The carpet is gone and the sofa, too

[Joel Weiss]

Our front carpet (and kitchen tile) have now been replaced by an Armstrong Alterna luxury vinyl tile.  Alterna is a groutable vinyl that is one of Armstrong's residential/light commercial products.  It's a bit harder to find than some of their other product lines, but if you're considering a flooring upgrade you might want to look at it.  We left the tile in the bathroom and joined them at the doorway. The entire area has an underlay of 1/4 inch plywood which almost perfectly matches the height difference between the coach floor and the steel over the closeout platform.  The height difference at the vinyl/ceramic interface at the door is negligible and was easily bridged with grout.

The sofa is an Ekornes Stressless E300 which is only ~2 inches shorter than the existing space.  It is stable on the slide and is secured with a couple of screws through its frame into the platform.  The front legs "float" over the floor and provide additional stabilization when someone sits on it.  The comfort difference compared with the foam-over-plywood OEM sofa is like night and day.  Visible on the left side of the sofa is an optional headrest which essentially gives it the same feel as a recliner.  

For anyone considering a sofa replacement, we decided on the Ekornes only after pricing a sofa at Villa and realizing that the costs were essentially the same and the Villa piece was covered in Ultraleather while the Ekornes is high quality real leather.  Having already replaced the recliner with a Stressless (lower right corner of picture) we knew the comfort level of their pieces is unparalleled.  

The work was done by Truline RV of Spokane Valley WA, the same folks who installed our residential fridge last year.  We can't say enough good things about them.  The coach went into the shop Monday morning and we stayed in hotel until Friday when we were able to move back in.

[Keith Oliver]

Looks great!  We too have replaced the carpeting with laminate this year, and the recliner is gone too, replaced by the same Ekornes you have.  I never thought to check out the Ekornes for a replacement couch, but now I will do so.  Love your daring colours!

[Joel Weiss]

The photo makes the tile and walls seem grayer than they are and the sofa looks a tad brighter.  It's a color called Paloma Cherry and it isn't by any means the brightest of the Ekornes reds!   BTW we had the captain's chairs reupholstered by a shop in Rockport TX using an Ultraleather-competitor in a color that virtually matches the leather of the recliner.

Note added later:  What makes the E200 and E300 unique among Ekornes sofas is that they are designed to be "Stressless" without needing to recline. All the other Stressless sofas have backrests that recline which means they have to sit away from a wall.  These two models use a specially designed seat cushion that "moves forward" and creates the sensation of reclining.  Even the headrest is designed to be flush with the backside of the sofa.  The only other Ekornes sofas that don't recline are not part of the Stressless line and are conventional sofas.

[Edward Buker]

Sandie and Joel,

Very nice choices. Looks very comfortable and the stressless design being wall hugging sounds very innovative. The matching ottoman looks like a great addition also. .....Good thing they do not make drivers seats, we would be asleep at the wheel :-)

Later Ed

[Jeff Watt]

Joel,

looks really nice. I showed the better half and other than stating it is nice, her comment was about the blue chair at the front. There has to be a story there  

[Joel Weiss]

Hi Jeff--

The blue chair is one of two that we took from our s&b which we use in our dining area. It is a highly distressed (made to look old) rattan-seat chair that is far more comfortable than it appears.  We weren't fond of the Beaver chairs and ditched them when we got the coach.  By now we've pretty much changed out all fabric treatments (the Batik fabric and braid on the cornice above the table is an example).

You may also notice in the picture that we moved the table about 8" further away from the mirrored wall no that we are no longer constrained by the tile/carpet division of the room.  On the table is my grandmother's crystal lamp (circa 1910) which stays in place as we travel, glued down with Quakehold!  LOL

Since we are full-timing we approach decorating the MH the same way we would a home; no reason it has to "look like a typical RV."

Joel

[Richard Cooper]

If I replaced my existing sofa with an E200 or E300 Stressless sofa, where would I move my Bose subwoofer to?  You know there's never enough space in these coaches.  When we think we are making improvements we are actually sacrificing space that was well thought out prior to when the rig was new.

Sure, I could replace the sofa, but then be faced with having to replace the Bose system too.  I feel like if I carry this thing of recreating the wheel far enough I may have been better off to have simply bought a new deluxe rig in the first place.  

I am curious how much the installation cost.  Was it hard to remove the old sofa and get it out the door?  Was the new sofa easy to get through the door?

[Joel Weiss]

Richard--

We had already replaced the Bose system (it had died).  The Sony soundbar system that replaced it cost ~$400 and is capable of interfacing with the new TV using an HDMI cable, something the old Bose could never have done.  The subwoofer for the soundbar system happens to sit in the old TV cabinet which was an "unused" location once the TV had been replaced by a flat panel.

The cost of replacing the sofa was pretty inexpensive (other than the cost of the sofa, itself).  The old sofa came out the door in one piece and we all got the new one in without damage and without removing anything other than the passenger seat.   The sofa was bolted through its bottom panel to the slide and that's about all we had to do.  The sofa's front legs were cut so they glide over the floor and just take on weight when someone is sitting on it.  

If you are considering an E200 or E300 you should be aware that ordering time is ~14-16 weeks.  Each item is custom-made and shipped from Norway.  Because of the large number of sofa styles and upholstery combinations, no one stocks them.

If you have specific questions feel free to PM me.

Joel

[Richard Cooper]

The E300 2 seat sofa is the one I would be interested in.  How much does that one cost using the same leather as you and the neck roll?

My old sofa I'm told is 73-1/2 inches wide and 32 inches deep.  The E300 is 72-1/2 inches wide and 38-1/4 inches deep.  Thus, seems it will be sticking out into the aisle by about 6-1/4 inches --- not bad.

Your crew removed the passenger seat?  Was that complicated to do?

The sofa ---- I presume the arms are pieces which will come apart?  All in all you have 4 pieces (sofa seat/back, left arm, right arm, and neck roll)?

[Joel Weiss]

Richard:

The new sofa has a lower profile than the old one so you really don't notice that it's a few inches deeper.  We also have the E300 because our measurements are identical to yours.  

We have the "middle grade" of leather and with that the sofa can be sold as low as $4000 although some retailers will ask more. The headrest (neck roll) is $600 (yes, but it is worth it) and we purchased a matching small ottoman (called a medium-size) for another $1000.  It may seem like a lot of money but we had been discussing the order with Villa and they were going to charge >$3000 plus shipping for a sofa upholstered in Ultraleather, not leather.

Removing the passenger seat is trivial, even I can do it.  Four nuts are removed and the power wire disconnected--that's all there is to it.

The new sofa does not come disassembled, although the headrest and cushions are removable as are the small legs. Even though my installer was doubtful we stood it up on end and gently rotated it in through the door the way any furniture mover would.  You start by putting the back into the opening then rotating it into the coach.  We had put duct tape on any protrusions around the door frame that might possibly have scratched the leather.  It was actually easier than it sounds.  

Joel

[Richard Cooper]

I had no idea they cost that much, but I guess it's the equivalent of 2 Stressless chairs and ottomans.  

[Joel Weiss]

I think you can save ~$400 off the sofa with the cheaper leather (with proportionate savings on the other stuff).  It's still nicer than the leather used in most upholstery.  And it is really comfortable. Every once in a while they also have factory incentives that can save you a few additional $$.