Bringing new life to upholstered furniture: Part 1

Can you believe this makeover story? A club chair that had definitely seen better days is transformed for Valerie Darden by a skilled upholsterer with fabric and fringe from Calico.

From ottomans to chairs, benches to sofas, reupholstery can totally transform furniture, whether fine antiques or tired-looking finds from thrift-shops. The result will be the equivalent of a new piece of furniture! However, there is one caveat: the piece must have good bones. That means it must have been well-constructed originally to be worth the expense of upholstery labor. Calico has helpful guidelines on whether it’s worth reupholstering your piece of furniture. We recently partnered with three design influencers who completed projects to re-do and renew upholstered furniture:

Valerie Darden gave a club chair a major facelift.

Designer Valerie Darden had a cozy club chair in a faded blue velvet that didn’t fit into her current home. But she didn’t throw it out! Working with the Calico store in Richmond, Virginia, she chose a jacquard fabric for the body of the chair and a dramatic long tassel fringe to enhance the base of the chair. “The upholsterer picked up the chair from my home and delivered it back to me a few weeks later,” noted Valerie. “This chair has completely transformed a corner of my bedroom!”

“Calico was able to achieve my vision of a creamy-white chair with vintage tassels at the bottom,” enthused Valerie.

Valerie Darden founded Brexton Cole Interiors ten years ago and she specializes in residential projects “where traditional meets modern”. The firm is named for her two young sons—very apropos, since the blue velvet chair came from one of the boy’s bedrooms.

Instagram: BrextonColeInteriors

Brexton Cole Interiors (@brextoncoleinteriors) • Instagram photos and videos

Samantha Regan revived two dated ottomans.

Charleston, South Carolina designer and blogger Samantha Regan of Shining on Design found these twin ottomans on Facebook Marketplace for $80 last winter. They were in good condition, but desperately dated, and needed a fabric facelift to fit into her home.

BEFORE: “Ottomans are a favorite because of their versatility,” notes Samantha. “They can be used as footstools or extra seats—and look great in front of a fireplace, under a sofa table or paired at the foot of a bed.” Click to see Samantha’s inspiring Instagram reel of six ways to style ottomans.

AFTER: “Calico made the entire process SO easy,” notes Samantha. “They reupholster thousands of furniture pieces a year. With their expertise and guidance, you are in good hands!”

THE PROCESS:

At the Calico store in Charlotte, North Carolina, Samantha and her young son had an adventure choosing a fabric. “Initially, I selected a floral print, but then practicality won out. With four kids and a dog at home, I opted for a beautiful performance fabric,” recalls Samantha. “I loved this fabric Coronado Stripe in Bay Blue. It’s perfect and has the coastal charm I hoped for.”

To add personal style to the ottomans, Samantha added an embroidered tape around the top cushion to make these pieces unique. “I love how the classic stripes pair with the floral trim for a bit of femininity,” she enthuses. For a custom detail, Samantha added welting to set off the tape, made from a complementary solid fabric.

Photography by @madisonbanksphotography and Samantha Regan

Taryn Whiteaker redid an upholstered bench to complete her daughter’s bedroom.

Taryn Whiteaker of Dallas, Texas is a serious do-it-yourselfer, a woman who knows how to use muscular power tools and circular saws to accomplish major home renovations. However, for a recent decorating project, she turned to Calico for help in recovering a bench, one of the few skillsets that she lacks!

“I had been searching FOREVER for the perfect bench to go at the end of my daughter’s bed!” recalls Taryn. “It needed to be the perfect size, shape and fabric.” When she couldn’t find the ideal bench, she cast a wider net and went to Facebook Marketplace.

‘‘I found this old bench that had great bones, charm and was the perfect size,” notes Taryn. “But that fabric! It wasn’t vibing with the room. So I took it to my local Calico in Dallas, and they helped me pick out the PERFECT fabric for her bedroom.” It didn’t take Taryn long to find something she loved “because Calico has such a huge selection of gorgeous luxe fabrics.”

“I cannot get over the final result,” says Taryn. “The bench adds a little custom touch that brings the whole space together. I love how the buttons and pattern match perfectly,” she adds. “The attention to detail and craftsmanship is just stunning!” We think it’s pretty special too.