8 Ways to Give Your Couch New Life for Less Than $150

Your couch is at the center of many activities: binge-watching TV shows, tucking into food delivery, and sprawling out while scrolling on social media. So it’s inevitable that its appearance will eventually skew more toward shabby than chic. Since it’s also one of the largest furniture investments you’re likely to make for your home, it can be a real bummer when it does.

Just because your sofa may have a few rips, stains, or sunken cushions doesn’t mean you have to break the bank by purchasing a new one. There are many do-it-yourself solutions you can turn to that will refresh its appearance while also saving you precious cash. Here are eight affordable ideas to help inspire you to give your couch a second chance at life.

What you’ll need: throw pillows, faux fur rug

If you’re searching for a solution that requires zero effort for maximum impact, this is it. Ditching the boring, matchy-matchy pillows that came with your sofa in favor of new throw pillows can give your sofa more of a custom look. But the key to making it look like a designer styled it? Mix and match the textures, shapes, and colors. A great faux fur rug tossed on the couch also adds a cozy element and can protect — or hide — any spots that are prone to wear and tear. Exhibit A: The couch in Meg Baker of @baker.blooms’ stunning living room, pictured above. And you don’t need to spend a fortune on pillows, either. The key is to buy cheap pillows, easily found in clearance bins at home goods stores, for their inserts only. Then, purchase or sew separate covers. Whenever you feel like changing up the vibe, you can simply swap them out.

What you’ll need: faux sheepskin blankets, staple gun, pliers, scissors

You could splurge on a beautiful new bouclé sofa, or you could snag a couple of inexpensive faux sheepskin blankets and get a similar look by reupholstering your existing couch with them. Start by stripping off the original fabric with pliers (or just leave it and upholster right on top). If you have a fixed bench seat, like in Simonette Boekel’s DIY, it’s a matter of cutting the blankets to the right size to cover the seat, back, and side portions, and stapling the fabric tightly to the frame. If your sofa has removable cushions, cover those separately, like Jade Vanriel did. Thanks to the fluffiness of the faux fur, the seams should barely be visible. And, hey, if you want to just throw the blankets over the couch and skip the stapling, your sofa will still look cozy and chic.

What you’ll need: latex paint or fabric paint, fabric medium, paint brush, clear wax 

If reupholstery is not your jam, you could paint the fabric instead. It’s a good idea to give your couch a good vacuum to remove any dust first. From there, you have a few options: Either mix fabric medium with latex paint, use ready-made fabric paint like the velveteen one used by I Should Be Mopping the Floor, or try one of the specialty spray paints designed for upholstery like in this DIY from Why Don’t You Make Me. If you opt for using fabric medium with latex paint, the trick to ensuring the fabric stays soft and not crunchy is to spray the fabric with water before brushing on the paint. This will open up the fibers and allow the paint to sink into the fabric like a dye rather than sitting on top, where it can change the texture. It’ll take a few coats, and once it’s dry, you can apply a clear coat of wax to seal in the paint. Then, enjoy the bold new hue of your sofa.

What you’ll need: furniture legs, screwdriver or power drill

Sometimes a couch doesn’t need an entire facelift. Simply swapping out the legs can lend it an entirely new look. (See this DIY from Anderson + Grant for proof.) The task is quick and easy — made even simpler by purchasing legs that come pre-drilled with double-sided screws. You can buy them in varying heights, shapes, and colors at big-box hardware stores, or on Amazon or Etsy. With a helper, lay the couch on its back, unscrew the existing legs from the hardware plates, and screw in the new ones. Such a simple change can completely eliminate the bland factory feel of a couch. 

What you’ll need: high-density foam, quilt batting, scissors

A couch you can sink into is a beautiful thing, but it’s not so beautiful when your body’s indentation remains long after you get up. To add some structure to a saggy sofa, add extra padding with high-density foam. It comes in a variety of thicknesses — the thicker the foam, the more structure your cushions will have. Just make sure it can fit within the confines of your cushion covers. Start by cutting pieces of foam to the same size as your cushions. Remove the cushions from their covers, place a piece of foam on top of each one, and wrap each cushion with quilt batting. Put the cushions back into the covers, and your formerly slouchy sofa will look brand-new — and, even better, keep its shape. Check out The Tarnished Jewel’s DIY for a convincing before and after.

What you’ll need: pliers, burlap, fabric, staple gun, scissors

Thanks to Restoration Hardware’s popular but now retired line of deconstructed furniture, the undone look is in. It’s a bold choice to un-upholster the fabric from one’s couch and leave some of the frame and lining visible, but it certainly makes a statement, like in The Little White Farmhouse’s DIY. To get the look, you first have to strip off all the fabric from your sofa. Cross your fingers that once you’ve exposed the backside, you’ll find it’s covered in burlap. If not, you could staple burlap to cover the back of the sofa, or use another rustic fabric like canvas drop cloth, or even a colorful printed coffee sack like the kind Chalk & Fable used. For the front portions, reupholster the couch with a soft fabric that coordinates with your decor. Feel free to leave the staples or upholstery tacks visible, as this is supposed to look unfinished, or button it up a bit with nailhead trim along the edges. Then, behold the major vintage vibes it brings to your space. 

What you’ll need: bullion fringe trim, scissors, fabric glue, sewing pins

With the popularity of period pieces like “Bridgerton” and “The Gilded Age” featuring set designs full of lavish furniture, it’s no surprise that bullion fringe has made a comeback in interior design. And when used in a modern space, the effect reads less stuffy and more chic, as seen in this DIY by Jeweled Interiors. Simply cut lengths of bullion fringe trim to fit the size of your couch, apply fabric glue to the backside of the trim, and press it along the bottom edge of your sofa. Secure it in place with a few pins while the glue dries, and then remove the pins. Not only will it add instant glam, if you happen to have lackluster sofa legs, it completely covers them up.

What you’ll need: drop cloth, scissors, safety pins

Whether you have kids or pets, or simply love to enjoy meals on your sofa, the struggle with stains is likely real for you. In that case, a slipcover can hide a multitude of sins, and you don’t have to be an experienced tailor to make one, either. Drape inexpensive canvas drop cloths over your sofa, tuck and fold the fabric neatly around the frame, and secure it with safety pins. Wrap each seat cushion separately, and pin the fabric on the bottom side. You could also opt to bleach your drop cloths first, like in this DIY from The Simple Farmhouse, which will soften the fabric and give your sofa a light and airy feel. Bonus: You can remove and wash the slipcover whenever there’s a spill.