How about a black tweed..or a chocolate brown.

I can't tell if it has faded areas or stains or is stinky but I love it as is! It looks like something from the futuristic Motorola ads from the 60's that were posted on this site yesterday.

I like the couch! I would say that you definitely want a heavier weight woven upholstery fabric (over a printed one). I would stick with a more neutral fabric like this one:

http://www.fabric.com/home-decor-fabric-upholstery-fabric-belgium-basketweave-upholstery-fabric.aspx

The color choice I think would come down to personal preference/what other colors are in your room. The steel, chocolate and ink would all be good neutrals.

I love the couch exactly the way it is. You can do a lot with that color gray.

Cream or light heather gray would look nice.

I do agree that a neutral would be really lovely--charcoal gray or a nice golden brown.

At the same time, I think I would go with something bolder that highlights how different this is from the usual couch. A tone on tone Damask would be awesome on this. I've seen it done in a leaf green that was really beautiful and surprisingly versatile.

Is this diy? If not that is a large couch and going to be very expensive to reupholster... I think almost $2000 if not more? I like it as is, or, buy new?

http://www.fabricandart.com/web_images/fabrics/Dupioni/7_22_09_shantung_copper.jpg

I agree that it looks wonderful as is. If you must reupholster it, I would live with it as is for a few months (if you can) and think about what colors would work with your space. Look at fabrics and see what you like and what you can afford. I found an art deco sofa and couch last year that I planned to have reupholstered, but once in my place, the current upholstery isn't too bad. And I have a chance to take my time and look and think about choices.

Sofa and club chair. Sorry.

I agree that it's nice to live with something in your decor before deciding, but going with something in the same range--i.e. menswear stripes, tweed, charcoal, taupe or chocolate velvet--seems like a natural fit.

Great find! I would leave as is unless the fabric is fraying or faded. I love the look of grey on this sofa.

Hmm.... it's a retro piece with a retro fabric, which doesn't exactly give it a modern look. I'm sure you could make it work in the right space, but if you wanted to give it a more up to date look, I think you should recover it. It looks a little too denim-y to me. Also, I don't like to think of someone else sitting on those fabrics every day before it arrived in your home. Seems a little yucky.

Send us a photo of the room it's going to go in and we'll be able to give you better advice:)

handprinted fabric reupholstery! i'm thinking a light grey with a bright color ink that has some kind of gradient pattern on the back. like trees that dissolve into mottled leaves. en route studio does that for this kind of project..

WOW!!! What an amazing find. Wish I could be so lucky! I'd leave it as is...it's beautiful!!

I love this couch: http://ploefff.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/ikealivemarts201103-vintage-living-room-ideas.jpg
You can steal the idea with the coloured legs to spruse up the couch before you decide on a fabric. Orange legs would look wonderful with the grey fabric

If you need new fabric, but want to keep the vintage look, try Arc-Com's "Pala". I have a sample from an office renovation and while I found it to be too grandpa for the office, it would be perfect for the home. The color I have is Papaya, which I also love.

I'd leave it alone - It appears to be in great condition.

Without knowing what other elements/colors/fabrics, etc are in your home - any ideas we can toss out at you aren't going to be very useful.

that is an awesome couch! i wish i could find something like that!

Thanks for all the advice everyone! The fabric does look grey in the photo, but in real life it is very blue, with white speckles.

I'm super jealous of your awesome couch!! What a cool shape, very unique. I think you have to consider your lifestyle and your taste for both questions. Do you want it to look realistically mcm or more updated? Do you have pets, kids? If so, I've heard microfiber is good. Do you like neutrals or lots of color? You can definitely go bold with this kind of couch, but color is very subjective.

I'm in the process of reupholstering a mid-century thrift find myself. I'm using the awesome folks over at Covers Unlimited (super nice family run company with incredible yelp reviews): http://www.coversunlimitedinc.com/

They sent us to the most amazing fabric warehouse to pick out upholstery called Textile Discount Outlet in Pilsen: http://megafabrics.com/

Our couch is still in progress but we got a great neutral gray/tan color for $5/yrd. Check that place out for sure! While getting a thrift piece redone may be just as expensive as buying a new couch, it is totally custom and brand spankin' new if you get it all fixed up! It should last decades =o)
Best of luck!

I like this couch the way it is... it's going to cost you as much to reupholster as it would to buy a new couch. If you're determined and willing to take on the project yourself still I would screen print on a heavy canvas. Lena Corwin has a great upholstery print in her book Printing By Hand.

"Red, I want to be red." (Ask Your Couch school of decorating.) The shape seems to call for a dramatic, rather than neutral, treatment --- a color that would pop with your color scheme, whatever your preferences.

Great find! I agree with RitaRae that you should go for the drama. It would look great in red, orange or marigold.

One thing that looks a bit odd about the couch is the way it is one cushion over one on the left and two over two on the right. It's hard to tell how long each cushion is in the photo, but it looks like the one on the left is a lot longer than the other two.

You can ask the upholsterer to make it one over one on both sides. I think that would look better.

houndstooth!

variously, I also third the red, orange, marigold that ritarae suggests.