I have to share -- SO THRILLED with recovered sofa/loveseat!

13 years ago

We've needed to recover our sofa for more than a few years, but I was paralyzed with fear of choosing the wrong fabric, didn't know an upholsterer, etc. The loveseat we bought off CL for $25 intending to recover it, but lived with it for over a year before *finally* biting the bullet, finding an upholsterer, holding my breath and DOING IT! I am SO HAPPY with the results, I just had to share since I knew you all would appreciate my anxiety, etc. (We also added new drapes since the before photo.) The fabric on the sofa was so badly torn to shreds that I had to cover it when anyone came over -- it was horrendous! (Please ignore the rest of the messy background -- I haven't tackled that area yet.)

Before:

After:

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (22)

teacats
13 years ago
Gorgeous!!

So warm and very elegant! Wonderful choice! :)

Very well done indeed!

Jan at Rosemary Cottage
Olychick
13 years ago
Omigosh..beautiful!! What an amazing transformation. The fabrics, the draperies...all lovely!
Related Discussions
Good Starter Sofa,Couch and Loveseats
Q
Comments (11)
You are into the most crowded segment of the upholstered furniture industry. There are hundreds of companies that make upholstered furniture that retails at the price range you are looking at. Don't expect to find 8 way hand tied coils at your budget. But you should be able to get a sofa and love seat with kiln-dried hardwood frames, high-density foam cushions and sinuous coils for $1500. There are so many companies out there that can fit your requirements that I don't know where to start recommending. I will warn you, however, of a few things to avoid. Stay away from Ashley Furniture, probably the largest single manufacturer and retailer of upholstered furniture, unless you really want one of their $399 sofas. Their more expensive offerings are still junk underneath. The other warning I have is to stay away from leather at that price range. Leather offerings at that price come in 2 different categories: first are the sofas that are made with "bycast" leather that is basically little pieces of scrap leather that has been chopped up and glued back together. The mill cost is for bycast is about the same as a medium-low grade of fabric. The second category of leather to stay away from is genuine leather sofas. For a manufacturer to afford to put real leather on a sofa at that price means that they have to cheat on the insides. You will be getting a $399 quality sofa with a nice piece of leather on the outside. I am not terribly impressed with IKEA's upholstered furniture offerings. I think their case goods are a much better value. Microfibers can be great. Just remember that there are different grades. See if your salesperson will let you feel a swatch of the fabric. Some microfibers are very thin while others have some weight to them. It can be very difficult to tell the difference when the fabric is made up on a sofa, until you have had it in your home for a year or two and start noticing the thinner fabric wearing out.
...See More
Should I reupholster my couch and loveseat?
Q
Comments (23)
I agree with everyting above, with the exception of the comment about staples. They are much maligned and misunderstood and several friends of mine who reupholster swear by them. In our marine climate stainless staples outlast even the best quality tacks and there is no rusting. The holes they create are smaller and the load is spread more evenly. A properly adjusted staple gun and the proper size staple can be set much more efficiently with no damage to the frame. I've had 5 pieces reupholstered over the years, the youngest in the 50-60 yr. old range (in original upholstery!). All were completely "ripped down", the frames checked for "racking" and the "wobbles" and tightened. All the webbing was removed and replaced, the springs reused and re-tied. Any horsehair (on the really old pieces) was cleaned and reused, fluffed up and secured with bridle ties. All the foam in the cushions of the newer pieces was replaced (I sampled the density of the foam before deciding which one to use), and wrapped in batting with a non-woven cover. Every piece came home looking wonderful and I've never regretted having them redone. Reupholstery is labor instensive. You are paying someone who lives locally to take the time to fuss over your furniture. They have worked hard to amass and perfect their skills, they have overhead, and they pay taxes, too. Personally? I would rather pay a tradesman/craftsman in my own country to breathe new life into something I find pleasing and works in my home. I agree than many of new particle board pieces are not worth the time required, but any good upholsterer will tell you that at the time the estimate is given.
...See More
Sofa and Loveseat- Do they need to have the same fabric?
Q
Comments (10)
How good are you at mixing fabrics? Most homes match the sofa and love seat and have a chair or a pair of matching chairs. This is partially because some people love simple, solid looks. But there is no rule saying it has to be this way. It is easier to achieve an acceptable look this way - far less room for error, but you can mix and match colors, textures, fabrics and have amazing results if you have that ability to envision the end result. I love this love seat - but wouldn't want a matching sofa. Lots of patterns but it all works together: You can mix fabrics on just the sofa Or mix bold colors
...See More
I need help with white leather sofa and love seat for living room
Q
Comments (8)
I think you have some very pretty spaces here and have already done a more than respectable job with the decor. For the living room in particular, it only needs tweaks, such as raise up the art higher (and pull that sofa a bit from the wall, so that no one feels nervous about hitting their head on the art); take everything off the media unit that has height and make the decorations low bowls or trays. Plants look wonderful in that room, so bring in as many as you can handle. Are you completely averse to a light toned shag-type rug for your living space? if that doesn’t work for you, a sisal is fine. That rocking chair in the corner of the dining room isn’t going to get used, so I’d replace it with a plant. In the other corner, instead of sticks, get a free standing or wall mounted wine rack. For the dining chairs, I would go for ones in colourful or transparent plastic (these come in different colors) or if you prefer the comfort of upholstered go for bright colors, florals or graphics, or solids. Coral, aqua, — whatever you like. You could have a livelier linear light fixture, either something curvy or feathery or with shine. What you have is fine with your chairs, but after you switch out the chairs, maybe you’ll want a new fixture. I love your glam Monroe headshots in the kitchen. A more fun and flashy kitchen clock would be nice, as would pop-style utensil holders, fruit bows, dishtowels, fab dishwashing gloves and a great cooking apron or 2 I would make bar stools the last purchase. My problem with macrame is that it collects dust. If you like fabric arts (and they can be inexpensive and easy to hang) look at batik wall hangings and Japanese noren curtains — that kind of folk art, which can have bright colors or subtle designs.
...See More
susanwrites
13 years ago
Beautiful! Very cozy feeling.
User
13 years ago
Wonderful!! I love the green. Those new curtains look very nice too.

" just had to share since I knew you all would appreciate my anxiety, etc."
I chuckled because it's so true. We all know the forum people really "get it". :D
gsciencechick
13 years ago
Wow, they look fantastic! Very warm, inviting, plus comfortable.
rushmom3
13 years ago
Wow! If you were going for warm and inviting, you nailed it! That is beautiful. That's exactly what I want if I ever get to replace our FR furniture.
schoolhouse_gw
13 years ago
I want to get three pieces re-upholstered, but so afraid of the cost. Don't want to be snoopy, and if you'd rather not say it's ok - about how much did it cost for just the sofa? Just give a close amt.,don't have to say the real cost.
User
13 years ago
Fabulous! What a comfortable, warm, soothing seating area you have now!
ellendi
13 years ago
Schoolhouse, I was thinking the same thing. I was always told it was not cost effective to re-upholster unless it is an expensive or heirloom piece.
hoosiergirl
Original Author
13 years ago
Thank you all so much for your kind words! "Comfortable, warm and inviting" is exactly what I'm going for here, so thanks for making my day! Shee, it's so true, you all know how traumatic this can be if not done right.

Schoolhouse, I don't mind your asking. I think it varies a lot by region, so I don't know if this will help you or not. His labor cost was $575 for the sofa (including welting, skirting, etc.) but he said if it needed to add any additional foam that would be extra. It ended up being an extra $50 to make new back cushion liners (the old cushions were attached and always sagging badly and the liners were ripped up) and add new dacron in the seats. The fabric was additional but I got a great deal online (I checked with him before buying to be sure it was good fabric -- so I'm glad I have good, sturdy fabric that won't shred the way the last fabric did. I think all together the total cost to recover the sofa was $800 which included 4 pillows (he made 2 more for me for free -- very nice guy and I'd recommend him in a heartbeat). It is a *really* good sofa so it was definitely worth it to us to have it recovered. We shopped a lot and couldn't find anything else as comfortable.

Thanks again for the compliments. I got my Christmas present early!!!
northcarolina
13 years ago
You have a beautiful room! The new upholstery fits it perfectly. Do you mind my asking what your paint color is?
schoolhouse_gw
13 years ago
$800 is cheaper than buying a new sofa that isn't made as well as the older one. Thanks. That's what I needed to hear. At least it gives me an idea of what to expect in cost.
donnawb
13 years ago
It looks beautiful! Great choice on fabric.
loribee
13 years ago
Good for you...it's lovely!
User
13 years ago
I agree; it looks wonderful and the price for the reupholstery is great. I would certainly consider that. When I have checked it out it was more like double to triple that price. (maybe I need to re-check the "regional" quotes).
Anyway it looks great and YES to those curtains and what they add to the picture.
(Can you come over and help me here?:)
hoosiergirl
Original Author
13 years ago
Thank you all again!

Northcarolina, the paint color in the kitchen/breakfast nook is Delta Green by Porter Paints (a midwest PPG paint company), and the FR color is a 1st coat of Delta Green and a 2nd coat in the next darker color, Prairie Sumac.

Sheilaaus, I wouldn't mind coming over and helping except that it's taken me 3-1/2 years to get this far, so speed is definitely not my forte! Everything is an agonizingly slow process and I'd never want to put anyone through that! But thank you for the compliment!!
Kathie738 P
13 years ago
Would you mind telling the online site you used for the fabric...your home looks wonderful,may you have many good times using it.
hoosiergirl
Original Author
13 years ago
Sure, Kathie, I bought it from Robert Allen Outlet. The upholsterer was surprised that I could buy from them because they usually only sell to the trade, but I didn't have any problems ordering online. Shipping was fast and the order was accurate. I'm very happy with the fabric and their service!

Here is a link that might be useful: Robert Allen Outlet
franksmom_2010
13 years ago
Very nice! I really like the fabrics you chose, and it all looks great with the paint and drapes! And I love that rug! Good for you!!
Laurie
13 years ago
Your home looks fantastic! All the colors work well together.
Glad you had such a positive experience with the upholstery : )

I checked out the link to the fabric outlet you used...they have a lot of good looking fabrics. It's nice to know that you were happy with their service and quality. Do you know if they sell (or provide free) fabric swatches?

-Laurie
hoosiergirl
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks, Laurie! I don't know about swatches -- we were on such a time crunch that I didn't even get a sample first. My monitor is usually true to color, so I just went for it. Thankfully, it turned out ok. I think they sell pretty quickly and since it's an outlet, once it's gone, it's gone.

I did realize one thing about ordering from them. If you go to order and see the "trade customer" vs. "registered user" screen, you can click on "continue as a guest" under the "registered user" column to be able to order.

HTH!
Laurie
13 years ago
Thanks for the info, that will help a lot!
Enjoy the Holidays and your new beautiful and comfortable room : )

I have to share -- SO THRILLED with recovered sofa/loveseat!

Comments (22)

teacats

Olychick

Related Discussions

susanwrites

User

gsciencechick

rushmom3

schoolhouse_gw

User

ellendi

hoosiergirl
Original Author

northcarolina

schoolhouse_gw

donnawb

loribee

User

hoosiergirl
Original Author

Kathie738 P

hoosiergirl
Original Author

franksmom_2010

Laurie

hoosiergirl
Original Author

Laurie

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

I have to share -- SO THRILLED with recovered sofa/loveseat!

Comments (22)

Related Discussions

hoosiergirlOriginal Author

hoosiergirlOriginal Author

hoosiergirlOriginal Author

hoosiergirlOriginal Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

hoosiergirl
Original Author

hoosiergirl
Original Author

hoosiergirl
Original Author

hoosiergirl
Original Author