To Tuft or not to Tuft?

You may like the look of a tufted headboard or sofa, but what are the pros and cons?

Tufting is really a personal choice, you either love it or hate it, it's not really a take it or leave it style. So lets have a look.

Pros:

• Tufting looks great, but only if you like the look. If you like it, you like it.
• It is an ornate look, but not over the top.
• Depending on the fabric pattern, it can add details. 

Better to reupholster leather or buy new?

If your leather looks like this, you probably need some help.

Last time we talked about the formula on figuring out how many leather hides to buy if you are reupholstering. But here's a question - is it better to buy leather furniture or reupholster?  Well it depends on what it is and how meaningful the furniture is to you. If you are buying hides for a lounge suite, that's going to be pricey and then there is the labour involved of getting your upholsterer to complete the project. You can purchase a leather alternative which look very close to the real thing, but will also bring your costs down. But often you may find that even though leather lasts a very long time, it may be better to purchase new. However, if the the furniture is meaningful to you in some way (check out this post) then reupholstering it may be the best thing for your furniture. 

A Leather Sofa Question

"I recently bought a new leather sofa, and was told when I bought it that the cushions would bounce back after they were sat on. I've only had it a few weeks and the cushions are left wrinkled every time someone sits on them. I've been told that I need to smooth out the wrinkles every morning. I really don't want to have to keep doing this and I'm starting to regret buying leather."

Don't regret buying leather, if well maintained it can last a life time. But in your situation I can see why you're getting frustrated, I wouldn't want to be smoothing out the wrinkles everyday either! There are a lot of reasons why the wrinkles may be happening. First of all leather will have a tendency to stretch a little, it is a skin after all, but the softer the leather the more it will stretch. If you combine a soft leather with a foam that is too soft then you will find that the leather will wrinkle more. A soft leather feels fantastic to sit on, but there is a trade off.  It is likely then that in your situation that you have  a leather/foam issue. 

Foam is rated in two ways Density and Foam Hardness (compression). The density rating will let you know how long it is expected to last, and the hardness (compression) indicates if it is soft, medium or firm in feel.  So if your sofa has a low density and is soft in touch, although it may be comfortable when sitting on it in the showroom, it may not withstand the rigours of daily life.

You could go back to the company and ask what the density and the compression (hardness) of the foam is. If it is on the softer side, ask if they would replace the foam with a higher density foam with a medium to firm hardness.

So in future if you are investigating buying furniture make sure you understand the importance of foam. Most people just think about the the upholstery fabric, but don't realise, that just like a house, it's the foundation that has the biggest impact.

If you have any questions or would like some advice or help, feel free to call 0800 698 746

Upholstery and Headboards

Upholstery is more than just sofa's and chairs. You can pretty much upholstery anything really, but it still needs to be functional of course. 

Cute upholstered drawers

The Upholstery Tear Down Sequence.

When you are reupholstering a piece of furniture do you just jump into it, ripping and tearing and pulling out nails as fast as possible? If we did it that way we would be truly exhausted in no time. Not to mention there would be a huge mess that won't be much fun to clean up.

If you are attempting to complete some upholstery for yourself, then here is a system for you, that will make things a little bit easier and minimize the mess (there will be some mess, sorry.) (Thanks to Kimsupholsteryblog.com for the steps.

The Steps

1. Grab a camera and take lots of photos of your piece from many angles BEFORE you take anything off. Then take photos after each step to help you remember where to put the new pieces back on.

Trends with Upholstery

Upholstery is just like every other fashionable entity, it too follows the trends, but it is not as dramatic as clothing trends. The changes are often subtle, but you will notice them if you look in design magazines and online.

So what's 'on trend' at the moment?

Fabrics

• A lot of the 'new' has to do with fabric choice, with stripes and geometric shapes such as chevron and herringbone being big favourites, but there is also Aztec and Asian influences too.
• 'Occasional' chairs are often be upholstered in a 'wow' fabric which complement other more classic furniture.
• Wrapping furniture. Not technically upholstery, but something that is coming up more and more, is furniture 'wrapped' in fabrics such as linen, leather or raffia. It is an interesting element when done well. often this is paired up with the use of studs.
• Different patterns in the same colour. You will see something like gold used, and it will be used in a chevron print, a dot print, and a floral. So it looks interesting but not overpowering.
• A fabric that has been popular for a long time, continues to do so - plain natural linen. 

Pops of colour

• This is probably influenced by web sites such as Pinterest and StumbleUpon, where brightly coloured furniture such as chairs and dressers sit amongst other more traditionally coloured furniture.
• Jewel colours are popular with deep emeralds, amethyst and amber being the top favourites.

Design Lines

• Straight precise lines that are classic in style with details in stitching, piping, studs and deep buttoning. This makes sense as you try and purchase furniture that will last a long time. If you get a piece that you love the lines of, when you are no long run love with the colour you can reupholster it, and it will feel new again.
• Pieces that are polar right now are sleek sofas with low backs  which are coupled with deep seats and ottomans.

So what do you think? Do you like the idea of these trends? Or do you try and stay away from what's 'in' and stick to the classics? 

Choosing a Couch - a Great Couch

A great couch is something everyone can enjoy.

If you're going to buy a couch, go for gold and buy a great couch. Finding a great one means you need to be aware of a few details. Only then can you decide if it's the one for you.

But before you head out the door, think about what you are looking for. The style the shape, the size, colour, texture and don't forget to measure out the size that you are looking for. Everything seems smaller in a huge warehouse, so don't make the mistake of thinking 'that will fit, it doesn't look that big', only to get it home and it takes up over half the living room.

So here's what to look for:

So what is a 'Contemporary Style'?

I think we all understand what antique furniture is, but what about 'contemporary'? Does it have to be this year's furniture or the latest models?

Well technically contemporary means that it's design is from 'the moment', but in reality it's more a change in direction from the 'traditional look' - where furniture has an antique feel to it, with floral print fabrics being used. You can imagine it in a swanky New York city, Upper East Side apartment like below.

Example of the 'Traditional' style.

Cats scratching your Upholstery

Do you have an upholstered couch that you seem to have claw marks all over it? It stops you wanting to reupholster it because you're worried it's just going to happen again.

Well here's some tips and trick that might go some way in saving your couch from your furry friend.

Soft Paws looks like nail polish.

Soft Paws

I just recently read about this product that you can apply to cats nails called Soft Paws, which isn't supposed to be annoying for you cat and makes it look like they have nail polish on. I have no experience with this, so would be interested to hear if you've had any success with it.

Success Vs Failure: It's in the details.

So you've had a piece upholstered - either you've done it yourself or you've had a professional do it. Well it's not quite right and you don't think it's been a screaming success. Do you know what the problem is?

It is likely the the problem lies in the details. The devil really is in the details when it come to upholstery.  Here's some areas that may have needed some more attention:

Wrong type of fabric for piece - Was the fabric the right choice? Did you decide to use a fairly lightweight fabric when what was needed was a durable fabric that would withstand a lot of wear and tear? Just because a fabric looks good, doesn't mean that it will automatically work on your piece of furniture. This is especially true in a business setting, because you know durability and maintenance are what should be your priorities.

If you MUST DIY here's some tips.

Last week we talked about  deciding whether to bring in a professional upholsterer or if you should try doing upholstery yourself.

Well if you have decided that your piece is ok to have a go at yourself, then here's a few tips to get you started.

Fabric

When should you call in the professional upholsterers?

Well it depends on what sort of finish you want, what the piece is and how sentimental you are about the piece.

You have probably read blog after blog on how to upholster a chair or a bench seat, and you're wondering if you should tackle it yourself. If you want to have a look at some resources have a look here.

Now if you are running a business, it's a no brainer, you can't afford to do anything that could compromise the quality of your business. There are so many cons against attempting upholstery for a business, from time, quality, durability. I recently wrote about a quick way to make upholstered furniture look cheap. In business you need your furniture to look good, for it to last a long time and be easy to care for. If you attempt to upholster anything for business, you really are taking a big risk.

Reupholster or a Slipcover?

Not a good slipcover candidate

I'm sure you've asked yourself which is the better option at some point. Each option has it's benefits, and it depends on what you are trying to achieve with your furniture.

When a piece of furniture is reupholstered it will be stripped back inspected and any parts will be replaced (such as springs). Then new fabric is sewn to create the cover and cushions. The end result is a tailored, professional 'new' piece of furniture. We can also even make a few changes to the style of cushions and padding on the arms to make it look like a new piece.

To protect your furniture or not?

You've invested money in your new upholstered furniture, but do you have it protected? If you have had your furniture upholstered by a professional upholsterer or if you have bought new furniture then chances are you have had your furniture protected by a product that most people think of as 'Scotchgard'™ But not everyone has their couches protected, or you may have had your couch for a long time, then the 'Scotchgard'™ has probably worn or washed off over time so is it a good idea to get hold of a can or two (you can find it HERE and HERE) and protect your furniture?

Yes it's a good idea, a very good idea, even if you don't have kids. If you have animals or if you've ever spilled some juice on the couch, accidentally made a mark with a pen or had some other incident then you'll be glad you did.

How to make your upholstered furniture look cheap.

I think we've all seen those pieces of furniture. They initially look good, but something is a bit off that makes it look more 'home made' than professional. Do you know what it is?

It's the mismatched fabric pattern.

This tropical chair looks great, the chair is a lovely style, the fabric looks inviting, but look closely at the box cushion. 

How to choose patterned fabric for your upholstery.

When you are getting a piece of furniture custom made or reupholstered the fabric will determine the look and feel of the piece. Do you want the finished product to look crisp with clean lines, or something more cosy and inviting?

The fabric you choose will determine what the end result will be.

Once you have decided on what feel you are going for with your furniture, then you can think about plain or patterned fabric.

Patterns are fun and inviting, but you do have to know what you are doing with the fabric. This is where your upholsterer will be able to guide you. This is what upholsterers do everyday, so they can help you decide what fabric will create the look you are going for.

If you have decided on a patterned fabric (lets not even talk about colors, that is a whole separate post!), then you need to consider a few more points:

What girl could refuse?

In 2008 Bruce (my husband) alluded to a romantic leisurely drive from Christchurch to Wanaka. Winding our way through rugged mountains, coffee and champagne lunches beside picture perfect lakes with spectacular snowy alpine views, all to celebrate our 29th Wedding anniversary, I just couldn't refuse.

But there was more to it than that: Warbirds over Wanaka.  Adding that into the weekend would be the icing on the anniversary cake. However, what that truly meant was walking the talk…sales and marketing…with over 80,000 people in attendance and the aircraft manufacturers, pilots, engineers, and enthusiasts lined up to hear about our Amazing Leather Repairs.

Yes it turned into a fantastic opportunity to display and talk about Fibrenew.

How can I remove mould from my upholstery?

You may have just discovered that you have some mould on your upholstery. Better get rid off it now, before the problem gets worse. Not only does it look unsightly, but these organisms destroy the material that they grow on - by digesting it! Mould also can cause health problems, especially those who are allergic.

If you have mouldy curtains, or your couch has some mould on it, don't go shaking it or beating it. This will release more spores into the air, which will settle around the room and potentially make a bigger problem.

So what do you do?

Lighting is Important

Motivating space at Pinkeye Design Studio

We usually talk about upholstery and the different types of fabric and how to care for them. I wanted to change tack slightly and talk about lighting.

You may have gorgeous upholstery in your office space, but if it is poorly lit, then not only will you not get to appreciate it (and the money you spent on it), but your productivity is not likely to be at it's peak.

Upholstery Thread

Can you use regular sewing thread for upholstery projects?

Upholstery thread is a heavy-duty thread that is much stronger than standard thread and is designed to hold up against fairly rough treatment. There are different types of thread for different uses and fabrics, as you would expect. 

Here's a quick look:

A common thread is nylon that is similar looking to fishing line. It is very strong and is ideal when you are trying to make the seams disappear.

Cotton is another commonly used upholstery thread. It is important to keep in mind however, that cotton does not stretch so you need to ensure that the thread is pre-shrunk, so that the stitching will remain flat. (If the fabric gets wet then the thread will shrink and the seam will take on a 'puckered' look.) A great advantage to cotton is that it is easy to dye and match to fabric.

Polyester thread seems to be the great middle ground, strong, will not shrink and will not fade in direct sunlight. You will often see polyester thread used in jeans too.

When you have a delicate project you may use silk as the thread. The thread has a tendency to stretch, but is resilient. It is often used when the thread becomes part of the design of the piece - similar to embroidery.

So the answer to the question can you use regular thread? Well you can, but it depends on what you are using it for and what sort of results you want, as it will make an impact on the end result of the piece.