‘Stunning’ – One of my favourite sofa upholstery makeovers

“Stunning.” 

“It looks so stylish.” 

“Total upgrade!” 

“Gorgeous.” 

“Looks great, so encouraging to see items destined for the skip being given a new life.”

These were some of the reactions on my social media after I posted a before and after of one of my latest sofa reupholstery projects. 

I love fixing uncomfortable sofas, especially ones where my customer regrets their original purchase. 

This particular sofa was an expensive buy from Sofa Workshop, and if Anna hadn’t seen my previous makeovers, I’m sure this would have been headed to landfill. 

She would then have had the unenviable job of trying to find a new one, worried she would make another mistake. Her words not mine.

And from the fabric arriving this makeover took under two weeks.

The Sofa Workshop Limerick sofa was a loungey style sofa bought in a pale linen print.

“I love fixing uncomfortable sofas”

When she was sold the sofa, the sales person in store didn’t ask Anna any questions about her home or lifestyle, not considering the level of comfort Anna might want, where the sofa would be situated, or if she had pets. 

These are three vital questions I always ask to make sure I get the right filling and fabrics that my customer will be happy with for a long time.

It just so happens that Anna keeps her sofa in front of a big window, and the fabric she chose will be hugely affected by UV light, which was immediately evident on our FaceTime video call. 

Her sofa had started to fade after the first few months of it arriving. The fabric she had on the sofa should not be exposed to so much natural light, as it’s a natural fabric. You need a man made fibre fabric composition like polyester to prevent this.

Anna also expressed that her family had been complaining that they were constantly slipping off the sofa because the feather pillows were too heavy, big and uncomfortable. Those kinds of cushions can give you a really bad back. 

In fact, the only family member who used the sofa was their dog Hector, a massive people watcher who spends hours watching the world go by on the back of the sofa.

There also wasn’t enough support in the sofa and so her family would find themselves sinking into it and eventually avoiding sitting on the sofa altogether. 

I set to work immediately deciding on fabrics and fillings with Anna’s consultation and we used Nicola Harding’s Nix sofa range for inspiration. 

“From the fabric arriving this makeover took under two weeks”

I really believe you need foam with large seat cushions, as it’s the only filling that will give you proper support. 

As for the scatter cushions, Anna wanted lots of different types, so I sourced lots of plain velvets in complimentary colours to the main sofa fabric.

I overfilled the scatter cushions to add to their longevity, while making them supportive and plump and also creating different shapes and sizes to break it all up.  Anna wanted variety so she could swap them around, rather than two back large back cushions

And if you have supportive foam seat cushions, you can get away with loungey back cushions because the support is already provided. 

In terms of the fabrics, we decided for the base of the sofa to go with a beautiful check polyester, a perfect pattern match, that’s very durable and with the scatter cushions, there’s now ten of them, made in four different plain velvets. 

And we couldn’t forget to accommodate Anna’s dog Hector, who loves to lie on the back of the sofa and look out the window. 

So, we decided to create a loose, but fitted, back cap that can be removed and washed whenever necessary, so as not to disturb Hector’s people-watching time. 

This has been a beautifully neutral project, demonstrating that calm, elegant and classic can be just as impactful as bold and bright. 

Who wouldn’t want to sit in this room now? So peaceful and the best bit, the family have reclaimed the sofa and Hector hasn’t lost his spot.

I always make sure to ask the right questions and really understand the client and their home dynamic, creating their perfect design brief.

Anna is over the moon with the result, her exact words after it was delivered were “it’s now the perfect sofa”, and her family are equally delighted with the results, as is Hector! 

Anna now has the sofa shape and style she always wanted, while not having to deal with the hassle of having to dispose of this one and go shopping for a new one, as well as avoiding complaints from the family who happily now sit on the sofa.

I do the legwork so you don’t have to.

Do you have a sofa or chair that needs a little love to fulfil its potential, no matter what age or condition? Or do you have the perfect one, but it needs a little revamp, maybe the cushions have seen better days? Drop me a line for an initial, no-obligation quote by filling in the online contact form. Alternatively, you can email me directly at hello@test.vintiqueupholstery.com or call me on 07764 182 783.