7 Signs It's Time for a New Couch ...

The cushions are flattening. Your knees are creeping up to your chin when you sit down. You. Are. Sinking. The next thing you know, crevices open up and in you go! The couch has swallowed you up. Or, at the very least, it has conspired to make your leaving the couch as difficult as possible; trapping you inside until you abandon all thought of new furniture. This is one of many signs it's time for a new couch.

Fringe can be a fun detail for clothing and furniture accents, especially when it shows up in unexpected places. But, wait, that fringe is new. It doesn’t appear to be fringe at all – it’s way too short. And that little diamond shaped pattern is actually wear marks. Yikes! The couch is molting; it’s shedding its outer shell in hopes of revealing a brand new look and becoming more attractive. When the fabric begins to fray even a little it may be time to consider a new sofa.

You adore that pink couch. It’s the perfect tone - not too sharp as to be neon and not too soft as to signal baby. It is comfortable and goes well with the curtains. Wait, wasn’t that couch red! Oh, boy. The fading color is likely caused by years of use and not by a failed attempt to confuse you into keeping it.

The sound of music in the evening is relaxing. You notice the lyrics and melody. You also notice that your song selection has a new tone that slips in every now and then. Oddly enough the new tone announces itself each time you get up to check dinner or sit down to relax. What you hear is not a musical remix. It’s the quiet light creaking sound of old furniture.

We love our pets! Many of us do not mind if they share the furniture with us. However, if our pet takes over the couch then maybe think about letting them have it – or part of it, like a seat cushion. There is a difference between cuddling and straight-up taking it over like a boss!

You’ve redesigned the living room around a single piece of furniture: the coffee table. And where does that leave your couch? Maybe it is incorporated into your design plan. If not then it is sticking out like sore thumb, ready to be replaced. Sometimes when we restyle our living space we ignore the comfortable pieces. A new décor is great but don’t forget to include the couch in your redesign plan.

As we grow, our tastes in design style changes. This adjustment inevitably leaves bits of furniture out in the cold. You might find that the couch you liked last season no longer appeals to you. Consider replacing or reupholstering your couch to fit into your new style choice.

Your furniture is probably a collection of timeless pieces. How do you decide when it’s time to replace your pieces? Do you look for signs or do you replace everything in one fell swoop? Please, share.