Monday, June 23, 2014

Sofa Reupholstery Reveal

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I feel like this post should begin with theme music.  Who knew deciding to have the sofa reupholstered would be such a dramatic event.

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I inherited this sofa from my mom who passed away.  You can read more about the sofa's back story here.

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Although updating the sofa with pillows gave it a new look; my taste has changed.  I knew it was a temporary solution until I could afford to have it professionally reupholstered.

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The raised pattern was beautiful, but difficult to clean.  After all these years the sofa had begun to show its age.

Deciding on fabric for the sofa was a difficult decision.  It's important to choose fabric that is upholstery weight to provide durability to withstand daily use.  We don't eat on our living room sofa and we set a no-furniture rule for the dogs.  So choosing a light-colored fabric was suitable for our family.

The sofa required 20 yards(I ordered 22 and had enough for small makeover which I'll share later).  Upholstery fabric can be expensive.  Cost was a big factor in making my decision.  So when I came upon this quality Robert Allen fabric for under $20 a yard it was a done deal!  I love the texture of the linen.  I prefer neutral colors for a casual yet classic look.  I can always bring in color with pillows.

Now that you have all the details, I'm excited to share with you the finished sofa!



I removed the larger pillows to improve the look of the sofa.  The small change makes the sofa appear larger.  For now they're stored away.  I couldn't part with them for sentimental reasons.

The pillows are temporary until I finish updating the room. 


But I love this Thibaut fabric, so it's likely to stay.

I absolutely love the new fabric on the sofa.  It looks brand new and professionally done.  Reupholstering was worth the cost to update the look of my mom's beloved sofa.



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48 comments:

  1. It's so worth it Brandi and to think it's a sofa from your mother too!!! Love the fabric you chose, very versatile indeed! Glad you made the move too!

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  2. I love it! The new fabric is beautiful and I love that it's so sentimental too. :)

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  3. WOW Brandi what a great job...I love the new fabric!

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  4. It looks fabulous Brandi! Love the fabric you chose. And, can so understand not wanting to part with the original pillows. I have a feeling you will find a way to use them in another project.

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  5. It's beautiful! Very nice fabric. I love that you are keeping your mom's sofa. Interestingly enough, a very similar sofa still sits in my parent's house.

    Also, I think you did a great job with the temporary update you originally did with the pillows. I thought that was the after shot until I scrolled down!

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  6. Love the new look of your mom's sofa! It's amazing how different types of fabric can change the appearance. You chose a great color and texture. I'm sure your mom would approve. And you'll be able to change the overall atmosphere of the room just by switching out some of your fabulous pillows that you've made.

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  7. Congratulations! I know this is truly a big deal! Picking out fabric can be so stressful. Looks like you did a great job. Your newly reupholstered couch is beautiful! Have fun decorating!
    Sherry
    xoxo

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  8. Beyond special. That was such a great idea to change the fabric. Very special.

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  9. What a great story, the couch was beautiful before with the details, but I do understand about cleaning it. I looks great, did you do it yourself, if so I need lessons, lol!

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  10. Looks great! I wish we had a "no dogs on the couch" rule here, LOL!

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  11. I never knew fabrics can be this expensive, wow. Your sofa now looks contemporary stylish and modern. But may be I have old fashioned taste, I actually prefer your mother's original fabric and pattern.

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  12. It looks beautiful and knowing the history behind it makes it all the more wonderful.

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  13. Gorgeous!!! After I leave your blog I want to redo my whole house!

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  14. It looks like a brand new sofa and so good that you could keep it and have memories of your Mother.

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  15. Wow, I love that you still were able to keep it in memory of your mom. That is perfect. Bonus is that it turn out so great!

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  16. Very very nice my mom did one from a sofa she found on the streets she did an awesome job but not as good as this. She would probably adopt you and get rid of me if she was alive.

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  17. Looks gorgeous. So special to keep in the family.

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  18. It looks so so so good.
    And I'm sorry about your mom.

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  19. Brandi
    I love the linen fabric you chose.
    I think it's wonderful you are able to have your Mom's sofa! It has to remind you of many good times you had together.

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  20. Brandi - your new-to-you sofa is awesome in its new attire. Love it!

    Thank you so much for visiting, and for your sweet comments.

    I hope to get to know you better.

    Look forward to see more and more of you fun new changes. : - )

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  21. What a fantastic makeover and love that you've managed to give your mum's sofa a new lease of life

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  22. Brandi, I honestly thought your before picture was the one at the top of your post! It looked so pretty with all those plumped-up pillows!

    Your redo looks great! The tailored fabric complements the feminine pillows. So wonderful that you are keeping something of your mom's.

    Val @ artsybuildinglady.blogspot.ca

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  23. What an amazing idea! I didn't even know it was possible to give a sofa a complete make-over (maybe that's just not common in Germany) and I love the result. You chose a wonderful color and I want those pillows please, they are a great match! :)

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  24. Hi Brandi, Love the new sofa look. The fabric is gorgeous. What a wonderful makeover. The old pillows you saved are a treasure to keep. They look a bit like Euro shams that could be used on a bed.
    Love your pillows too.
    Happy Summer!
    Hugs

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  25. I love the texture and pattern from the "old" couch but the simpleness of the linen is wonderful also. Maybe with the bigger pillows you can make some colorful floor pillows for the kids and still get use out of them. :)

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  26. you've mentioned quite a few times how special this couch was to you, so i'm glad you have finally made it yours. love the new fabric choice.

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  27. Hi Brandi!

    This sofa looks like very cozy indeed!

    Hugs

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  28. Brandi,
    That looks like one comfy sofa. I really like the color, and the pillows add special charm to it. When my mom passed away, my sister was given her sofa and I got her table. These items are so precious from our loved ones, aren't they? I'm glad you got to keep your mom's sofa and did a little makeover on it. It looks great.

    ~Sheri

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  29. Oh I just love this story Brandi and of course that amazing sofa too!!! Furniture has seemed to joined the list of "throw away" and buy new these days, so sad. They really don't make it like they use too. To be able to breathe life back into a piece of family memorabilia is worth more than just the money.

    You have chose wonderful fabric and "dressed" her beautifully. Thank you so much for sharing, Brandi...

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  30. I love that it was your mom's, I'd be just as sentimental. It turned out beautiful, the fabric is perfect and what a great deal, too! :)

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  31. Brandi, your "new" sofa looks great. I love the fabric choice and the new color scheme. I too thought the top pic was the reveal. I like that look too. It's wonderful to be able to keep a piece that is so dear to your heart and yet recreate it so that it matches with the direction you and your family have chosen for your own space. Your mom would definitely be proud knowing that you are doing that. :-)

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  32. It looks beautiful Brandi, love the fabric choice.

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  33. You've done an excellent job with the selection of fabrics while maintaining the style. As I've said before, I'd love if you'd start selling those pillows.

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  34. You did well in choosing that fabric. So neutral and now a sofa that will serve you for years to come. I like the pillows too, but with that sofa fabric, any color pillows will work, you can even change them with the season. xox

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  35. Love the fabric you chose...it's so neutral and will be easy to work with. I love that this sofa was your mom's...it turned out wonderful ;)

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  36. I'm not sure how I ended up missing this post, but I love the new look of your sofa. It's beautiful!

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  37. it turned out beautifully! And that Taibaut fabric on the pillow is fab-U-lous! Such a lovely way to preserve rich memories, but make things work for your own life. I love it! Well done lady.
    Marian

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  38. it does look brand new and super comfy too!

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  39. The sofa looks wonderful Brandi!Looking good!

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  40. I absolutely love the couch!! It looks brand new, but yet I love the sentimental meaning behind it. I know your mommy is smiling:) So sweet.

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  41. I love the fabric. I think that you did a great job choosing the fabric. This makes it much easier to decorate. And please don't ever buy a blue sofa. I am just kidding. I actually made the mistake of doing that. Thanks for sharing this.

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  42. My sofas are beat down. But with two toddlers and a puppy, I won't be investing any time soon. Your project came out beautifully!

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  43. I'm sniffling. This is so sweet, Brandi. I'm really glad you were able to preserve the memories of this cherished sofa.

    My sister and I were discussing the merits of reupholstering vs. buying new this afternoon. In this case, of course, buying new was not an option. Seeing the upholstery job, though, has bolstered my argument for doing it.

    I hope you had a good weekend, and I hope you and your family are able to enjoy this beautiful "new" sofa for decades to come.

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  44. Both versions were and are gorgeous! I'm not sure why my feed didn't update! xoxo

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  45. Perfect choice! I like the pillows... are you going to change them?

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  46. Wow! You do good work!!

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  47. Such a beautiful sofa, and story Brandi. Its lovely that you have this very special family heirloom. All the best to you.
    Aim

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