Furniture: Reupholstery or Buying New?
I have seen it time and time again. People are sick of the outdated, mainly brown, furniture that they have had for the last 15 years. Or maybe the kids have all left the house. Whatever the reason, people are always looking for new furniture; but is new always better? When is it the right time to reupholster something old and used or is it just best to go to a furniture store and buy something new? How do you make this decision?
If you read my first blog post then you know that I have experience in both realms, reupholster and retail, and different people have different needs, so which one best suites you? The first thing you need to do it to educate yourself on your options-
-ReUpholstery: There are not many upholstery studios out there anymore, if there is not one in your area, ask around; this is a craft a lot of people do out of their homes. Some upholsterers will merely recover the furniture- it's exactly what it sounds like, they will layer new fabric on top of the old fabric without ever disassembling the piece. A really good upholsterer is going to go above and beyond- strip the piece down to its bare frame (if the piece is older the frame may need to be reblocked and reglued), rewire the springs, cut new foam, then apply the fabric. The benefits of reupholstery is you, as the client, have much more control over the creative process, you can have a say in every step of the process. Also, if you have an older piece of furniture, chances are the bones are amazing; the old adage is true- they don't make things the way that they used to. Another reason to refurbish a piece of furniture is if it has sentimental value, whether it's grandma's rocker or your mother's sofa. Lastly, if you need a smaller piece of furniture (most new furniture made today is massive), older pieces were built on a smaller scale, when people themselves were smaller. The drawback of reupholstering is the cost; the cost of the piece itself, if it wasn't handed down, on top of the high cost of a skilled upholsterer can add up to a pretty penny so you have to decide if it's worth the cost to you.
-Buying New: Now, there are hundreds of furniture stores to chose from; do your research before you shop! Go online and read reviews about the stores you are considering shopping at; reviews can tell you how the back end of their customer service is- do they have a lot of issues with damages or delivery issues? If so, you may want to avoid them, just make sure there aren't more than a few negative reviews, we all know that we are more likely to write a review on a bad experience rather than a good one. When you enter the store, go in with a game plan! Have an idea of what you are looking for- reclining or stationary? Fabric or leather? Sofa and loveseat or sectional? Bring your measurements and even a picture of the room - your salesperson will thank you! Do you use Pinterest or Houzz? Show that to your salesperson, it will help them visualize the look you have in your head. One of the benefits of buying new is that you have a chance to start from scratch and pick and chose the pieces you can to put your room together. Some of the drawbacks of buying new are the quality and the price. I will definitely tell you that when it comes to furniture, you get what you pay for! Want to spend $500 on a sofa? No problem, but you'll buy another sofa in 5 years. The more expensive, the better the frame, foam, and even fabrics, easily becoming just as expensive as reupholstery. Makes sense, right? Another drawback is that you will have little say in the creative process. Most manufacturers will allow you to make some decisions, but past that, it is out of your control. Also watch out for sharky salespeople; do not be afraid to go home and measure or check out some fabrics to see how they would look in your home. Of course they want you to buy that day, but when it comes right down to it, this is your room and your decision and you should not be rushed.
So, regardless of the situation, you will at some point in your life need new furniture; so will you buy new or will you have an existing piece reupholstered? Can't decide? Let me help!
