Comfy and cheap: scoring the perfect couch

I love couches. And it seems to me if you're going to have a couch you might as well have a comfortable one. When I went couch shopping I had just learned that the apartment would be mine. I was really excited but couldn't remember what any of the rooms looked like. So I went looking for neutral couches, hoping that I wouldn't do anything that would clash too horribly with the house.

I was very lucky in that I lived right by Jubilee Furniture in IL. Jubilee resells good quality furniture, and the money goes to run some really great programs through the community center. They post the newest furniture on their blog every Friday: jubileefurniture.blogspot.com.

I looked for solid, quality brand furniture that just needed a little cleaning or a slip cover.

I found this gorgeous suede chaise for $95

a comfy oversized chair for $50

and this sad leather couch for $50. The cushions were in really bad shape (some of them held together by duct tape), but the frame was solid and the arms and back could be restored with a little love. 

And how could I pass up that nail head trim and curved back?

So I took it home and went to work. I found upholstery fabric in the discount pile and recovered the cushions for $40. I cleaned and conditioned the leather until it looked like a new couch.

Isn't that incredible? I wish the original owners could see its second life.

And with this "second life" furniture I started to shape my living room.

What's the best secondhand piece you've found?