Sometimes I like to play a game. When I see something I really like but would not buy, be it a necklace or a wedding dress or a piece of furniture, I like to imagine the version of Katie who would buy it. After all, I do like it. With different life experiences, jobs, and relationships, I might have become a Katie who would buy it. 

For example, I saw this sofa in an Amazon ad on Insta last week. It only has one rating (and it’s one star), but I love the rainbow buttons, the smooth dark wood softening the black upholstery. I love the unique, enveloping shape. I imagine it in a number of spaces, but none of them resemble the home I currently have. I also don’t think that Tyler would go for it, both for the buttons and the black fabric and the rather thin-looking cushion.

So what sort of Katie would buy it?

She has a long entryway, rising to a sweeping curved staircase. She likes to restore old homes, and bought this one in the historic district as a 5-year renovation project. The crystal chandelier above the front door, visible in a half-moon window from the street out front, came with the house and she recently put it back up after cleaning it. The wood floors are original to the house, though she’s replaced more than a few boards. This Katie wants a fun piece where she can put on her shoes and lay her guests’ coats, while keeping the entryway from feeling too stuffy.  She likes that the buttons can pull in any accent color, so it looks fine next to the plethora of bags and coats she has hanging from the row of mildly tarnished hooks by the door. Beneath, she tucks her two favorite pairs of flats and her paint-spattered Keds.

Is there a version of you that’d buy this sofa? If so, what sort of person are they?