Dear Melissa:
We just moved into a new house and our living room furniture looks really tired. It was fairly expensive when we bought it. We don’t know whether we should reupholster it, have slipcovers made, or just start over. We need a professional opinion. P.T., OH
Dear P.:
This is really a question of budget and the condition of the chair frames. I don’t know how old your furniture is, but if the pieces are wobbly, the webbing beneath the seats is sagging, and the fabric is shredded, you should consider replacing them. Often, you can get a good buy during a local retail store’s seasonal sale.
You don’t have to buy new furniture, however; I have made some great purchases at auctions and consignment stores. Don’t be a snob about used furniture. You already own some. And let’s face it, what are pricey antiques anyway, but really used furniture? This may be the only way you can afford a fabulous piece of furniture, like a china cabinet.
I rarely suggest reupholstery to a client unless the piece of furniture has either a sentimental or an appraised value. Reupholstery, done properly, can be as costly as buying a brand new piece of furniture. This is because the workroom IS creating a new piece of furniture on the original frame. And trust me, craftsmanship counts here. So use the best, not the cheapest.
If the chair frames and seats are still good and provided that you select a reasonably-priced fabric, the least expensive thing to do is to use slipcovers. You can even change these seasonally.
Regarding secondhand furniture, one of my favorite things to do is to buy a $75 chair with fabulous lines, and slipcover it with $600 worth of fabric and trim. It looks like a million bucks while costing far less than a new custom chair. You can afford to be more extravagant with an inexpensive used chair. After all, no one has to know what’s under the skirt.
Once you know how far your budget will stretch, you might use a combination of strategies. M.A.K.
