An Inside View of Reupholstery
Reupholstery is more than a fabric makeover. The furniture is stripped down to the frame, then rebuilt and restyled if needed. Fillings and cushions are renewed. The finish on exposed wood can be touched up. Then a great new fabric, selected by you, is applied. The result? A piece of furniture that’s almost like new.
How do you know if your furniture is worth reupholstering?
The design experts at Calico can help you decide if your frame has “good bones” and is worth redoing. “If you have a good quality chair or sofa—or have found one at an antique shop or thrift store—it is probably worth reupholstering, even if it is decades old,” says Julie Mihuc, director of marketing at Calico. “Good quality means that it has a hardwood frame and good lines. It should feel hefty when you lift a corner. Don’t worry if it’s a little dated in style, as that can usually be fixed.” Learn more about when to reupholster here.
Calico knows reupholstery
The frame below may look like a wreck of a chair—but it’s actually a great antique with a solid hardwood frame and beautiful carving on the claw-and-ball legs. Calico works with only the best craftsmen to reupholster customers’ furniture. They have years of experience, so your heirloom pieces will be in good hands.
Here is the same chair, completely redone in a collage of four different fabrics, all coordinated with the primary paisley pattern. This look isn’t for everyone, however, it does show what is possible in custom upholstery.
Make an appointment or call your local Calico design shop; they can provide cost estimates via telephone and emailed photos. Our workrooms will pick-up and deliver to your home. Please note that reupholstery is almost as expensive as buying a new chair or sofa, because it involves such extensive labor. If you have a beloved antique, or if you find a bargain frame at a thrift shop, the cost of reupholstery is definitely worth it! And, we guarantee our workmanship. Learn more about how the process works here.
Upholsterers will strip down a piece of furniture, no matter how old the outer fabric or leather covering. Then they will rebuild the piece from the inside out as needed, to shore up a wobbly frame, re-tie springs and replace padding and cushions.
This craftsman is restringing eight-way hand-tied springs in the base of a sofa. Each spring is connected to others at eight points to create a crowned shape for a comfortable sit. The tufted bench on the right shows a layer of batting stapled to the frame. Next: the final fabric.
Renew and restyle
“A good upholsterer can restyle your chair or sofa,” adds Julie. “Remove a skirt, take out tufting or channeling, build up the arms and back, or change up the cushions. Perhaps a single bench cushion would make a sofa appear more streamlined instead of the two or three cushions that came with it originally.”
Nicole Regan, a design blogger at Cedar & Rush, took her mother’s old armchair and gave it an update. This is the chair where her mother read to Nicole as a child, so it was at least 30 years old!
The skirt was removed, the legs were finished in ebony and a graphic new performance fabric was chosen plus a black fabric for contrast welting. A back pillow with an embroidered tape trim makes it extra comfortable for Nicole to read to her daughter in this third-generation classic chair.
Decisions, decisions! Nicole shops at Calico for fabrics to re-do her chair and selects a Crypton Home performance fabric, Panic in color Chess. The black contrast welting sets off the lines of the chair and repeats in the back pillow. With a geometric pattern like this, the contrast welting helps demarcate the areas where the design changes direction, such as on the front arm panel and the rolled arm area.
Nicole’s daughter Penelope curls up in her grandmother’s lap for a story in the very same chair that her mom sat in as a child! “Repurposing this chair was important in keeping our tradition alive,” said Nicole.
Real Life Stories: One-Room Challenge Contestant Tim Lam
Calico worked with several talented designers for the Spring 2020 One Room Challenge, including Tim Lam of Design Maze in Toronto, Canada. Tim and his partner recently moved to a high-rise condo and were starting from scratch to create an open concept living room / dining room / kitchen.
Tim Lam’s finished living room with chaise placed in the corner to make the most of his high-rise view of the city. The chaise had a complete makeover in Calico fabrics. Additional chairs pull out for conversation. Photo by Stephani Buchman Photography
The elephant in the Before room: the chaise! Tim purchased this “pre-loved” chaise years ago, upholstered in a brown paisley print. Part of the seat cushion was torn. Rather than try to find the same fabric (mission impossible, he notes), Tim decided to start fresh. He wanted a solid fabric with contrast welting “for a simple, sophisticated, yet joyful new lease on life.”
The chaise as it came out of storage, in its original paisley print covering. Time for an update!
Tim chose two handsome fabrics from Calico to give his chaise a stylish new look:
Bale Mill Canvas in Oyster, a performance fabric from the Ralph Lauren collection that is 15% Baby Alpaca, so it has an exceptionally soft hand (available in 9 colors)
Luciana in Russet, a durable and buttery faux leather for contrast welting (available in 30 colors)
“As for my newly upholstered chaise, ta-da!” says Tim. “The upholsterer has done an amazing job and the two Calico fabrics work so beautifully together.”
The finished chaise in the corner of the living room, a perfect reading spot. “I couldn’t believe how different and stunning the chaise looks with a new outfit,” notes Tim. “The Calico fabrics have made this incredibly stylish, yet super durable. We’ll enjoy it for years to come!” Photo by Stephani Buchman Photography
Take a cue from how Tim Lam chose a very different fabric to re-do his chaise. We recommend that you not try to find the same fabric—or perhaps even the same color fabric—for your reupholstered piece. “When it’s redone, it shouldn’t appear that nothing has changed,” advises Julie. “You want the room to look different!”
Checklist of details to add or subtract:
Remove tufting or channeling—one of the easiest ways to update a piece!
A different style skirt or skirt length—taller is better. You can also remove the skirt completely.
Nail heads and/or welting—nail heads may look more contemporary.
Change the number of cushions—and/or their depth (thicker/thinner).
BEFORE & AFTER: REAL LIFE REUPHOLSTERY STORIES
Check out the Before / After Gallery of chairs, sofas and settees that have been transformed by Calico craftsmen in our fabrics. Is there a piece in your home that needs to be reupholstered?
An antique settee gets a new lease on life when stripped of its original fabric, then recovered in a colorful floral print from Calico. We love the contrast of choosing a contemporary fabric for an antique frame. This definitely makes a statement.
