apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I suggest new cushions and a new coffee table. I also think it might be good to keep one sofa and the chair and get two new chairs to replace one of the sofas. I am not big on having every peice match. If you did two nice upholstered arm chairs it would vary the look a bit and make it less golden girls.

I think new cusions AND get a new sofa. The matched set of three all together is a little overmuch, in my opinion. You don't have to get rid of everything though -- consider moving some pieces to another part of the house.

I'd keep just the chair. It has more detail and character, which let it pass indoors. The entire set makes it look much more like patio furniture.

If you like the sofa, keep it! So long as you don't go with pink floral for the new cushions, I think you'll be fine on the grandma front. Maybe a crazy punk rock bold pattern if you're really worried about it...

I love the set. If you love it, keep it and update based on your desires.

-Jean

PS Your friend has bad manners.

To heck with your 'friends,' who don't know wicker from bamboo - do *you* like the sofa? If *you* are looking for a change, I think it should be to reduce the amount of wood/brown shades in this room. You could do this a couple ways:

1. Get a big area rug and some coordinating pillows, possibly with bits of brown in it that match the chairs/table. (I'd do this personally because I like the color of your furniture more than that of the floor.)

2. Paint the furniture to match the cusions (new or existing, though I'm leaning toward new.)

I'd lose the couch, keep the chair but perhaps as a corner piece and get a new couch and 2 ocassional chairs.

If you like it then keep it. Who cares what others think. I think the bigger question is what type of fabric to use if you get new cushions. I wouldn't go with floral because that will heighten the "grandma" look.

I say if you like the sofa and it works for you and your space, then keep it and just get the new cushions.

(Also, I like the top of your coffee table, but hate the legs. I would take off the top and put it on a more modern, metal base.)

I enjoy your sofas and chair - but not the coffee table.

I'd have new cushions made up in one of those chic new bold trellis-patterned fabrics - have the upholsterer do boxed cushions with welts to dress it up. I'd also replace the table with an old trunk or an antique asian import and play up the Tiki/South Seas/World Traveler vibe...

If you are looking to get an updated feel -- then do new cushions and maybe even paint the rattan, just like other things it's amazing what a new feel a small change can make.

Your friends are right: Lose the couches. Getting new cushions is not cheap and this set appears a bit dated. But the coffee table is lovely. I speak from experience: I held onto a couch until recently and I'm thrilled my friends talked me out of reupholstering.

I like this room just the way it is. Tell your 'friends' to decorate their homes the way they want and leave yours alone.

I would paint the sofas and chair black, then see how you feel about it. I had several pieces that I thought were terrible until I painted them.

Those are beautiful..not dated no, no always chic.

If you go into some of the decorator showrooms in any mart you will find these and they are expensive. I have seen quit a few times in many of the beautiful vacation villas in Hawaii, Mexico, South America where I have stayed over the years.

New cushions for sure, I do agree with breaking them up a bit just by moving the chair elsewhere and adding an upholster chair (only if you have one) or solid fabric on the sofa and stripes on the loveseat in a similar color family.

I like the coffee table, I would get a beautiful vase and fill with flowers and a special object you like and candles.

Look into sumbrella fabrics lots of great stripes- these are expensive but this give the idea
http://www.sinapearson.com/spec/1061
http://www.chellatextiles.com/Textfab/stripes.html

Discounted-
http://www.sunbrellacentral.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=SC&Category_Code=new54str

If your main concern is maneuvering a large sofa into the space, I suggest an armless sectional. I have a great armless sectional (love seat chaise) from Craigslist (orig Pottery Barn). It was a piece of cake to get up my very narrow winding staircase and in through a small entryway (old school townhouses were not made for today's oversized furniture). You could separate the pieces and use two love seats across or the chaise across from a love seat, etc. then maybe the ottoman as the third chair or a slipper chair could offer up some nice contrast.

I'm not a huge fan of wicker actually - it always looks uncomfortable or like it belongs on the patio.

You clearly liked the sofas enough to want to keep them and replace the cushions - so forget your friend and do what will make YOU happy!

Consider recovering the cushions in a warm color (oranges, red, golds) - think sunset in Hawaii. Guaranteed to warm up your apt...

Keep your sofa. If you like it and it's comfortable and fits into your space, there is no reason you should change to make other people happy. Also, in a few years, all those people who collect the mid century stuff are going to be paying handsomely for bamboo.

I would get rid of, or store, the chair and loveseat. With the larger sofa, I would spray paint the bamboo in a color (the place you use a little)...maybe a high shine deep red. You could use a graphic black and white printed fabric for new cushion covers, with better pillows.
Then, I would purchase two matching chairs to site across from the sofa (that would simplify the door/fit dilemna).
I don't hate the coffee table, but you could dress it up with a tray (maybe the same color as the sofa frame?) and maybe a low potted plant of some sort.
Throw some art & a mirror on the wall, maybe a rug underneath the furniture, a couple of lamps..... then things will look great.

Good Luck!

Don't listen to your friends. Jonathan Adler could make this hip, and so can you. If you like the rattan, then it is worth reupholstering. "Simple" and "graphic" are the key concepts here.

You want box-style cushions. This will give you a much more high end look. Use a solid canvas fabric -- anything but white or cream. Something rich -- gold, orange, bright pink, red, green? Something you like. You could also add contrast piping, if you like. Then add a few pillows in a bold, graphic print. No small patterns or details.

As others noted, it would be best to mix this up a bit. Get rid of some of the rattan, and replace it with other types of furniture, and other materials. Metal, wood, plastic, upholstery. You want varied textures. It is more interesting if everything does not match.

As for the items you get rid of... use them in other rooms. You could use the chair or loveseat in a bedroom... or outside if you have a sheltered area. It can also be painted (enamel porch paint for outside). Same principles of simple and graphic.

The coffee table screams 1970s first apartment! You must do something with that. Chunky, shiny, and odd finish color. Semi-gloss paint would help, but this rustic style would be better elsewhere (outside? or donated?).

In California, "I'll just put it outside" is the justification for keeping all kinds of odd items...!

Personally, I love sofas like that. I'd re-cover the cushions with Hawaiian bark cloth.

But I wouldn't have a matched set -- THAT's what looks old-fashioned, not the rattan.

If you like the bamboo, get new cushions in a mid-century modern or other sober, serious, boxy style, to tone down any grandmotherliness. I think the cushions you have now are too smooshy and rounded to really work, even if you re-cover. What if you did very rectangular, boxy pads in different shades of gray or blue or olive green or something? Maybe a subtle pinstripe in one of them? I think that would look sophisticated and nice. If you wanted to go in a different direction, you could paint the bamboo a shiny black and get cushions in a adorable crazy pattern. This may not be your style. But if you want to look at examples, there are a million examples of this sort of before-and-after on designsponge, and elsewhere on the internets.

It would also be nice to mix up the pieces with other furniture of different styles, and put at least one of these pictured in a different room/configuration, as others have suggested.

If you actually DO have outdoor space, these would be perfect for that - at least one of them! Then you could get cushions in a cute outdoor fabric.

And I agree that your friends have bad manners! It's YOUR house! Keep what you love!

if you like it, keep it.

your bamboo mcguire, or mcguire style, sofas were part of the look that defined california style in the 1970's (hence your friend's comments about their stylish grandmas). what your friends don't know is that these 1970's pieces, along with baker and michael taylor designs, are again becoming stylish and quite collectible.

you are now ahead of the curve.

I agree with arroyo that box style cushions are a good idea. I would also consider changing up the look by doing single-cushion seats (and possibly backs) on the sofas. It's a little hard to tell exactly what your style is from the photo, but the sky's the limit in terms of fabric. I might even pick, say, 3 different colors and use them differently on the 2 sofas.

Sorry people are putting down the coffee table. Once the sofas are sorted, it can be accessorized accordingly, it just looks really sparse in the photo. Don't know if that's how it always looks or not but it could some colorful arrangement of objet, books & possibly a runner.

PS-sounds like your friends are projecting their Grandma issues onto your furniture...

New friends!

I agree with the above posters. I would lose one of the sofas and get another armchair. Then maybe paint the bamboo (black), reupholster the cushions in a fun, colorful fabric and get a great area rug to tie it all together. There's a lot of potential.

I love the sofas; the chair looks uncomfortable to me. I'd move it to a bedroom and invest in a comfortable, modern chair to offset the vintage-y of the sofas. and I'd recover the sofas (again, not matching). A lot of people are saying to paint the bamboo, but I'd only do that if it were damaged in some way.

Finally, no offense to your other half, but the coffee table does not go. It looks kind of heavy and medieval to me.

The wicker is cool, don't get rid of it! Looks like you have a 3-piece sectional and an armchair, correct? Move the armchair elsewhere for now. A glass-topped metal coffee table would add more elements to your space - there is a lot of rattan/wicker going on. Put down a low pile area rug to anchor and soften - something graphic with bold color will draw attention to your gorgeous floors. looks like you're a musician, and your equipment is beautiful - go with those colors. Play with the furniture placement a bit - the angle and face-to-face seating is working already. You're a natural at this, and it's always wise to seek opinions until to find one you like! Good luck.

Your answer:

GUITAR FABRIC! example:

http://www.tonicliving.co/productsdetails.asp?productid=431

You have some great bones there...I like the couch, parquet floors, and blank walls...you just need something to tie it together and at the same time make it work with the way you use the room. I think using the guitars and amps as inspiration, you could do something really cool there.

You had a New Years party. I see all your musical instruments and assume you like to have people over! The thing about stuff, is the more you own, the more it owns you. If you spend $5k on new sofas in cream ultrasuede, you might not want people having fun and drinking red wine on it. You can go ahead and upgrade, it will look great in photos, but it will change your life.

I'm biased because I have two of the same pieces (the couches, with a curved corner section between them) in my house and I love them to pieces.

The lines are gorgeous, and I'd recommend painting the frames to emphasize them. (Mine are ivory - someday they'll be gloss black to contrast against the pale gray floor.) You definitely need better-tailored cushions to avoid looking sloppy. (Mine are sharply rectangular, red with black piping.)

If you don't want the pieces, drop me a line @gmail. Or drop me a line if you want pics of how mine look, which I like to think is sophisticated and fabulous.

Lose the friend, keep the sofa. And worry less what rude people think. Me included.

I really like your furniture! Especially if it works with your space. It's kind of cool. I don't even think you need to replace the coffee table. Just add something visual -- flowers, plant, tray (I'm not the first to suggest any of these items).

I say replace the fabric or cushions only, just keep it tailored and sharp (no florals, as others have said). Arroyo suggests "box-style cushions", and I totally agree. I also like the suggestion of an area rug. :)

I'm not sure what your budget is, but I have a 29" hallway leading into my apartment so I had a tough time finding couches that work. If you're looking for something cheap that will fit, I bought a couch from Jennifer Convertibles and I've been super happy with it (it comes with the hideous pillows but they're neutral on the other side...I still bought different ones):
http://promotions.jenniferfurniture.com/promo_newyorker_package.php

I like your bamboo though, so if you like it I'd keep it. No sense in wasting a perfectly good couch just to put your friends' mocking at ease. They don't have to look at it every day...you do!

Keep the sofas; ditch the friends.

You need to add color somehow.
Add a rug, color on the walls, perhaps new upholstery on the sofas & chair. Don't make the stuff match, but make the pieces complement each other. The "throw" pillows that are currently on the couches are too big.

If your friends are there for the decor, you may have to just meet them elsewhere, or change the friends instead of the decor:) On the toher hand, they may have made a valuable point--if the bamboo is old-world, perhaps you shouldn't try to mix it up with ultra modern or ultra-american-living styles.

Some suggestions for a budget:
1. The style of the sofas is open, ethnic, 'world market,' colonial. Be faithful to it without losing individuality or functionality.
2. If you MUST keep the coffee tale as it is, try moving it elsewhere to use as a low-level console or TV table. Get a different coffee table--(a) you could get two smaller ethnic/moroccan style table from either Cost Plus Worldmarket or Pier 1 Imports. Or even an old wood and metal style table such as those at sandiegorustic.com. (b) if you can splurge, get the Seguro coffee table from Crate and Barrel (exposed metal and pieced wood with plenty of texture and wood variation). Whatever you do, don't make the coffee table cover too much of the floor or the base reach the floor (hence, ottomans that are solid and sit like hunks on the floor won't help your sofas' airy feel.)

3. Get a dhurrie (Indian rug) or a Middle eastern wool rug for your seating area. It will tie together the sofas. Make it large enough. Add throw pillows or throws in natural fibers and glowing tones to the sofas, to coordinate with the dhurrie or rug.

4. Get rid of the chaise/daybed and move the two-eater or the single chair over to that corner. Put a floor lamp beside it and a potted plant, and make it a reading corner. Add a floor pillow and it could be a tete-a-tete.Regardless of what you do, the navy chaise lounge does not contribute to the view.

5. Essentially, over time, you should PULL TOGETHER the feel of the room. Don't have random throw pillows. make a palette . Add objects of interest--a good floor lamp, a moroccan pendant lamp or floor lantern,etc.

6. DEMARCATE areas, with the rug as mentioned before, with old wood side tables (an option is the Walker Bedside table from Pottery Barn, going for $150 now) or large natural material floor vases (try Crate and Barrel again, or Pier 1 or even your local artists), or tall real or faux plants.

7. REARRANGE the furniture, so that when you sit down, there is a focal point, which is not the TV. Keep the TV in one corner, and have an open wood shelving unit as your 4th 'wall' for the seating area, with decorative pieces , plants, books, music system, photographs, artwork above it.

8. Whatever you do, make sure you'll like living with it for a while, otherwise the effort to change won't be worth it.

I love wicker, rattan and bamboo furniture! You should keep it if you like it. Maybe update it with some paint or just recover the cushions. It's your place, you have to live in it, not your friends! Oh, and I've been seeing these sets selling for a lot on craigslist lately, so definitely hold onto it!

Why does everyone think MCM is the only possible style? It's like junior high here sometimes.

You like the furniture. If you like it, keep it. I happen to like it, too.

I'd recover the cushions in something unexpected and out of style, like a bright blue checked pattern. One piece could be covered in two tones of a bright solid to liven up the room. A floral pattern is too Florida/Hawaii themed. A non-patterned neutral fabric would be boring. The extra throw pillows aren't really needed and add clutter to a small room. The pieces will look fresher if they look neat and tailored. I'd toss the throw pillows.

Could your significant other be talked into cutting the coffee table into two tables, and instead of the Hobbit-style legs, adding metal legs? You could then have two acceptable end tables instead of one really homely coffee table.

I agree with the ones who said your friends have bad manners. You should go with what you feel, and I would be careful about going into debt at this time just because your friends think you should get new living room furniture. Your furniture looks fine and you could have fun just tweaking it a bit.

I agree with others if you like it that's all that matters. Go with your original plan change the cushions!

Also, let us see the after results! I'm sure it will look great.

Design Sponge had a "before and after" that was sort of like this. I loved the end result. Click on the link and scroll down a bit until you see the yellow and white furniture.

http://www.designspongeonline.com/category/before-and-after/page/6

Bamboo is always popular, it never goes out of style.
I agree with others to spice it up with a spicy color and accessories and some pattern in the room.

The table is a whole other story.
You must be in true love! ;-)

The rattan sofa frames are just fine! Do up new cushions in a kicky, graphic fabric (or fabric combo.) Move the chair elsewhere and consider replacing the coffee table with something less clunky-woody ... let the new cushion fabric guide you on that.

I have bamboo too. I plan on keeping it because I have pets, grandkids and the covers are washable; very easy to maintain.Keep it and enjoy!

Oops, didn't see b4 commenting that your better half made the table ...

In that case, I retract my clunky-woody statement. It's absolutely gorgeous, carved out of love, and should never be replaced.

(People and pets are ALWAYS more important than a piece of furniture.)

Oh I forgot to mention if you do have new cushions made I would have two bottom (seat) cushions instead of three and two large back cushions made for the sofa in proportion to the the seat cushions and over all in scale to the sofa- it will look more tailored and proportioned. On the loveseat one bottom (seat) cushion and two back seat cushions like you have now. This will add some style and simplicity.



I agree with healthyhome very early california style which was created by Michael Taylor Designs. I would play this in a new way.
Do not do the Hawaiian style fabric too Kitsch or exaggerated.

I am interested to see what you do..I love to have those bamboo frames.

Wow. So many responses.

My husband and I do like these sofas (they are his). I grew up in Cali in the 70's so I guess they feel familiar to me. The frames are in excellent condition, so I would really rather not paint them. Plus this NYC apartment doesn't have any outside access and it's too cold to open the windows. The cushions though, are literally disintegrating underneath us.

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions.

Time for fabric shopping. Any suggestions for online fabric stores? NYC is way overpriced.

Oh and my friends are not really rude, I brought it up and like family, they told me the truth. So after looking around at the limited options available, I realize how special these are.

You should sell your amp to my son and use the $ to pay for the fabric. :-)

I would LOVE to see one large bottom cushion and one large top cushion for both the sofa and love seat. With all the lines and angles of the bamboo, I think it would help to have less lines with the cushion. And I love LOVE the blue fainting couch and the orange amp colors...take them and run with them in the room.

I thing what you already have is ok. Kool in fact! I'll probably repicate some of your ideas myself in my own humble crib. Functionally comfortable, kinda casual. Maybe a little more 'art'...posters, paintings, etc.

Bamboo, sustainable yes? keep it.

First, can I say... I LOVE the coffee table!

Second, who cares who has what anymore. Everyone is mid century crazy now, tomorrow it will be another trend. Home is about what feels good to you. As for the couch, I have the same problem with not being able to fit a proper couch in my apt, so I feel your pain. But I did some clever upholstering and no one recognizes I have a futon anymore. I think if you substituted two huge cushions (instead of 4 or 6), it might give a different feel. The only thing I'm not feeling in the room is the chair, too much of a 'set' vibe. A funky plush chair would round things out nicely, and not make things look too wicker heavy. Good luck, and please... keep that awesome table! cheers

Keep the sofa and ditch the rude friends!

I love the coffee table and something someone makes for you should be kept.

As for the living set, it looks a little more like a patio set that something that should be inside a home. Since there are three pieces to it, maybe swap out one or two pieces...like maybe two comfy and more modern chairs instead of the loveseat and relocate the chair into another room.

My biggest problem with it is it's too much bamboo for one room - and it's pretty much the same shade as the coffee table and the floor. If you must keep the set, at least invest in a nice area rug and a table runner for the coffee table - plus new cushions. With the cushions, maybe mismatch them a little.

The bamboo set is classic. It will look more up-to-date if you repaint it in either glossy black or glossy Chinese red. You might want to experiment with matching the orange of that amp that sits in the background. If you use red or orange, consider doing a black undercoat and letting the black show through on the knots and joints. I saw some red bamboo poles at Pier One that had this paint treatment and it looked amazing. Then you can take your new cushions in a more modern direction, perhaps with a hint of Parisian Chinoiserie.
I agree with others. Your friends could certainly be more polite in expressing their opinions.

Definitely new cushions this set has so much potential and is unique. Also you have the chance to make it very personal to you and your "better Half" go for it and have fun.

I just stumbled across this while doing a search about reupholstering a rattan sofa. My fiance has this furniture in a blonde finish in his sun room. I think it's very retro and goes really well with his split level lake house. And, it's amazingly comfortable.
Personally, I would not fight the tropical/Asian style it suggests. If you want to go over the top with that sort of thing, there are plenty of tropical prints available in every color way you can imagine. There are also much more subtle trellis or tone on tone fern or leaf patterns that you could choose for a more sophisticated take on it.
That appears to be the original finish, so unless it's damaged, I'd leave it alone. This furniture is becoming highly collectible, so think twice before you do anything permanent to change the rattan/bamboo.
I think there may be a bit too much of a good thing with the two sectional pieces and the chair. You could move the chair elsewhere and just add an upholstered piece in a coordinating fabric. Or, you could save money by just using a solid colored fabric with a contrast piping on the chair, that picks up the colors on the sofas. I agree that box cushions with piping would dress things up.
I think you could paint the coffee table in a high gloss finish as an accent. I'd be tempted to go with a cinnabar color, and get some Chinese chests for side tables. It would give you storage, and a place for some brass Chinese ginger jar lamps.
Also, the guitars would be usable art if you bought hardware to hang them on the walls. It would also neaten up your space.
Then, you could have some pillows made out of the print fabric and put them on your chaise, along with a throw tossed over the chaise, in the same solid color that you used to cover the bamboo chair cushions. Add some throw pillows on the sofas, in coordinating solids and prints, and a big brass tray on the coffee table with a pair of brass candlesticks.
Put down an area rug--something with a Chinese medallion would work--and you'd have an Asian feeling and the room would be more cozy and pulled together. Maybe Granny would love it--but it wouldn't look like the Golden Girls.