We brought home our brand new leather chair and ottoman last night. From Restoration Hardware of course. Only the world's most perfect store. We've made many a purchase from that happy place, including a very interesting one that involved a very long drive to their store in Paramus, NJ (we live in MD). Why did we go? It was the last store within reasonable driving range on the East Coast that had the 2 wrought iron patio chairs that we wanted. Yes, we are slightly demented people, but what a conversation piece, eh? Whenever we have people over and out on the deck we get to trot that story out.

I also never used to think of myself as a leather chair person. I've always considered leather furniture an old school, men's lounge, cigar smoking type of thing. But when they started carrying that line, and I sat in one on one of our (almost) weekly visits to the store...I fell in love.

The chain's recently started carrying a new line of stuff, and we had to stop in and see it. When we got there on Sunday they had the floor model grouped with ottoman for such a good deal, and talking to our regular sales guy (Yes we have one. The other sales people there even asked us once why we were there one day when it was Roy's day off) he knocked an additional $100 off. Add that in with the gift certificates we got for Christmas (THANK YOU Steve and Lynne and Ellen!) and the certificates we got from our Yahoo! card rewards program...well it was just too good an opportunity to pass up.

So Andy and I spent a good chunk of time last night going to pick it up, getting it home, getting it in the house and down the stairs UGH! and putting it in a good spot. Then we lounged in it. Lounged luxuriously. And the dog had a fun time sniffing it all over while I batted at his nose. Hopefully, he'll adjust to it as quickly as we have, so it doesn't end up a very pretty, very expensive chew toy.

One added bonus, aside from all the other cool aspects of owning a leather chair...the dog hair brushes right off!