this article originally published in our Fabulous Interiors e-Newsletter, November 2011
There are pros and cons to reupholstering your existing furniture. It's worth taking the time to review your options before deciding whether to reupholster or buy new.
Reupholstering is environmentally friendly. Reusing an existing frame saves a piece of furniture from being trashed. Donating the used piece is also a green option.
Definitely plan to reupholster if...
- you have a designer piece or an antique.
- your furniture has a well-constructed frame.
- it's a hard to find style or size.
- updating involves a simple cover replacement like a dining chair seat.
Cost is a consideration. Reupholstery can be a savings if it's a high quality piece where a comparable replacement would cost more. With reupholstery there is a broader choice of fabrics than many furniture stores offer for their new pieces. This gives greater flexibility in design. Reupholstering is not a cheap option though. There is a cost in purchasing upholstery fabric (often 15-18 yards for a sofa.) Then there is the cost of labor, pick-up and delivery.
Reupholstery offers an opportunity to make small changes to the design. Here are some things that can often be modified - redesign and reshape arms, replace cushions, tighten and retie springs, add padding, redesign the back, change legs or skirt style, add a skirt or change the pleating style, refinish or paint.
by Kristine Gregory, Allied ASID
principal designer at Bedeckers Interior
After this article was published, I received this email from a client...
"Your newsletter was very timely as I have a chair I have been
thinking of getting revamped. I say revamped as it is a French style chair with
wooden arms and legs and an upholstered seat and back. The wood is currently
dark, but I was thinking of having it painted a lighter color and having it
reupholstered in a different fabric. I’ve had the chair for nearly 20 years and
did not pay a lot of money for it, but I’ve always loved the shape of it and as
along as its not exorbitantly expensive, I am OK spending more than I paid for
the chair to get it redone since I am not sure I could find exactly what I want
buying new. I had the chair in my study for years, but the upholstery had
started to fade out so I replace it with a leather chair. I’d like to put the
revamped version in my master bath."
Here is the chair BEFORE
Here is the fabric we chose
Here is the transformed chair after Bedeckers upholstery work. Perfect for the master bath
What do you think?
WOW!!!!!
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