Reupholster Heirloom Furniture

Posted in Color, Feng Shui, Furniture, Home Design, Interior Design, Residential Design, Uncategorized on October 25, 2012

By Victoria Mott

Do you have heirloom furniture – something handed down from a relative, a sentimental piece that’s been in the family, but looking a little worse for the wear? Maybe not a good fit with your current décor?

Here’s an idea to spruce it up, and make it fit better with your style…

Although not a personal family heirloom, I had seen this settee in an antique shop display window, and it caught my eye every time I went by the store. One day it wasn’t there and I just had to go in and see if it had sold. It was still there (the store owner was just changing the display) and in the moment I felt compelled to buy it, in spite of the old and faded fabric.

I decided to make the settee look and fit better in my own space by recovering it myself. With the previous fabric worn and faded, practically any fabric choice would have been an improvement.

While a lot of designers will direct you to a more neutral fabric for a large piece (because it’s easier to change accessory pieces than upholstery) I chose a colorful, large-scale print – a fabric I fell in love with. It works because the colors are muted and the background is almost a black tone overall, so the look isn’t as aggressive as you might expect.

In addition, the many colors make it almost as flexible as a neutral. You could pull any one or more of the colors for accent pieces such a pillows, vases, etc. You can see that the hurricane candle holder behind the settee has many of the colors in the fabric, but doesn’t match exactly, and they work well together.

I also changed the seat cushions to a bench seat, so if three people want to get cozy, one person doesn’t have to sit on the crack between two cushions. This worked to enhance the feng shui of the room too, so I would have seating for nine. Nine is a powerful number in feng shui and Chinese culture, representing luck and good fortune.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What do you think? Like it better? Leave your comment below.