Can't wait to see the suggestions, I have a one-seater chair in the same style and it really needs to be upholstered!

You could upholster it with a bright blue or purple velvet fabric. Paint the walls white and use gold and silver accessories. It has a lot of curves so you could mix round and straight edged accessories too. Good luck to you.

If you change the color of the wood on the frame to black paint or bleached wood would give it a more modern look if that is your style. Reupholstering it in a neutral linen blend fabric and getting rid of those decorative studs would also make it more modern. I like velvet fabrics but often they show butt prints of where people have sat.

I love the idea of a tweed for this. Masculine fabric with all those feminine curves? Fab.

black wood with a creamy Belgium linen

Are you doing the reupholstery yourself? If not, your second-hand bargain could end up costing you a considerable amount more than a new sofa! Why are you planning to overhaul it? What did you love about it in the first place? It may not be to every taste but it has a certain integrity as it stands – without a real vision about transforming it you could end up with little to show for your money and effort. Can you not experiment with cushions or throws for a while until you get to know what you do and don't value about it. If, after a few months nothing "speaks" to you, stick it on ebay and get your $180 back!

Keep the front and the cushions neutral (I like WelcomeReality's tweed idea) but then upholster the back with a fun pattern

Geographic pattern but I'd keep the wood as is; just clean them up and restain. Best of luck.

The upholstery looks like it's in pretty good shape. If the cost of reupholstering the whole thing is prohibitive, you could recover the only cushions and paint the wood. That would be much cheaper. For example, find a plain linen that goes with the existing velvet or possibly a bold pattern in a graphic black/white/ beige that works with the neutral velvet and do the cushions only (plus painting the frame)

Even crazier would be to find a bright colored bold print (that works OK with the existing beige), paint the wood one of the colors, and just do the cushions in the bold pattern.

Otherwise, I really like the black frame and natural linen suggestion.

I agree with the earlier comment that the sofa has a certain charm as it is. If the wood is in good shape, why paint it? And a trip to the upholsterer could prove cost-prohibitive. If you're going the DIY route, you might try painting the upholstery. AT has provided a few links to tutorials. (I'd go for a nice gray.)

Do not paint the wood unless it is damaged. I would do red mohair and a gold stain if you want to respect the original period design. Otherwise, I'd do a striped fabric and clear coat for the wood.

Red Mohair:
http://www.rubylane.com/item/332834-S-S2839/Carved-French-Tufted-Vintage-Sofa

Sriped Fabric:
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2dz1CN2U9B4/TfdW0QDgsLI/AAAAAAAAAek/sak2TlzNPDc/s1600/striped%2Bsofa.jpg

Must you reupholster it? I think it look just fine as it is. Just spice it up with some pillow cushions that go with the style your looking for. This also mean you wont get bored with one look because you can move from one look to another with ease. Just change the pillow cushion cover.

I kind of like it as it is! Looks to be in pretty nice shape. If anything, I would paint the wood back and get some bright, patterned throw pillows to change it up. Nice find!

I see it either black wood or silverleafed and a sedate Pan Am genre style blue fabric..

Not knowing what your personal style is, makes the suggestions feel a bit like we're all just tossing things from left field and hoping something would stick...

Yet, if that were my sofa, I would paint the frame a dark charcoal gray and then give it a waxed finish to add some luster and old wood charm. { I'm not a fan of that medium fruitwood tone, sorry.... }

I would upholster the body of the sofa { sides, back, arm rests, etc }, in a lovely neutral as other have mentioned. Either linen, duck cloth, sailcloth -- something of that sort. I would then upholster the seat and back cushions in a medium gray shade or light pattern that reads as a neutral, with the welting and tufting buttons being done in the body fabric. It would be crisp, add interest, keep the commitment level to a minimum,and still be a great backdrop for pillows and bursts of color.

I don't know so much about tweed as some people might not enjoy the feel of that fabric.

As for fabric color do a neutral that goes with the existing color palette that the room it will be in is, and then paint the trim with a nice bold accent color will great brass or silver nail heads. Everyone says "No, don't paint the wood!" I say, why not?! If you want to bring the integrity of the wood back, you can simply sand it down and stain it to look like the original. Have fun!

To the earlier points that reupholstering will be very expensive and the fabric's in good condition, here's what I'd do. I think it's the wood tone that makes it look stuffy. I'd paint the wood glossy white, keep the fabric (I think it looks quite nice), and add some unexpected pillows and a throw; maybe a houndstooth as suggested above or something from Anthropologie. If you can find a way to polish the nailheads, that would be great, too.

I would re-upholster with a great neutral Linen and have all the wood weathered as the Restoration Hardware furniture. I think you would get the most versatile use by making the sofa relevant and then using pillows and throws for your color blends and being able to change them up over time. Good luck.

Maybe just try to sand down the wood and go over it with a white or grey/beige chalk paint, to give it a "Dutch" kinda feel, if you know what I mean. Or you could try a glossy white or black. I don't think you necessarily have to re-upholster it, as the fabric seems to be in very good condition and the colour is a nice neutral beige.

If you really want to change the fabric, I'd go for a neutral beige or grey linen material, as some have mentioned in the comments above.

Good luck! :)

Nice links, Duane Hill.

IF you have the budget for new foam (in addition to new fabric), I recommend looking at Duane Hill's links, as well as investigating other examples of sofas with similar frames and then speaking with an upholsterer regarding options for the back pillows. I think the current back pillows are a little overwhelming and the double buttons seem to be creating an undesirable center crease in each.

I say "if" because I was recently surprised to learn how expensive upholstery foam is!

I would white wash the frame and use a rich chocolate brown fabric. Post pics would love to see what you decided to do with it. Good luck.

My first thought agrees with some of the other postings: what about the piece spoke to you enough to buy it? If you bought it specifically to reupholster, my personal opinion would be a fairly dark gray, in an easy-clean material. I would (sacrilege, I know) paint the wood black, then change out throw pillows by season or whim. Just about every other color goes with gray.

i can imagine this sofa in a coastal style. white frame and large stripes in white and a very light blue. viel spass

I can't speak on a fabric color unless I could see the room it's in...natural linen would be a good choice though. But please do something about that shiny finish! (Shudder). Otherwise I really like the style of that sofa. Nice buy.

It's hard to say as I don't know your style or colors you like, there a lot of choices depending on many parameters. I will suggest to look in hgtv page in designer's portfolio, you can get a lot of inspirations there or just simple as type SOFA in google image search. If you want to add a shick element make it with solid color velvet and finish it with shiny nails, the color of wood would be contrasting with the fabric. or make it white on white with silver nails!!!!!!!!!!!
good luck and waiting to see what will you decide to do!

@isabelledepointe-claire - I also have a chair in this exact style, and had it recovered in bright orange velvet. I love it! So does our cats :)
<img src='http://media-cache-ec2.pinterest.com/upload/69665125456142712_v3Hf9I9W_c.jpg' border='0' width='554' height ='418'/>

I agree with keeping it the way it is and just to just use some really fun, unexpected pillows. It looks like it's in great condition.

Like AnnieDAFG, I think the fabric looks good but the timber does it no favours. White or silver would be great with the beige and a paint job would be MUCH cheaper than upholstery. But just sanding back the timber might be enough to give it a fresher look, depending on what colour it is under the ugly stain.

thanks MasikFromCalifornia! I'll consider the orange!

How about something completely different and eclectic. Go for a Southwestern look. Use a distressed suede or leather (can be real of faux) in a warm/neutral color. Upholster it with larger more rustic nail heads and refinish the wood frame in a darker cooler gray/brown stain in a matt finish. You could also do the welt (or cording) in a contrast color.
most of all, have fun!