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Few pieces of furniture take more abuse than a couch.
Three years ago, two things happened: in November, we brought home our second puppy — Enzo, a mini dachshund — to our apartment in Jersey City. Then, on New Year’s Eve, we attended a wedding in Brooklyn.
It was at that wedding, just moments before the ceremony began, that my then-boyfriend (now fiancé) pulled out his phone to show me the pet camera. On the screen, Enzo — curled up on the couch beside our two-year-old dachshund, Link. So sweet…save for the fact that Enzo was supposed to be in a corral in the living room, complete with crate, pee pad, food and water.
At only about six inches tall, he’d managed to scale a three-foot gate, scramble onto his crate and leap onto our couch. Terrifying and impressive in equal measure.
The real problem? He couldn’t get back down. Which meant that, for the next few hours while we celebrated our friends, Enzo busied himself pissing and shitting all over our light gray sectional, a couch we’d already been talking about replacing but had put off until we moved into a bigger apartment. We ended up staying put another year, deep-cleaning the couch within an inch of its life, but I never stopped manifesting a new one.
Fast-forward to about a month ago, we hit the one-year mark in our bigger apartment. I knew exactly how I wanted to celebrate — by finally ordering a new couch. More specifically, the Bangalow Modular Sofa from Koala.
Koala, for the uninitiated, is an Australian brand with something of a cult following. Its reputation rests on a few key pillars: thoughtful design, eco-conscious materials and an emphasis on comfort. Among its bestsellers is the Modular Sofa, which can be reconfigured to suit different spaces and needs, a godsend for apartment living. We went with three sections (with a chaise, obviously) in the standard boucle fabric, a darker evergreen color (it also comes in a luxe fabric, in two other colorways).
When it arrived (very quickly, I should note), to the now-fiancé’s chagrin, I insisted we set it up immediately. It was 10 p.m. on a Tuesday, I’d had a few drinks and we didn’t own tools. Luckily, none were required. Even tipsy, I found the setup straightforward.
When it was done, I was ecstatic. The green boucle, rounded curves and thick piping made it feel elevated without sacrificing comfort. The combo of new sofa and wine buzz even inspired me to impulse-order a new carpet and curtains.
Of course, before I’d even entered my card number, Link and Enzo had claimed their spots. The difference this time around is that the Bangalow’s liquid-resistant, removable, washable covers mean that if there’s ever another “incident” (though Enzo is now fully potty-trained), we’ll be covered.
A worthy upgrade for all.
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