Linden Street: a new line of home furnishings from JC Penney

JC Penney has launched a new line of modern and casual home furnishings called Linden Street, and as part of the launch, I was given $500 in gift cards from JC Penney and BlogHer to make some purchases and try out some products.

There is no rhyme or reason to how I decorate my home. Most of my furnishings are from IKEA (because we move so much) with some hand-me-downs from my mom and choice Craigslist finds thrown in for good measure.  You could describe my decor as comfortable, homey, modern-ethnic.  My goal is to have my home never look like it could be photographed in a magazine because who wants to live in a house that looks like a product catalog or museum. Not I.

I looked through the Linden Street offerings and had a hard time choosing items.  The lamps weren't quite my taste. Neither were the objets. We are more than set for dishes and towels and the things we really need (bookshelves and end tables) were too pricey. So what to choose? Making the most of the money and trying not to overwhelm our really tiny house, I chose:

Two bath mats. One is a mustard color, the other is moss green. Both are luxuriously soft and the colors are true. Both mats washed well and retained their fluffiness. I wish they came with a non-skid back, but that is a minor complaint.

A runner for our hallway. I liked the perky, modern stripes on this one. It has soft, thick pile and feels yummy underfoot. It also looks really great in our hall. It adds oomph to our boring, bare hardwood floor.

A new comforter set and matching accent pillows. Brown is a staple color in our bedroom and we mix it up with different colors like blue or pink in the spring and summer. I wouldn't normally pick such a matchy-matchy set but 1) I thought it would be a nice choice for the fall/winter and 2) it was free.  The comforter is very heavy and thick, and the chenille is soft. I'm slightly worried that it might be too heavy for a California winter, but our house is very old (not insulated) so we may be happy to have it come December. The set includes the comforter, bed skirt and shams.  And I picked three accent pillows to complete the look. The textiles on the pillows are fun, fun, fun.

UPDATE: We finally had time to make up our bed with our new set.  Bunny walked in and said, "WOW! It looks like a hotel bed!"  ...which is the highest compliment possible, right?

What I like about the line: The items I received felt like I was getting my money's worth (had I been paying). The fabrics were soft, true to color, and didn't feel cheap. I also appreciated the spare, modern-yet-casual designs. The Linden Street line seems like it was designed to match things already in your house.

What I didn't like about the line: Parts of the line, especially some of the pine furniture and window treatments felt a little dowdy and not quite modern enough. I didn't see how it fit into the line.

Cost to you: Bath mats: $12.99 each. Runner: $89.00 King set: $159.99. Three pillows: $29.99, $34.99, $39.99. Plus shipping.
Cost to me: Free

Comments

[Kimberly/Mom in the City]

Good for you! I especially like the new comforter set. I like to change mines at least twice a year.

[Nothing But Bonfires]

I'm finding it really interesting to read the reviews of others and discover that we all chose TOTALLY DIFFERENT THINGS. Can't believe I didn't go for that runner you got. Maybe I'll actually have to go back and spend my OWN money on it...

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