I had to start this blog where it all began… For years, I’ve lusted after the gorgeous Restoration Hardware Kensington Sofa…

Timeless, elegant, classic, yet style transcendent… Who doesn’t love a chesterfield?! And if it were in the budget, I would have purchased this beauty without even thinking about it.

Alas, $5395 for the size we needed was not an option. So I began hunting for an option I could love for less.

I almost pulled the trigger on this beautiful knockoff, Gordon Tufted Sofa from Home Decorators Collection.

Style wise, it was EXACTLY what I was looking for, but the fact that it is bonded leather stopped me. As the main seating in our primary living space, this sofa would take a beating by my two kiddos, and I was concerned about how well the bonded leather would hold up.

I finally settled on this top grain leather version from Steve Silver Furniture.

While not quite as stylistically fantastic as the higher end splurge, if you ignore the awful pillows that come with the sofa, it actually has very similar bones. We purchased it from a local, family owned furniture warehouse called Odds and Ends Furniture Gallery, and including tax and delivery, we paid under $1700. We’ve had the sofa for a little over two years, and it has held up well to daily abuse from my children. I am so happy with our steal, and it launched my obsession with finding less expensive substitutes for designer or high end brand name furniture. And now I’m sharing my finds with this blog.

Who is with me and loves getting a bargain? Has anyone found any other amazing chesterfield deals?