Monday, November 30, 2009

A Simple Sofa Makeover

This sweet little sofa is part of a makeover project that is nearing completion.

I'm a big advocate of using pieces that my clients already have if the pieces work with the design. It's cost effective by freeing up some of the overall project budget to apply to new pieces. This can be tricky though, because you could spend more money redoing something than you would if you just purchased a new piece, so make sure you weigh the options of redoing versus buying new before you spend the time or money. When the piece is worth revamping and when done right, the results can be very rewarding to your design and your wallet.

Here you can see my drawing for the new design of the sofa. It's all in the details! Small changes to this very traditional piece have transformed it into a transitional delight. I removed the skirt and heavy bullion fringe. These two things, alone, cleaned up the lines dramatically. Then I selected new fabric and sent this little baby off to the upholsterer. I changed the traditional pleating on the arms to a classic nailhead detail and replaced the oversized brush fringe pillows with an extra long kidney pillow with contrasting French cord. These details also aided in cleaning up the lines.
The value in redoing existing pieces extends further than just saving money, you will also have a custom piece of furniture that no one else has.
Don't skimp on the details. Here you can see a close up of the nailhead work. Adding custom touches like this make all the difference in the world!

You might have a really cool piece of furniture hiding under ugly fabric, dated finishes or boring details, so, take a look around at your old pieces and try to envision them in a new light.
Once this project is complete I will proudly show you the makeover...it is fantastic!
Here is another little sneak peek of this project.
Check back soon!
*click on images for a closer look*

4 comments:

Victoria said...

Wow, what a difference a little fabric can make!

Judy said...

i love everything about it. xoxox

Maria@Live Beautifully said...

Thanks Judy B!

Maria@Live Beautifully said...

Thank you for your comment Victoria!