My Screen Porch Divan

Enough talk. You are ready for pictures, aren't ya? Okie doke. Here ya go:

Yes. The fabric, chosen in the 90's, is quite lively, isn't it? I bought this sofa at an estate sale and it had lived on the family's screen porch for generations. It had 3 or 4 layers of fabric on it when I dragged it off the old homestead. I took it to a professional furniture restorer. He later told me that as he stripped the layers of fabric off, he found chicken bones in there. I'm hoping they were of the fried chicken variety. I'd hate to think a feathered friend met his demise in the springs of this family heirloom.

When you remove the back cushion, this is what it looks like. See? This divan has a back and arms, as opposed to my scrap yard rescue piece.

You are still freaking out over that fabric aren't you? Me, too. It seemed like a good idea at the time! Upon pulling the front portion up and forward, you see this.

That blue fabric wasn't my choice, but, it is never seen and it serves as protection. The springs are directly under the fabric. The next step, is to lay the back cushion over the blue section.

If you look closely, you will see that the back portion sits a little higher than the front. The restorer, apparently didn't notice, or think it was important when he was reworking the cushion. (I did insist that he use the original springs and hardware. I just roll that way, wanting things authentic.) But, he overdid it on the foam and I didn't realize it when I first got it back.

The reason that is important, is because when it comes to sleeping on this divan, there is a noticeable difference between one side and the other. Soooo....

I throw a mattress on top to make the difference less noticeable. The mattress is not as wide as the surface, so I get this dead space.

It is the perfect space for pillows. From here on, don't even begin to think that I am trying to impress you with what I put on the divan. I'm just throwing out an example of what can be done. The spread that I had on it was in the washing machine when I tackled this endeavor of taking pictures. Perhaps another day, I'll dress it differently and show you.

The throw pillows fit perfectly in that left over area, and, they keep me from rolling into the cold metal of the back or the brick wall, if I happen to be tossing and turning.

Truth be known, I usually leave it in the down position. It makes for great lounging.

So, there you have it. This divan has very much the same bones as the scrap yard piece I rescued last week. Only, the one on my screened porch has this lovely fabric. Yee haw!

Happy Tuesday!
~Mindy