My suggestion is to have it re-done without the buttons so it does not look so dated.
Keep the fraem as it.
Regarding fabric, go with something a bit more modern with color. The area this sofa is in seems very tan/brown.
Good Luck.

sorry...keep the FRAME as it.

We have a similar couch that my dad built in the mid-1970s. The foam inside the cushions is breaking down - aside from being uncomfortable, it leaves foam-dust under the couch. I'd love to hear ideas for how to make new ones (the originals were DIY) or where to inquire about having new cushions professionally made.

Can you do a single cushion for the seat and a single for the back?

I second the idea of leaving off the buttons. But I would keep the rounded corners; they go with the rounded arms, and I wouldn't put any welting on the cushions. I think any color that goes with the decor would probably be fine.

Charcoal grey with square corners and some welting in the same colour to sharpen up the edges. Keep it squared off in shape, and definitely a two-seater. It's a nice frame, but anything too rounded would make it look very 80's, and a single bench cushion would create a fold-out futon vibe.

cotton duck for the cushions. keep buttons and do not add piping or square off. remove the golden slick finish completely and leave the wood raw with maybe a wax finish. it looks dated do to the wood finish. not the cushions!

Objectively, I don't think that anything you do will save the frame from looking dated. It just is.

But if you love it, just contact an uphostery place. They can provide correctly sized, covered cushions that will work well.

I agree with the others. Keep it squared off, no buttons, and in a more contemporary color. Go with a solid this time because part of what makes that couch look so dated is the pattern. 15 years is quite a while for cushions so I would really stick to solids this time. That is a gorgeous rug that it sits on, and the couch does nothing for it as it is right now. I would take a color from the rug and use it for the fabric. But again, solid color.

Look at Mad Men. A mid century sofa like that probably came with bench cushions, in that tweedy fabric that was popular at the time, no tufting.

It got made over in 80's style cushions. Looks dated now.

The frame is divine the way it is, and very in right now.

If you're going to have more contemporary cushions, it would complete the look to make the frame a little more contemporary as well. Warm, high gloss finishes with a high contrast wood grain can make a piece look dated. A cooler stain in a duller finish would help update the style.

Here are a couple of pieces similar to what I'm envisioning:
Room & Board Zane Sofa
Wood Frame Couch

Whatever you decide to do, it would be awesome if you would follow up with a before and after!

@Akay - I think when most of us say contemporary, we mean retro. As in Mad Men era. The 80s are still dated no matter what angle you look at, but the 60s and 70s are definitely back and a sofa can accurately reflect that while keeping the frame as it is.

Definitely 2 cushions per sofa. One sofa doesn't allow for as many different placement options as 2, which results in cushions worn in one spot quicker, even with good foam! Square corners in a great solid tweed with a slightly contrasting welt would be divine.

@PI not to be pedantic but when I think of Mad Men, I think "Modern" since Modernism was the rage then (Mies and Eames ruled) although the later seasons are starting to slip into the funky post-modern era. Contemporary is right now and as an example a museum of Contemporary Art is art of the moment.

A quick google search of "wooden frame mid-century sofa" might give you some more inspiration... I also found this gem of a Mad Men themed living room (with a wood-frame sofa, too!):
http://www.beingtazim.com/set-inspiration-mad-men-1960s-interiors-the-draper-house/

It looks like a heavy version of the sno chair. As I said upthread, do a single cusion in proportion to those large arms if you can. Keep it simple.

http://www.designspotter.com/profile/destilat.html#

@PI, I can't say I really understand the point you're trying to make, but I would define the words this way:

contemporary: of the current time
modern: could be same as above, or capitalized refers to the Modern period
dated: out of style, passe, unpopular
retro: from or imitating a style from a particular recent era that has become popular again

Dated and retro just can't describe the same object because they contradict each other; the former means the object is unpopular by today's tastes, while the latter says the opposite. What's dated to one person might be retro to another, but that's a whole 'nother can of worms.

But the rest of the words aren't mutually exclusive. With mid-century style so popular right now, I'd argue that a mid-century piece of furniture is modern, Modern, retro, and contemporary.

To me, the finish of this piece looks dated. Even if it predates the 80s, it looks like it comes from that era since this kind of finish was so popular then.

@DUANE HILL, 100% agree with your example of the MCA. In college, my Modern Art History class covered the 1930s through parts of the 1970s, while Contemporary Art History covered the rest of the 1970s until today.

I'd argue that late 70's styles are more closely related to styles of the 80's than those of the 60's. I have photos of my dad's haircuts and athletic shorts through the years that back this up ;)

If this piece is nearly 35, then it was from 1977. I agree with those who think that the frame looks dated and am not sure where a discussion of mid-century modern factors in here at all.

A darker finish that tones down the grain contrast would make it look a lot more .... era-neutral.

The casualness of the sofa makes me think of beach houses. I'd either do something like mattress ticking, or maybe Hawaiian barkcloth. There's no way to make it look sleek and urbane.

You could go to the As-Is department of Ikea, and ask if they have any cushions that would fit. I know we've gotten several couch cushions from them for very cheap. We were able to fix up a really bad-off couch that way.

I would go with a single cushion on the bottom, reupholstered in a very wearable fabric in a neutral color, Tan. The back cushions I'd also go with one long cushion upholstered in the same fabric. I'd add contrasting fabric panels to the openings in the sofa frame and accent it all with toss pillows in the same contrasting fabric used for the panel inserts (I'd use a bold geometric) For extra punch of wow factor, I'd laquer the frame in black..

There is no changing the wood frame without changing all the wood in the room. Another color would totally make it stand out in a bad way as an outsider. I agree that the cushions ought to look wonderful with the rug if that is where this sofa lives all the time. But also look wonderful with the other chairs in the room. Look at the big picture. I don't mean it should 'match'. just not a big orange sofa in a soft wood and green room, so to speak. The sofa is not the accent piece.I see blues and blue pattern in the background, reds and warm colors in the rug.
I'd get cheap throws or sheets in the Goodwill and cover the sofa with these, and take some pictures. Get and idea if single or multiple cushions will be a better fit. And pattern and color choices can be assessed. Not perfect, but the photos are a big help to me to see the whole picture before an investment. Since this is a multiple cushion item now, single long cushions will be a big visual change and maybe make the sofa look huge.
I know this is not really and answer to what to do as much as an answer to how to assesst he choices. Love to see the context and finished item when you decide.