5 ways to revamp your decor using a furniture upholsterer
Here’s a clever idea for every room of your home from Creative Upholstery; Cape Town furniture upholsterer.
With some creative inspiration and detailed briefing for your local furniture upholsterer, you can revamp your decor in every room without spending too much money.
The benefits of revamping your decor using furniture re upholstery techniques, as opposed to other methods like re-painting or re-decorating, are that this method opens up a world of endless supplies and varieties of fabrics, textiles and leathers which you can use to completely transform a scheme.
Don’t throw it out, if you can re-upholster it
If you are bored of your home’s interior and keen to make a few changes but your budget is preventing you from creating your dream home, then read on…
Changing a few small things in your home can add a completely new flare to your decor.
Here is an upholstery idea for every room:
Bedroom
Adding a headboard to your bed can make an enormous change to the whole look and feel of your bedroom. It can add texture and align with the theme you already have. A large expanse of white wall behind a bed is boring and a perfect place for some creativity. Sure, you can DIY a headboard out of old pallets or pieces of wood or paint a feature wall behind your bed but if you are looking for comfort, ask your furniture upholsterer to make you one with matching scatter cushions. Perhaps you already have an upholstered headboard but you’d be amazed at how covering it with a brand new fabric will completely alter the room. It will lift your spirits, look completely new and cost very little. If your existing headboard has a wooden frame with an upholstered centre, consider not only changing the fabric but also powder coating the frame in a new vibrant colour to match your chosen fabric.
Living room
If your living space is feeling dull and uninspired and your sofa cushions are flat and the fabric is worn it’s time for a change. Nothing is worse than seeking comfort on your sofa only to feel the wooden frame or springs digging into your back, the arm rests worn and the headrests stained. Do yourself a favour and go into a luxury sofa store, drop yourself into a plump armchair and feel the difference. Your sofa at home can look and feel just like that with the right fabric and right filling.
Damien from Creative upholstery highly recommends a combination of soft, medium or high density foam wrapped in a layer of dacron for a “puffy” look. This option is much lower maintenance, perfect for a more formal seating option and has a life span of 2 – 3 years.
For ultimate softness and comfort, they use unico but this option does require a maintenance plan whereby every 3-6 months they will come and loosen the fibres for you. They also recommend that you plump up the cushions on a daily basis to keep the look.
Whatever look you go for, you will be surprised at how much comfort and reward this change will make to your living space.
Stoep or patio
Summer is all about spending time outdoors and enjoying relaxing time around the braai but sitting on a hard bench all evening is hardly going to cut the mustard. This is where some added comfort can turn your stoep into a space of luxury. Consider popping down to the local antique or second hand furniture store to buy 2 authentic, charismatic lounging or occasional chairs. The more the springs are sticking out and the fabric is worn, the less it will cost you. Just make sure the frame is in tact and not falling apart. Then contact your furniture upholsterer, take a picture of the chair, give them some measurements and ask them how many meters of outdoor fabric they would require to reupholster it. They may be able to help you select a suitable hard wearing, fade and mould resistant fabric or you can head down to the local awnings and tents company or even a marine canopy supplier which have plenty of waterproof covers that can double up as outdoor furniture covers that can be easily wiped clean and will last forever.
It’s a great way to create a welcoming entertainment or sunny reading area without having to worry about constant maintenance or even having to bring in the cushions every night.
Kitchen & dining area
Do you still have those old faux leather (plastic) covered chrome upholstered kitchen coffee bar stools from your husbands ex bachelor pad that were “in” 20 years ago but no longer suit your decor style? You can completely transform them by re upholstering them in new fabric with new memory foam to completely transform your kitchen coffee / breakfast bar. If you don’t have a breakfast bar but you have an open plan kitchen / dining room, take a look at the dining chairs. What can be done to them? A good upholsterer with some creative thought can quickly give you ideas for new fabrics to match your scheme, add warmth and add comfort to the dining experience. If you have benches, why not ask your upholsterer to make cushions for them as a budget alternative.
Bathroom
Now here’s an idea where you can really make an impact. Often bathrooms are purely functional places where the focus is on the tiles, the sanware, accessories and maybe some family photos or a magazine rack. How about finding an unusually wacky 2nd hand upholstered chair or stool from the Victorian or Georgian era and having it reupholstered in a beautiful modern fabric to make a central point of focus in your bathroom? It’s the one room in the house where you don’t really have to conform; where you can be more daring. Not only do you provide a little place to sit when drying your feet but you can also pop magazines or hand towels onto it.
For more ideas, contact Creative Upholstery PTY / LTD based in Goodwood.
For images of some of our recent work, check out our Facebook page