Quick recovery: New upholstery, a few pillows, and well-chosen color make redecorating simple - Before & After - Brief Article

Sunset, March, 2002 by Mary Jo Bowling

* One of the most effective ways to create a fresh look for your interior is to give your old furniture a face-lift with new pillows or upholstery. That was the case with Kimberly Tucci's sofa and chairs. The frames were still sturdy, with years left in them, but the large-patterned fabric and pillows that covered them looked messy and dated. Interior designer Eugenia Jesberg came to the rescue with a consistent color palette that unified the room and gave the furniture a more tailored look.

Tucci's two rattan chairs were purchased at a flea market; the original pillows were long gone and in their place sat bed pillows wrapped in fabric. With use, the pillows had disintegrated into down puddles, which made sitting in the chairs uncomfortable.

"The frames on the rattan chairs were of good quality. They still had their original paint, which is a little weathered and gives them charm. But the pillows made the chairs look like an unmade bed," says Jesberg. "All I needed to do was upgrade the cushions."

She replaced the worn-out pillows with tailored cushions made of a foam core wrapped in down. The combination lets people have it both ways: The foam keeps the cushion upright and helps it hold its shape, while the down makes a comfortable seat and softens the severe line of the foam.

The repetition of shapes, colors, and forms holds the room together. Jesberg carried the vertical and horizontal lines of the rattan into the striped upholstery: The cushion sides have short, vertical stripes; the seats and backs have long, horizontal stripes. Look closely and you see the same lines in the chair bases.

"Traditionally, stripes run vertically on upholstered pieces," says Jesberg. "Changing the direction gave the chairs a more contemporary look."

A trimmer-looking armchair

Before, the armchair looked huge because of its cabbage rose-printed fabric. The loose slipcover did not help.

Jesberg reupholstered it in vertical stripes and welting (cording covered in fabric) to sharpen and slim its outline. "I use welting and other kinds of trims to call attention to the shape of the piece, to make it more crisp," she says. It's hard to make slipcovers look tailored, but upholstery fits tightly. The fresh, snug fabric makes this chair look brand-new.

For all of the upholstery, Jesberg used cotton fabric. "I like cotton because it's durable. A busy family lives here, and they need something that is sturdy and practical."

RELATED ARTICLE: Reupholstering tips from a pro

A good reupholstery job is often nearly as expensive as a new piece of furniture-which is understandable, since it should be like new when it is done. Knowing this, how do you decide whether it is worth the cost?

Eugenia Jesberg's reasons to reupholster

The frame is strong. Good frames are made with kiln-dried wood to prevent warping and cracking. They are not put together with glue and staples, materials that tend to break down overtime. If you have a quality frame, it lasts for years. Reupholstery is a sound investment on a good frame; on a frame whose days are numbered, it isn't.

The size and shape are right for the room. It can be hard to find furniture that's perfectly scaled to the room. Once you have the ideal couch or chair, it is probably wiser to stick with it than to try to find exactly the right piece again.

The lines of the piece are unique. A lot of old furniture has charming, interesting lines you just can't find today. If it's a signature piece, then it's probably worth reupholstering.

Choosing upholstery fabric

* Made for upholstery. Select fabric specifically created for furniture upholstery, sometimes called home furnishings or decorator fabric. Upholstery fabric is usually 54 inches wide and is typically quite durable.

* Watch the weave. Avoid heavy fabrics, which can be too bulky; stay away from loosely woven fabrics too, as they tend to pull.

* Patterns and prints. If you select a print, make sure it's in scale with your furniture. Also, be sure that you allow enough yardage for an accurate repeat, or print-matching.