I didn't realize you were from the old GI on MSN groups Lyfia. What was your nickname there? I was DesigngingMom. That aside, I can see both sides of this. When we were building this home, we decided there were two rooms my hubby had last say on. I could make suggestions, but if he didn't like it, that was the end of the conversation. The rooms being, the Gentlemans' Parlor and the Library, which is his home office. I pretty much have the rest of the house, but we also compromise. Allot. That being said, if you have two living spaces, it's something to think about. Does the chair on the other side of the table from his recliner get used often? If so, is there any other way you can move the furniture to allow enough space for the recliner of his dreams? If not, then can it go elsewhere in the house, or possibly sell it? Personally, I love recliners. When buying new furniture for the GP, I did break the rule mentioned above, by insisting he seriously think about a loveseat recliner to replace the two we had. He wasn't thrilled about sharing "his" chair, but found a double reclining sofa and love seat recliner set that was just what he wanted. He has told me many times over, how happy he is we have it. You see we love snuggling and napping in that loveseat recliner. Actually, that could solve your problem too.

Thanks Pal - I got the ottoman but the chair wouldn't fit (for some reason forgot to cancel it when I canceled the chair after doing layout on graph paper - prob. b/c I had seen it later and ordered it separately from the other pieces). I did see a Mission style recliner (don't know manufacturer) in local furniture while out table-hunting last week, didn't see to work and it was $1010. I mentioned it to salesperson, she said they'd just gotten it in (though it had a Sold ticket on it that had been scribbled over so maybe someone else thought it wouldn't recline either?), often mechanisms are strapped down for shipping. Maybe I'll take DH to see it this w/e, but I need to get rid of a wing chair and ottoman in our BR, move my Goodwill silk moire chair out of the LR, and the coffee table I'm not going to use out too so we can *fit* a recliner. DH refuses to sit in the GW chair, and I will only let him sit on the sofa if he takes his Blackberry off (already scratched the wall with it moving coffee table in) so he just lies on the floor! Do you think dark brown (almost black) leather on the Morris chair would look OK with the existing furniture? It had dark "oak" (ash?) stained frame that looked to be fairly close to the "chocolate cherry" (half Spanish Oak, half Red Mahogany Old Masters stain) on the rest of the furniture.

Comparing IKEA to Lee is not a fair comparison. Lee sofas are my favorite brand stylisitically, but they are very pricey -- around here they are more expensive than PB. IKEA sofas are dirt cheap. I've owned several and some hold up better than others. Right now, we have the Karlstad line of sofas in our basement - a corner sectional and a loveseat. Both are going on 2 years old and still look brand new in spite of being in my kids playroom where they serve as trampolines and forts just as often as are sofas. But I owned a different IKEA sofa (the Ekeskog) where the cushions slid off the thing every time someone sat on it. They are also suprisingly comfy -- some IKEA sofas are not, so I would recommend sit-testing something in person before buying. If you want to go IKEA, I'd stay with a darker color (to avoid staining). I wouldn't count on washing the slips regularly because they can be a pain to get on and off and they can shrink. The upside is that IKEA tends to keep the same styles forever, so if your cover gets dirty (or you're just in the mood for a change), you can buy a new one for not a whole lot of money. If you've got the money for Lee, it's definitely a better sofa, but for a the size sectional I have in the basement, you are looking at $800ish for IKEA vs. at least $4K for Lee. Even if the IKEA one dies and I have to replace it, I can do so 4 times before approaching the cost of the Lee.

I have quite a bit of Ikea furniture/items. Some has held up, some hasn't. I usually first go to the "as is" area by the registers. This is out of the way for a lot of people, but if I'm really looking for something I don't want to waste time going throughout the store if it's there cheaper. I was able to save over 50% on my Hemnes dresser in as is just because it had a scratch on the top. It was already completely put together. I've had this dresser for over 3 years now and it is my favorite piece of furniture. The top is somewhat soft, so I would suggest if this bothers you that the top doesn't look as great after a few years. I also bought a Tarva nightstand for $40. They're a lot cheaper and unfinished pine. I put this together and then painted it the color I wanted. I then spray it with shellac and it has held up really well. My eivor cirkel rug is beautiful, soft, and has held up for the past year. It's easy to clean and doesn't lose fibers ever. I have 2 Asele table lamps. These come with an adjustable dial to turn them on. They're great when you want it lighted but dim in the room. My cats have knocked them over a few times and the shades have held up to this. I have 5 NOT floor lamps, both with and without the side light for reading. These get wobbly over time and need to be retightened. I love them and they're cheap. I have several LACK side tables that I've painted and recovered. They hold up well, but tend to chip if you run into them, hence the paint. I also have a LACK coffee table that my bearded dragon's tank is on. It holds the weight and is very sturdy, but it does scratch easily. I also have a VEJMON side table. That one didn't hold up to my puppy's wood chewing stage.. woops. The BISSA shoe cabinet is great, but it has no cut out for the baseboards which makes mounting it a pain. I plan to replace this soon. My various IKEA cookware and utensils have held up well but dishwashing tends to kill them after a few times. I have IKEA artwork too that is pretty decent quality. My ottoman is so heavy duty that it chipped my wood floors when it fell. The one thing I would not buy from there again is pillows. I have bought maybe a handful of pillows for my living room. After only a few months they started stabbing me with feathers. Oh, and of course my bathmats, shower curtains, wastebaskets, etc. are all great.