Dear Melissa:
I recently inherited a beautiful 1823 American Empire loveseat. Unfortunately, it clashes with our carpeting. The piece is a gold-camel color, but the carpet is a lovely kind of mauve…What do we do? Reupholster or re-carpet? What would you do in an established room? C.D., UT
Dear C.:
First of all, is the fabric on the loveseat original upholstery? If so, I’d get it appraised before you inadvertently destroy the value. If not, consider which is in worse condition. If they are equal, work the numbers to see which cost is the lesser of two evils. You’re in the same ballpark with an inexpensive carpet and an excellent upholsterer.
Must you reupholster? Does the loveseat clash with all of the furniture in the room? Get out your crayon box. Could you incorporate the loveseat into a color scheme like mauve/burgundy/gold, or mauve/slate blue/yellow, or mauve/periwinkle/turquoise/yellow? If you can’t work it in, I should caution you that while gold is still popular and historic, mauve --while outdated -- refuses to die. A similar shade of pink is comning in. M.A.K.
