To Reupholster or Buy New?
To reupholster or buy new? Now that is a big question and sometimes a difficult one to answer. We recently had to make this decision for our own living room sofa, but more about that later.
Did you know that quality furniture is the 4th or maybe 5th most expensive purchase you will make for your home? And if you have already invested in good quality furniture, then it is worth exploring reupholstery as a way to refresh and update your furniture’s appearance.
The main reasons you may choose to reupholster:
1. Restoring a quality piece of furniture: When we buy quality, it lasts, yet the style may be from a time past. We can explore redesigning furniture structure, as well as trim options, reshaping arms and seating comfort. The possibilities are endless.
2. Fabric Fatigue: The truth is styles change frequently and when stripes or flowers are not in ‘trend’ your piece can look tired. There are so many fabric options and depending on your comfort level with colour and texture, a new fabric can transform a piece of furniture.
3.Sentimental Reasons: Another major reason to choose reupholstery is purely sentimental. Your chair, sofa or loveseat is your favourite piece or may be one you have inherited. Everyone in the family may love the piece and yet it needs some TLC. Reupholstery is very often the best way to keep the piece in your family yet bring it up to a more current look (and feel).
4. Value for your Money: Like the old expression says, “They just don’t build them like they used to …”. Many furniture manufacturers have been struggling to stay profitable while making what consumers consider ‘affordable furniture’ We avoid these types of manufacturers, as over the years several have chosen to use cheaper frame construction, cheaper fabrics, foam and less padding. Not to mention the legs and base structures made from imported woods. The truth is the good, quality furniture is expensive and as I mentioned earlier likely the 4th or 5th most expensive purchase you will make for your home.
5. Our Environment: Keeping a piece of furniture out of landfill is another consideration for considering reupholstering. Therefore weighing the quality and value factors are key to making the best decision for you and your budget.
Below are photos of our antique sofa that we recently reupholstered. Our upholsterer was very impressed with the weight and construction of this sofa and we all deemed it worth saving. We chose a beautiful Clarke and Clarke fabric from Kravet Canada and well I guess you can tell that we love colour. We are delighted with our renewed sofa. A bit of its history ~ Lawrence inherited this sofa from a great aunt 30 years ago. When I met Lawrence, it was in his basement covered with a blanket and almost discarded as worthless. However, we both agreed the sofa had great potential. This is our third covering of our beloved 100-year-old sofa. Our reasons for choosing reupholstery were #1, 2, 3, 4 and 5.
At Acanthus Interiors we have upholstery fabric starting at prices of $75/yard and have skilled tradespeople who are experts in the craft of reupholstery. If you decide to buy new, we pride ourselves in partnering with excellent Canadian furniture manufacturers. We would be delighted to discuss your options. Call us or drop in to see our store, our design studio and meet us, Donna and Lawrence Londry.
