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Julie Lee's ugly couch
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There’s no doubt about it, Julie Lee is not exaggerating when she said she had the world’s worst couch, hands down. And we
have the picture here to prove it.
Good Chance
It seemed providence when Julie discovered a contest she could enter. “When I found out about Sure Fit's Ugly Couch Contest, I just knew I had to enter,” said Lee.
The Prize
From hundreds of unfashionable, unbearable and frankly frightening sofas, only one had enough ugly to be crowned winner of Sure Fit’s 2008 Ugly Couch Contest. Today, Julie Lee from San Francisco, claimed her title as owner of the ugliest couch in America and her prize—a living room makeover courtesy of Sure Fit Inc. and Kim Myles, designer and host of HGTV’s Myles of Style, valued at $5000.
I spoke with Laura Hilburt, Director of Sure Fit Direct Marketing, and here is what she had to say:
Q.: What prompted SureFit to enter into the contest business and how long has this been going on?
A.: This is the 11th annual Ugly Couch Contest, developed by Sure Fit. Because we are in the business of helping to make your furniture "new again" we thought it would be fun to play on that by encouraging people to enter what they think are ugly-couch eyesores. And, depending on the entrants and what kind of couches they enter, Sure Fit will be able to transform that ugly couch into a stylish sofa!
Q.: How did you decide on (and get lucky enough) to work with Kim Myles and HGTV?
A.: We reached out to Kim Myles since she really is a new star and such a vibrant personality in the design world. We were so thrilled that Kim wanted to partner with us for the judging and living room makeover. Kim’s expertise adds an extra element to this year’s contest – a professional touch.
Q.: Isn't the winner's birthday coinciding with the win—what would you call that? ironic.
A.: It is pretty ironic that the grand prize winner's birthday coincides with our contest - this can be considered a birthday present (not only to Julie, but to her furniture!).
Q.: Can I say that Julie's couch is "butt ugly"? and Is it true that the public did the voting? Can you tell me a little more about that?
A.: We have received hundreds of entries, and yes, all of these couches appear to be ugly! Once the top 20- semi-finalists were announced by a separate panel of judges, we had placed these semi-finalists on our web site, www.surefit.com, so that the American public could vote for what they think is the ugliest couch. Votes were tallied, and Julie's "eyesore" was considered the ugliest - this time, ugly is considered great! Because her couch was selected as the ugliest, Julie will work with Kim to not only help her ugly couch, but to transform her living space.
* * *
Julie Lee’s 30-year-old, offensively-colored eyesore of a sofa has been making her houseguests cringe for more than ten years. Chosen from twenty finalists nationwide, Julie Lee’s couch garnered an impressive 6,400 votes on SureFit.com, beating out sofas from Texas to Tennessee. More than 25,000 ugly couch enthusiasts logged on to vote for their favorite.
… beating out sofas from Texas to Tennessee.
Persistence Pays Off
Lee submitted her couch to Sure Fit every year for the past four years, hoping that America would finally recognize its hideousness. She celebrates her 38th birthday next week on Thanksgiving Day, and considers her win a great birthday present.
“I'm pretty ecstatic to find out that I've won,” Lee said (pictured left). “I know my family and friends will be so happy to see that ugly couch gone! Me too!”
The Designer
HGTV’s Designer Kim Myles’ advice to other ugly couch owners? “If they’re seriously worn or torn, get a new one if you can afford it. But if they’re just plain ugly, the best thing to do with ugly couches is to hide them with a smart-looking slipcover. No one will ever know.”
Sure Fit products are available at Bed Bath & Beyond, JC Penney and Macys online.
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