It sounds like your style supports the reupholstery option. If you like it and it's comfy for you, keep it! You can definitely find complementary fabrics so the two pieces aren't matchy-matchy. Good luck!

These look like quality pieces, and I like the lines too. I would reupholster, although I do like the navy velvet...

The first one looks like it's still in shape, maybe get the smaller one done and see if you like it? And then if you don't like it so much you can buy one new couch and keep the one you have had reupholstered. You can save money buying fabric from the manufacturer or at an outlet fabric shop.

I vote reupholster with complementary fabrics also :-) Perhaps a solid for the sofa (add some fun printed throw pillows) and a print for the loveseat.

I say go ahead and redo them, but I'd make them both the same color. In the long run you will be happier.

It really depends on the quality and how structurally sound they are. If reupholstering will give you pieces that will last as long as what you could buy new for the same money, go for it.

I love the lines, and I don't think that you would find anything new (unless you have a large budget) as attractive. I agree with Mid-C Frank that both should be in the same fabric, with different accent pillows. FWIW, I have never regretted reupholstering anything. Just this year I redid the cushions on a sofa with 100% feathers. That was definitely worth every penny. Now that I think while I type, the only furniture regrets concern a few slip covers made with nice fabrics. I don't think that I would do that again. If you don't sew yourself or get a really good deal on the fabric, slipcovers are a false economy. I would love to hear about the reupholstery estimates and the fabic that you go with.

IMO...a upholstery project is an investment in a piece that you LOVE and KNOW for sure you want to keep it for a long time. It sounds like you are not 'sold' on the thought of keeping these sofas for a long time...sounds like your heart wants NEW pieces....keep shopping and take the sofas to a consignment shop..someone will find them and LOVE them.
g'day! : )

The lines of the pieces are beautiful and it would be hard to find something new that would also be affordable. So, reupholster. Find a neutral fabric, and two complementary ones. Upholster both the sofa and love seat bodies in the neutral fabric. Then have the cushions for the sofa done in the neutral fabric on one side and one of the complementary fabrics on the other. Have the cushions for the love seat done with the neutral on one side and the 2nd complementary fabric on the other. Use the neutral for the edges of the cushions and the piping and it will tie everything together. This way, you can tone both down by facing the neutral side of the cushions up, or get wild and embrace your eclectic self by turning the complementary side up on one or both! It could be very FUN.

I would reupholster. I have shopped for new sofas and it was disheartening.

I vote to reupholster! They do have great lines and I really love the wooden base. I think if you did them in two different colors, it would look terrific. I just got my living room furniture last week and opted to get the loveseat and chair in a different color fabric from the sofa and I really love it. It gives the room a bit of variety, yet the pieces coordinate well. I chose a darker color for the smaller pieces and they help anchor the room, which is long and narrow and would look like a bowling alley otherwise.

If you don't like what is currently available, and the cost is about the same, why not rescue a piece you already know you like, which fits well in your space, and save it from the landfill?

Having a sofa reupholstered can be more expensive that just buying a new one. I got an estimate on having one done and it was close to $2000. That being said, I think this sofa has a great shape and could be great in the right fabric. I'm not into matchy furniture so if I decided to reupholster, I would give one to a consignment shop or Goodwill and have the other one reupholstered. Two big sofas that look the same in the room would be expensive and be a bit boring.

Ask your local upholsterer if they will give you a discount for paying cash. Newer couches don't seem to be contructed as well as older ones, anyway. In fact, I have two loveseats and a sofa (Ethan Allen) from 1980 that are still very comfortable and in great shape. They are slip-covered right now but I plan on re-upholstering them when funds allow.

Reupholster! It's quite hard to find anything new as well-built as older furniture. Disheartening is the perfect description for new furniture.

The shape is beautiful.... if the reupholstery price tag is not criminal i'd definetely go for it.

Get a couple of estimates. It may be more cost effective to buy new (there ARE well made upholstered pieces still being made). I might be that for less than it would cost to reupholster both, you get a new sofa and a pair of chairs. Or pick one piece to have reupholstered and replace the other.

I'm squarely in the reupholster camp. My folks have had the same sofa for over 35 years and have reupholstered it twice. Each time it looks nicer and nicer. Complementary fabrics is a great idea -- though the navy velvet is really fun.

It is a lovely sofa, with good bones. Re-upholster it.

Upholstery fabric is very expensive but great deal can be found on-line or in good fabric shops- not generic ones like Jo-ann.

Really good couches with good fabric proper kiln dried wood frames and three-way tied springs are really can more expensive than you think. All to common are fibreboard arms and inexpensive fabric.

I have sat on friends' couches where the cushions tip up if you don't sit right in the middle of one. One bragged that her very stiff sofa was a STEAL!

I would get a new one. The sagging is showing that it is becoming structurally unsound. I think it will be less expensive in the long run, and you can find some great new pieces.

Re-upholster! They're beautiful.

If you're worried about being too matchy, I would just do the sofa, and get some chairs to replace the loveseat.

Those are some beautiful couches - I'd reupholster.

Also try to see if a local interior or fashion design school has some students who'd be willing and able to do it. Students are eager to learn, eager to please, and will work at a cut rate.

I like the shape of these pieces, but I would worry about the sagging - it seems like it indicates some structural problem, and those are usually expensive to fix, if they even can be. You could try getting quotes from upholsterers before making a decision, but my guess is that it will be less expensive to buy new. BTW, I highly recommend Room & Board's sofas - they have great designs and are very high quality.

Nice pieces, and I love the blue fabric on them now! I would re-upholster. I don't mind matching pieces at all, though you could also do the two in complementary fabrics. It seems like a win-win situation to keep and restore them.

Consult your upholsterer on the "sagging" issue. I'll bet new webbing will fix that right up. I vote for re-upholstery, too.

Absolutely reupholster. I like the idea of complementing fabrics, so it's not too matchy-matchy.

Definitely keep it... it's really cool.

Reupholster

The sagging, etc can be fixed and these appear to be an interesting pair - not the same old boxy/bland sofas you see in the stores these days.

Hey there! I love the navy blue color of this sofa and it looks like the cushion fabric is still in good shape. Have you thought about just having the base reupholstered in a coordinating fabric and keeping the cushions in tact. I think it could cut down your costs and look really great!!

www.karapaslaydesigns.blogspot.com

wow great sofa, i love the blue I say reupholster as well!

it's got great lines - if they work with your style, i'd reupholster using fabrics you like - i had an inexpensive sofa reupholstered & the shop stripped it to the frame & essentially rebuilt it - it was more comfortable & better looking when they finished - couldn't have found a comparable sofa for the price - it's now 15 years old & still going.

I agree that what you've got is lovely. As to the cost, if you make quality choices (real feather & down, high-quality fabric)on the upholstering project, you're likely to end up with something much nicer than you could buy for the same dollars.

These are beautiful pieces with great lines-definitely reupholster!

I like them, too. I'd ask your local upholsterer for input. If you buy your own fabric at a discount and provide it to them, the total cost will be much lower, but they will want a say in a suitable kind of fabric. Also, ask them about modifications, like fixing the sagging and maybe reshaping the loveseat so they don't match as much.

I'm a fan of relatively neutral big furnishings, with accents that can be changed more affordably, but I used to covet a coral sofa, and it would still work with my decor, years later, so "neutral" is in the eye of the beholder. Just pick something you expect you will never get tired of. (And even then, you might!)

Good luck!

Michpam is right! If you want the eclectic look try upholstering the body in one color and the cushions in something else. It will lend you a bit of a "found" allure to the sofa and it will keep a great set of furniture out of a landfill!

Compare apples to apples. This sofa is likely made of hard wood with quality joint construction. 95% of new furniture is stapled, low quality wood.
Besides, this thing has character.

You have a lovely sofa that would look great in a new fabric with new padding. That said, tackling an upholstery job yourself is something I would think long and hard about before doing again. It's a laborious process and finishing everything just right is a true skill.

I doubt you could get a sofa that well made for $2,000. $3,000, maybe. Re-upholster!

Wow, thanks everyone for your comments! These are some really great suggestions and ideas. I am definitely leaning towards reupholstering. I think the next step might be to talk with the professional upholsterer, and start looking for some fabulous (and hopefully discounted :) material. I'm on the fence about just keeping one and reupholstering the other - but that might be the way to go. Your feedback has been really helpful. Thanks!

Sorry - that is, I'm on the fence about just keeping one and *donating* the other...

I have JUST re-upholstered my two sofas which I paid a fortune for in 1968. This will be the third re-incarnation, and they are in exceptional shape! I did each body in the same fabric, but because there was only a given amount of yardage in my favorite fabric, I did just the pillows back and sides in this; it coordinates with the body.

If the construction is tight, and there are no squeaks, and you find it comfortable, definitely get estimates on a re-do.

The second issue of mix and match is up to you. You can have same color, different textures, go crazy with pillows which compliment both, or put a colorful throw over one to connect with the other.

There's something so satisfying about reupholstering, too. You take that old grubby thing, and you search for fabric that is just right, and then you find the perfect fabric, and then, a little later it all comes together and there's this great sense of renewal - the familiar comfort of the old piece with these fabulous new clothes. There's almost nothing I like so well as reupholstering furniture. To me, it's much more fun than buying new because it's a creative process.

I'd like to be different but I've got to go with the pack here. The pieces themselves are fantastic. The shape, the hardwood definitely worth salvaging. Also, if you reupholster you'll have not just a custom piece but a one of a kind. For a change, try a single cushion a different back fabric. Lighten or darken the wood finish. Your options are many, so I say "keep at least the sofa."

omg, you have a very similar sofa to one that i *can* inherit! it just looks a bit lower (or longer, hard to tell) I would love to know what you eventually decided. I am torn as well. One of my motivations is to save it from the landfill and have things from my childhood home. But what if it's not a "great" piece - is it still worth it?

Here's a great blog post about the benefits of reupholstery vs. buying new! Should be helpful to anyone trying to decide between the options...

http://www.modrestoration.com/why-reupholster-your-furniture

Buying a new sofa would only cost you more penny than have it reupholster. You can sew a slipcover for it or if you're not that handy with DIY then you can opt to invest in some sofa covers. I’ve bought some for myself since I am not good at sewing.