70s-inspired Living Room Couch Upgrade

When we first scouted our house, the 70s bones sealed the deal for me. Accentuating the (good) era-specific elements of a space makes it easier to decide on a design plan and ultimately not fight the space in my efforts.

Original real estate listing photos - living room

When you first walk into our space, the living room provides tall angled ceiling, exposed beams (well, right now they are painted white, but larger renovations will make these more of a classic wood statement in due time) and my favorite part, an archway that leads into the addition which was once the exterior of the house.

When most people talk about a “1970s Living Room Makeover” their intent is to strip all groovy quality from the space and make it, well usually boring AF and modern. My aim is to put all the 70s back into this space that was likely stripped out in the 90s.

My vision is a space that feels tall, open and ultimately sexy, but still has that heavier 1970s lounge quality. That latter half in my opinion can be accomplished with the right furniture and styling choices.

Where we’re headed:

The bigger renovations are to come, because they are going to cost more than my current DIY budget allows but in the interim, I had to make at least one critical upgrade before we enter month 12 (?!) of the global pandemic.

In case you don’t make it to my ultimate buying decision below, here’s the skinny on “The Yoko” Wallaroo’s pet-friendly, vegan sectional duping some of the trendier options at least twice the price.

We gotta get a new couch, man

If the pandemic has taught me anything, it’s that you want a space that feels like it was meant for really digging into 14 seasons of the 1978-1991 primetime soap opera, Dallas.

I disagree with the notion of going to great lengths to hide the fact that you watch a television in a space that is meant for watching television, now more than ever. So finding a couch that would facilitate the actual amount of time we spend in this space, tailored to the needs of aggressive binge-watching and naps with dogs was a minimum requirement for a mini-refresh.

Now this is a TV watching vibe via Flickr

Our previous couch was a “we just bought a house and I have space for a sectional” Facebook Marketplace grab that had seen much better days before we ever owned it. In our care, it lived through the stage where our dog, Miley, meticulously pulled single threads of the woven fabric out in swaths of about 1 square foot in random increments throughout the couch.

About halfway through the pandemic I started to use the armrest as a cocktail table without a coaster, proving that I had given up on the couch whether I believed it or not. So I set out on my search to meet style, function and a couple non-negotiable requirements.

Here were our requirements:

dog friendly - our dogs have no boundaries, especially when it comes to the couch

Miley likes to tour each piece of furniture throughout the day whether she fits or not

George Michael really explores pillow-usage on our couches

2. Vintage-inspired, low and heavy Milo Baughman vibe - nothing too formal like a classic mid-century sectional with structure and legs, but also not a garage-couch, something lower and more relaxed and hoping for warm-tone color like leather or velvet

3. Big(ger) sectional/modular design - don’t even try to tell me that you wouldn’t pull some dirty shit on your partner to claim the return for an evening of binge-watching

4. Comfortable, but firm - we’re firm mattress and firm couch folks

5. Affordable - but like, actually affordable because we’ve bought used couches our whole lives, my goal was sub $2K and that still feels like a lot to me

I found several couches that met some but not all of those parameters and gave me inspiration. I loved the Article Cigar Rawhide Sectional but that is real leather running around $4k+ and the the Joybird Matias Modular Sectional - both backordered for more than a few months.

Joybird Matias Modular Sectional in Coral

I was torn on a few fronts, the Article option clearly outpriced me and out-fancied the dogs, but instilled a deep desire for something similar to the low, boxy, warm-toned leather sectional. The Joybird did have a great coral color option (adding additional $300+ to price), but didn’t have any fabric colors I loved in the pet-friendly category.

So I was likely back to sourcing a vintage/used couch in my price range which could take time to hit all the right requirements, or go with a cheaper less-vetted brand. Or, a third option that was under my nose the whole time.

Enter, the Yoko

Or I guess first enter Bailee, my cousin by marriage. I recently reconnected with her via Mid-century Millennial nerding out about furniture and mid-century design on Instagram. She is now a part-owner/designer/all things run-the-business for Wallaroo’s in Spokane, WA, and their other locations popping up around the US. Wallaroo’s doesn’t exist here in Austin, but it does have locations in Washington, Idaho & Montana.

Bailee, of Wallaroo’s and me, the squintiest at my wedding reception

She launched her own pet-friendly modular couch as part of Wallaroo’s in-house line, which started my wheels turning when I saw her post on Instagram espousing the virtues of the pet-friendly design. The Yoko, named after Bailee’s own couch-hogging part-Mastiff also fit my style parameters and budget coming in under $2K including the ottoman and two pillows.

My honest review

This couch was clearly designed and tested by a real pet owner, and for that I am grateful. Not one of those hyper-allergenic, designer dog-owners who lays down a blanket before the aforementioned pet gets an hour of TV time nightly. The material stays clean throughout the week, and when I pull out the tools on Sundays and give it a handheld detail, it’s back to looking like new. The fact that this couch is not leather, but actually a micro-suede gives me both the look and the utility I was seeking. I was concerned the micro-suede would look and feel cheap, but it has a high-end look and feel. It is modular, making it flexible to move the oversized ottoman. Finally, it has the low and heavy vintage vibe made with high-density foam that gives it a solid structure, but doesn’t sacrifice comfort.

Full disclosure of reviewing a couch designed by a family member, but we’re not actually blood related and I am currently sitting on this couch covered in dogs living all my lounge couch dreams. And yes, we’re still watching Dallas.