leather.

New on the reading list: I Wish I Had A Red Dress by Pearl Cleage. It's great reading, as are all books by Pearl Cleage. But...

I'm wishing for new furniture. I'm in love with this sofa/sectional.

It's the Menlo Park, designed by Rick Lee, for American Leather. My sister and I spent a few hours together furniture shopping. Mainly for her. But now, I'm wanting to do a little for myself too. Part of my New Year's plan was to pay more attention to home and environment, so why not?

But... this Menlo Park that I saw at a cute store in Detroit/Royal Oak called Bright Ideas , and a store in Indianapolis called Houseworks, comes primarily in leather. There's also the new "ultra suede" and "microfiber" materials that are popular now in furniture. I can see myself liking new leather -- it's soooooooo soft and smooth, not the 70s, 80s, 90s leather of our parents' or straight outta college generation that's hard and crunchy and dated. I saw it in a soft green called gingko, and the off-white and chocolate you see in the photos. It feels sooooooooo good!

I'm not a materialistic person at all. But this sectional has caught the eye of both my sister and me. My sister has the space for it. I don't.

But is leather too 90s? Would you invest in new furniture for an old place you're living in (and don't know how long you'll stay in it)... or wait until you're in a new place and get rid of the old furniture? I might be adding this sectional to my shopping list really soon, especially if I were to take on a job like this -- a ghost writing gig -- but... nah, I'd really want all the credit for my writing. What do you think? Take a look. And have a nice Saturday!

Other cool furniture sites I've checked out recently: Horizon and Room and Board.
fs