Newsletters
Projects & Improvements
Before & After
Decor & Accessories
How To

Before & After: DIY Sofa Upgrade On the Cheap

Cambria Bold
Cambria Bold
Cambria Bold is the Executive Editor of Cubby, and one of Apartment Therapy Media’s first full-time editors from way back when. She was the founding Design and Lifestyle Editor for Kitchn and the Managing Editor for Apartment Therapy’s green living site, Re-Nest (RIP). After a few years offline and then working elsewhere, she’s back to share ideas about design, kids, and family life. It’s helpful that she now has two little kids and lots of thoughts about all those things. She lives with said kids and their father in St. Paul, MN.
updated May 7, 2019
Save
pinterest
comments
We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.
Post Image
SavePin ItSee More Images
(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)

Re-Nest reader Abigail recently sent us her super thrifty sofa upgrade: A hand-me-down from her parents, she’s been living with the sofa for 3 years trying to disguise it with a floral slipcover and lots of pillows. After a not-so-great experience with brown fabric paint (the photo you see above), she decided to try her hand at recovering with some leftover linen fabric:

SavePin ItSee More Images
(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)
SavePin ItSee More Images
(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)

She writes about the process on her blog:

My number one tool was a curved sewing needle, an essential tool for any difficult sewing project such as this one. NOTE: I sewed behind the piping not over top. I did this on the two piping sections along the back to make it flush and for better durability. I attached the bottom striped fabric by hand sewing along the piping as well. (There was a lot of sewing by hand!) I then sewed the side pieces to the couch and to neighboring striped fabric. Once complete I removed the original staples. In the long run it would have been faster to make a slip cover, but I did not have enough fabric to make a proper one- so this method fit my need!
Now for the arms of the couch. First I took the extra striped fabric and cut a long piece for the facing of the arm. Then I folded the edges under and pinned it to the arm and using the same curved needle- sewed the fabric- attaching it to the original plaid couch fabric and to the striped fabric around it.

See more photos and read more about the project at TipToeThrough.

Thanks, Abigail!