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Should You Reupholster or Replace

We’ve all been there before.

You love a certain piece of furniture.

Perhaps it just doesn’t go with your style any longer.

Or, maybe it is beginning to show signs of wear and tear.

It is time to replace it…or is it?

The age old question of “do I reupholster or replace” my sofa/chair/ottoman has gotten your full attention.

How would you make this decision?

Let’s break it down via a few questions:

Does it fit in the room?

Is it the correct size? If it is not currently in the room, you can tape off the footprint of the piece or draw a space plan like I did here.

Does the style work with your other pieces? With the style of your home?

Does it still function as intended?

Is it in good shape?

Is the piece of well made quality? Would it be quite expensive to replace?

How does it smell…musty, dingy, like cigarette smoke?

How old is the piece in question?

Is it still comfortable?

Do you love it?

Perhaps this is most important. The truth is, if you don’t love the piece, nothing else matters.

I’d like to share with you my recent experience with reupholstering an item.

We purchased this piece when we moved into our home. It is from RH and the fabric is called antiqued cotton.

Truth be told, I didn’t love the fabric when it first arrived. It didn’t look like the picture we were shown.

However, at the time I was working full-time and trying to furnish our entire new home and simply decided to make it work. I should have listened to my gut. (Always listen to your gut).

We purchased the piece because we wanted a place to rest our feet while sitting on the sofa. And this is where the problem began. The edges simply didn’t hold up at all. We were so disappointed.

I hate posting ugly pictures, but it’s necessary in this case….

restoration-hardware-ottoman-reupholter

ottoman-reupholter-before-picture

You can see that I frequently used a throw to protect and cover the frayed fabric.

when-should-you-reupholster-and-when-should-you-replace

Now, to answer my own questions…

Does it fit the room? Yes, perfectly.

Is it in good shape? Yes. It’s like new other than the fabric. 

Do you love it? Yes.

This made our decision to reupholster quite easy. We then began the process of finding the right fabric and upholsterer to end the madness of our fraying supposed-to-be-antique-cotton fabric.

family-room-with-upholstered-ottoman-so-cozy

Much better, right?

beautiful-neutral-living-room-ottoman_

 Shop the Look – Accessories

 

You can see the details below.

when-should-you-reupholster_

living-room-with-ottoman-as-coffee-table-so-beautiful

elegant-neutral-family-room_

Shop the Look – Pillows and Throws

living-room-with-restoration-hardware-ottoman-so-beautiful

I’m so happy with the end result. The gentleman who updated this piece for us did a fantastic job.

beautiful-neutral-living-room-with-restoration-hardware-furniture

The cost of the fabric and the labor added up to a bit less than half of the cost of replacing the ottoman. This is not always the case, so be sure and do your research before making your own decision to reupholster or replace.

beautiful-neutral-living-room-elegant-comfort_

Shop the Look – Furnishings

 

I hope this helps you the next time you are trying to decide what do do with a piece of furniture with less than desirable fabric. I’d love to hear about your experience, so feel free to comment below.

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Filed Under: Decorating, My Home 18 Comments

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Comments

  1. Bree says

    October 18, 2016 at 9:02 am

    I love it Jen!! Great post?

    Reply
    • Jennifer says

      October 18, 2016 at 9:03 pm

      Thank you Bree! xoxo

      Reply
  2. Tamara says

    October 18, 2016 at 9:57 am

    What a great makeover! I’ve been on the hunt once again to recover mine and I’m inspired!! Love this so much!

    Reply
    • Jennifer says

      October 18, 2016 at 10:08 pm

      Thank you Tam! Yours is already gorgeous, but I know I’ll love whatever you do to it!

      Reply
  3. Tracy says

    October 18, 2016 at 8:18 pm

    Hi there! This post was just what i needed to read. I have an ottoman that has solid wood storage on the bottom but the fabric has seen its share of wear and tear. Following these tips, i see what i need to do.

    Thanks for sharing

    Reply
    • Jennifer says

      October 18, 2016 at 10:09 pm

      I’m so glad to hear this! Thanks so much for stopping by and for sharing your story. Good luck with your project!

      Reply
  4. randi says

    October 18, 2016 at 8:23 pm

    It looks great Jen! I love newly reupholstered furniture! xo

    Reply
    • Jennifer says

      October 18, 2016 at 10:14 pm

      Thanks so much Randi! I do too! xo

      Reply
  5. Carissa says

    October 18, 2016 at 8:42 pm

    It turned out so beautiful! I love reupholstering and my chocolate velvet sofas in my living room are my husband’s couches that he grew up with that I had recovered. Great post ??

    Reply
    • Jennifer says

      October 27, 2016 at 12:06 am

      Thank you CC! I have a feeling you may be doing a little reupholstery project as I type! You or perhaps Mike Miller!

      Reply
  6. Shauna says

    October 19, 2016 at 8:08 pm

    It turned out beautiful Jen! Love your fabric choice!
    xo

    Reply
    • Jennifer says

      October 27, 2016 at 12:31 am

      Thank you Shauna! I like it so much better!

      Reply
  7. Summer says

    October 22, 2016 at 6:53 pm

    Love that fabric you chose Jen! Great choice!??

    Reply
    • Jennifer says

      October 27, 2016 at 12:32 am

      Thanks Summer! So glad I finally did it!

      Reply
  8. Loi Thai Tone on Tone says

    October 25, 2016 at 10:46 am

    Beautiful, Jennifer! Love the transformation!! And that pattern – so fresh and pretty. xoxo, L

    Reply
    • Jennifer says

      October 27, 2016 at 12:33 am

      Thank you Loi! So kind of you! xoxo

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Living Room Makeover Project - Decor Gold Designs says:
    November 7, 2017 at 12:06 pm

    […] had already reupholstered an ottoman by the same manufacturer, but I didn’t think this piece was worth the cost of […]

    Reply
  2. 5 Tips For A Successful Living Room Makeover by Decor Gold Designs says:
    February 7, 2018 at 9:03 am

    […] the wrong size? Do you simply dislike them? You can choose to reupholster a piece that you love (tips to help you know if it’s worth it here), but you should definitely decide what must go before you start spending money on your new design. […]

    Reply

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