Restore or Buy New Furniture?

Are you debating about whether to restore a piece of furniture or buy something new? Well here's a little help in determining if it's worth the time and effort in restoring a piece

Have you 'Invested' in the piece?

When you originally acquired the piece in question did you just 'nip down to the shop' to buy it? Or is there more to it than that? Is it a family heirloom? Did you commission it to be made? Is their sentimental value involved? 

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.