Within Your Walls

I hate shopping for new furniture, well truth be told it’s not the shopping part that bothers me; it’s the buying part.  I get a case of the “what if’s” and become very indecisive.  The thought that goes through my head is; “did I choose the right piece.”  “Am I going to like it in my house” or “What if I don’t like it when I get it home.”  So I avoid buying furniture like the black plague.  Now all my friends & family that know me are now formulating all kinds of questions in their heads.  Let me elaborate for a minuet.  I have a background and Bachelors degree in Interior Design and a passion for the profession, so when those closest to me hear that I loathe buying new furniture, they either think I’m lying or have started question my chosen field.  The truth to the matter is, I do love furniture shopping FOR EVERYONE ELSE!  Personally I have a horrible time choosing exactly what I want, and making what I feel is the correct choice.  So, I just avoid it.

With that said, you can now understand my point of view.  Recently I became unemployed and my plans for new furniture went down the tubes with my job.  As a result, my in-laws offered their old sofa and chair to my husband and I.  It isn’t the most stylish sofa in the continental U.S., but non-the less it has great bones.  Now, never mind the cost of a new sofa.  Which might I add can go anywhere from $399.00 at IKEA to, bless the heavens, $1,500 -$3,000.00 at Lane, Ethan Allan, and Broyhill for JUST the sofa.   Being a designer I know this is the average price most families pay, and they feel that price and quality are equal.  The part that hurts is an average family will buy new furniture every 5-10 years; they have certainly not gotten their money’s worth, and living in a disposable society does not help with my indecisiveness of furniture buying.

Back to the “old sofa”, the reason we have been offered the old furniture is my in-laws have caught the de-cluttering bug and are trying to make more room in their finished basement.  Now picture it with me, 1974; the popular colors of the year were Avocado Green, Harvest Gold, and Golden Brown.  Shag carpet was in style, Polyester was the new fabric, and it was the last decade of quality.  Think about it, how many things from the 70’s still exist.   Yes, even your parent’s polyester suits and my new “old sofa” and they’re all still in pretty good shape.  Quality is where I am going with this.  Currently, I have a well taken care of 1970’s avocado green sofa with good bones and a few options surrounding its existence in my home, which is not 70’s decor.

Whether you hate furniture shopping or have inherited new seating, you can make your present furniture or “old” furniture fit into your life for a fraction of the cost.  The first it the most expensive, this is for those of you who have a love for retro, antique, and old style or those who don’t feel the need to buy new, other than the fact your current sofa isn’t the “right” color anymore.

Reupholstering, this is an art all of it’s own and can cost about as much as a new sofa.  However, if you are content with the style of you old couch this is an option. Upholsterers can work wonders on old furniture, sometimes rebuilding from the frame up creating a new piece out of old.  They can even remove parts of furniture you don’t like anymore.  For instance, your current piece has a large rollback you no longer like, they can remove it and make it look like an entirely different sofa.  Prices, like I said before can be as much as a new sofa ($1,000).  However, if it’s good quality, pieces can have a new life for years to come.

The next option is slipcovers, and there are two ways to go, custom made and ready made.  Custom made Slip covers can run you a few hundred dollars, only because you have to get a seamstress involved.  They come over to your house and take measurements of the piece and create a cover made just for your sofa.  Ready made slipcovers are just that, ready made.  Companies have measurements of popular sofas and chairs and make a universal cover for the average style.  You can buy covers that cover the sofa like a sheet or they can fit like a glove and with separate covers for the cushions too. These aren’t your parent’s slipcovers; they have come a long way from the ugly throw style covers of the 70’s, in such beautiful fabrics, might I add.

Online companies such as:

• Stretchandcover.com
• Surefit.net
• Everyslipcover.com
• Slipcovers.com

Either sell you ready made or help you find custom made slipcovers for your furniture.  The added benefit of a slipcover is, it can be removed and washed, or changed out.  They also protect your furniture making it last longer.  This is great if you have animals, children, or both in your house.

Styles and colors change, but maybe we can save and stretch a few dollars by changing what we can to make our surrounds last longer.  As far as my new “old” sofa and chair, I’m going to search for a slipcover to fit.  I will post my before and after pictures so everyone can see how my budget makeover turned out.  Remember, just because your furniture is old doesn’t mean there can’t be a new life for it.  Save our landfills and have a bit of imagination.  You may find that you saved a few bucks in the process.

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Furniture, old furniture, Reupholstering, saving money, Slipcovers, Sofa