Good Questions: Can I just reupholster the cushions?

An email from Sharon:
I recently acquired an old couch and the cushion foam needs to be replaced as well as the cushion fabric as it is a bit worn. I'm afraid that I won't find a fabric that is a good match, as the couch is old and from the 50's or 60's.

My question is, should I go with the closest that I can find or should I reupholster the whole thing in new fabric?

I don't know how strange it would look if the cushion fabric was a little off from the rest of the couch in color or texture. I would like to salvage it in any way possible as the couch really appeals to me. Any advice?

Thanks!

We vote for a total reupholster or a totally different color for the cushions. We wouldn't go for a match at all.

If you are putting the money/effort into the reupholstery job it just seems worthwhile to get the whole piece redone - of course it will cost more but you will basically have a new sofa instead of just new cushions. It seems like it will be a pricy job though (lots of fabric involved, that tufted back). If you really love the lines and have a vision for the sofa in your place, we say go for the whole job...

If you opt for just new cushions we would stay away from trying to match it - we'd go for a nice, funky color combo. We'd look for a similar fabric texture and weight but opt for a off-beat color choice.

Suggestions, ideas and advice from the AT:Chicago design minds kindly requested below!

Comments (5)

It would be very hard to come up with a good match to the original fabric, and I am not a big fan of multiple fabrics on the same piece.
I think it would be better to do a slip cover for the whole sofa. They are not as hard to do as you might think, although they do require a bit more work than is often shown on the DIY shows.

As someone who's done both projects, I can tell you that tailored slipcovers require as much fabric as reupholdering does--and near as much work. Making slipcovers is a big project, but it only needs a sewing machine, whereas in upholstery projects you can quickly get into needing a bunch of more specialized tools (though you could get pretty darn far with just a staple gun). Making slipcovers is less of a commitment, as far as projects go--if you have to put the project down in the middle, you can still use the couch!

The prefab, one-cut-fits-all slipcovers that only goes over the seats and between the cushions use less fabric, and are certainly less effort, but they also inevitably slip around a lot. If you want a tidy looking sofa you'll be forever tucking and rearranging.

With a couch like the one in the picture, you could take sort of a hybrid approach. Buy two matching sofa-sized prefab slipcovers. Take the cushions off the couch and put one slipcover over the piece. Then deconstruct the second slipcover and use the fabric to make tailored covers for the cushions...

It looks mighty comfy--here's hoping you can find a way to spiff it up to your liking.

If you decide to reupholster the whole thing, which I recommend, you can do a bit of restyling as well -- such as replacing the square tufts on the back with buttons or replacing cushion foams, etc. You'll get a brand new sofa exactly suited to your taste that will last years to come.

a lot of times, on pieces of this vintage, the back isn't tufted, but a faux tuft, foam cut with lines into it, onto which the fabric is stiched. i can't tell from the picture, but it looks like it might be this kind of back. if so, the price of upholstery goes way down, as a true tucked and tufted back will cost a bucket of money.
you could have an upholsterer come look at it and give you an opinion and price. that's what i would do. good luck!

I just got chairs back from the upholsterer. What a great feeling! They're brand new. If you can afford it, definitely re do the whole thing. You'll be soooo happy!
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