after much debate, we finally decided to buy a cheap sofa at ikea. we looked there at the beginning for something cheap. we didn't really like anything there. then we went to the 'regular' sofa stores and all of their items sucked. they were too large and overpriced. we decided to go back to ikea and liked one of their loveseats. it's like a large loveseat. you could fit 3 people like in the back of a car. i think that's how a lot of purchases go...you end up going back to plan a. however, we can't exactly afford the sofa right now and it doesn't fit in my car. so we bought the footstools that goes with it and some chairs for the dining table. this will do for now. i no longer have to stand on my knees for meals!