Super fresh sofa. Still steaming.
I’ve been working with some fabulous clients and helping put together their incredible desert home. Just thought I’d preview a recent sofa project since its roots are quite thrifty, and frankly, I’m obsessed with sofas.
BEFORE:
The sofa came from a local thrift store and with its original grungy/filthy crushed velvet upholstery it looked a hot mess…
…but it had curves and comfort and was the perfect scale and shape for the intended living room…
AFTER:
Shazamm.
Reborn as a red hybrid baby of a Toga and a Chesterfield, this thang is all modern and all comfortable – a bona fide TV viewing hang out snuggle up and down sofa.
For some reason my pics are making it look like super crazy neon red, but it’s actually a more toned down rusty red-orange in person. That desert sun, it’s bright – I’m telling you.
Total cost wise it was commensurate with a nice Ikea sofa and cheaper than the big decor stores like West Elm or Room&Board. Plus, this thing is built like a freaking tank, is totally unique and the hardwood frame will last forever. I just thought this idea was something to mention when folks pass on vintage sofas because the upholstery is a gross mess. It might be worth investing a few hundred extra dollars to get it recovered so that you can incorporate something totally unique into your pad.
Things are chugging along with the design projects and I can’t wait to show off more completed spaces as they get finalized. Trust me, it will blow up your face – that’s how good this stuff is coming along.
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93 Comments
that sofa looks so relieved.
Holy snaps! That’s an AMAZING transformation! That took some real vision!
I love love love that sofa. Are you ever worried about bed bugs with all these used furniture pieces?
The new fabric shows off the lines and the detailing so much better! It’s awesome.
Like the sofa very much. It’s fantastic!!! And it looks so comfortable!!!
Your philosophy regarding vintage is great. The sofa has an amazing shape and you’ve given it another, more attractive, life. x
that sofa is crazy! I love how you can see the great shapes more clearly now, awesome!
Romana
Love the orange!!!!
Can’t wait to see the rest.
Really amazing piece. The color adds so much life all by itself.
I dont know how anyone can see this and not feel happy.
I am still dreaming about the light fixture you scored.
Went on 1st Dibs & saw the $1800 price tag.
Whooomp Whoomp.
Mr. Goodwill Hunting
that sofa is GORGEOUS. seriously i want that in my house so bad i can hardly stand it. good call on the orange!
If you’d told me it was vintage Ligne Roset, I wouldn’t have batted an eye.
I bow to your sourcing prowess.
WOW. WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW. Looks incredible! As does everything else we can see going on in the room!
What material is the toned down rusty orange?
Fabulous! Who would have thought that thing had such LINES? Not really my colour, but it isn’t for me, is it? How could you have known, it would be such a transition? I mean, look at that velvety horror! But, come on, do tell, how much did you guys pay?
Holy shit that is best after picture on a piece of furniture I have seen in a long time. Wow. Best EVER.
Amen to the power of reupholstery. Looks fantastic.
Fantabulous! Your eye should be insured with Lloyd’s.
BTW, “it was commiserate with a nice Ikea sofa” I think you meant “commensurate”. (I’d be commiserating with that nice Ikea sofa feeling left out by the gorgeousness of your thrifty find, too.)
amazing–a lot of times when I see reupholstery, I kind of think, well, okay. But this one? I NEVER would have seen such potential in the “before.” I’m impressed!
I’ve been following this site for a while now and had to chime in — Oh my freakin’ head! that’s gorgeous. I keep telling the man we need to move out west so I can find some thrifty goodness of my own, but then I might be in trouble cuz I have a couch/chair problem of my own and I’m only in New England, something I could deal with but my man might go cuckoo for coco puffs. Can’t wait to see the full room.
That is incredible. So inviting!
PRICE. we wants prices on here please!
cost of couch.
cost to reupholster
Yes! Would love to see the entire job you did here. That is a gorgeous sofa! I never would have been able to see past the surface, but that’s what makes you- you. Is that maryam montaque mymarrakesh moroccan rug?
This is insane and I am green (or maybe rusty-orange) with envy! Sadly, upholstery in NYC ain’t cheap (and my fear of bedbugs precludes me from even attempting it)…
Oh, and can you share the fabric also? Looks so cushy.
Love it! I’m rather obsessed with reupholstering vintage finds right now. This is great inspiration and a good reminder to look past the fabric.
Wow, looks great! Who did the re-upholstering?
I’m kinda diggin’ the “super-fly” look of the before. All it needed was some purple accent pillows. What an awesome couch. Good job!!
Fabulous.
Every time I see a bit of another room you are working on, I worry my room will be the blight on your portfolio!
GORGEOUS!!!
Great color, great design, but that sofa cost more than a few f hundred to upholster. Year ago I took a couple of upholstery class and came away with a new appreciate for the craft.
Oh Jules, you’re nuts, your place is going to be fabulous.
Tim, he’s not local to you, Neff’s in Riverside is good though.
Cost wise, it’s not my cash so I don’t feel comfortable with specifics. But just think about it, you can get a thrift store couch from anywhere from $50-$500, but normally around $200. Reupholstering can cost anywhere from $400 – $1000 depending on how complicated or big or the foam situation, and then fabric is a whole other story…you can spend a fortune on like Knoll Textiles or get some nice linen on sale for like $4 a yard. Sofas need 10-15 or more yards depending on the size.
Get a couple quotes, its never going to be free, but it might end up being more affordable than buying new.
Holy crap! That sofa is beyond fabulous! Love the orange color used!
This was a stroke of genius! I am in MAD LOVE with that couch. Looks so comfy. Going to go look for some crushed velvet plushness in my local thrifty haunts from now on.
A-mazing!
I Want that sofa SOOO Badly.
omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg
hot damn. i just burned my sofa to the ground because of this.
I can overlook a lot…but I don’t know if I could have seen past that crushed velvet like you did.
In fact, I don’t think I could have seen at ALL for a few minutes after looking at it
I have been obsessing over vintage sofas lately and have been diligently scouting craigslist with no luck. Refuse to buy a new one for the space and am dreaming of the day I find one with a good shape so I can do the same! Thanks for the inspiration and eye candy this morning!
Morgan, you are a visionary! Your thrifty prowess enhances my life!
Thank you for opening my eyes to the amazing possibilities regarding reupholstering…
Any tips when looking for someone to do the work? Things to make sure they can do? Any kind of sofa to stay away from that reupholstering would be a nightmare?
Thanks!
The before pic looks like a dirty Sharpei. I like @modernhaus, I don’t know if I could have seen past that. Awesome job! Love the result.
BOOM!
Pass the popcorn
Just send it on up to Seattle. I already have too much orange furniture, but I’d start over for this baby. Love the color, the lines, EVERYTHING.
You are a girl after my own heart! Every sofa we have is a mid cent gem reborn with new upholstery. I could never have talked the hubs into that gorgeous color (he’s mister neutral) but we’ve seen good lines under butt ugly fabric and made them whole again. We got a fabulous chair and sofa for $5 each and bought the fabric at a store closing. Spent less than $600 total for both, including furniture/fabric/labor. The upholsterer tried to buy the chair to send to a client in Manhattan! Gotta love that
Holy %$#^! That sofa looks %^#%# fantastic!
Also, remember the re-upholstery costs usually include new webbing, springs, ties, down, foam, etc. The whole insides of the piece are brand-new and you get to pick EXACTLY the fabric you want. I love my upholsterer.
THE best sofa makeover ever seen to date. bravo. love that little marble topped coffee table peeking out…
Wow. Seriously, looking at the before all I can see is a hot, heinous mess. But it’s so freaking awesome now!
It’s really cool!
A Chesterfield Pop Edition! Great idea…but not for all kind of spaces as well…
Around here the prices for a new upholstery are crazy but sometimes, like this one, it can worths it
Ciao.
I got the OK to break down the costs:
Couch: $250
Reupholster: $600
Fabric: Robert Allen – Oh my Woven in Ginger (wholesale at $25 a yard. It took 17 yards): $450
Total: $1300
Also, the couch is 8.5 feet long – its a big one.
What an amazing redo, and the price is awesome! I totally agree with you about older pieces holding up like a tank. Thinks were just built better way back when. I don’t think I will ever buy a new significant piece of furniture again…
Long time lurker, first time commenter. Amazing make-over. Appreciate your incredible eye, as well as your generousity in sharing the details – I know it can be a touchy subject.
Wow, I’m loving that shade of red. That’s a fantastic transformation!
Ding dong delighful!
yowza! Super hot!
I’m really having a hard time finding an upholsterer in my area. Everytime I google, I either get a dry cleaner are a car body shop. Is there a way to find one in my area?
Saving that couch definitely took vision, not many folks could have seen its promise. For $1300 the homeowners definitely got major bang for their buck.
Totally awesome! Someone has a great eye.
my God that is good.
Just Brilliant!
Oh god yes.
That couch is wonderful.
totally agree – redo a vintage couch before you head to a big-box store!! this is hot.
what a fabulous transformation, i am totally in love… i am still looking for the perfect couch without spending too much money.
I love it! I always see sofas at the thrifts for around 200 but I do get scared about bed bugs. I love the red orange + I’ve always dreamed of owning one of those Moroccan rugs.
THANK YOU for putting the total costs.
Also….as much as I dig this couch…it ain’t got nothing on your striped one that I dream about every night!
So amazing! Just fabulous! You’re a genius!
Love it…looks so bloody comfortable
When you die, they should study your brain. Or upholster it in mid-century fabric.
Sha Zam is right, Dude, you are a genius.
Very bril.
Yessssssss I love potential + motivation = radicalness. Because my garage is full of ‘potentials’ that i haven’t been motivated to actually DO it yet… hot hot hot.
looks like they are loving your couch transformation over at Apartment Therapy too……..
That sofa is BANANAS!
Holy crap…that is incredible! Totally can’t wait to see the finished results, but hoping they won’t blow up my face
. Seriously you’ve got mad style!
looks incredible, love it. nice work!
That looks fantastic. Great before and after!!
I am renaming that couch “Hot Shit.”
Love the orange =)
wow. wow. wow. that looks freaking amazing. it’s great to see the transformation of great reupholstering. fantastic.
I cringed when I saw this pop up on Apartment Therapy. I knew they’d find some way to turn it into a controversy. Sigh.
Yeah, well, no one asked me if they could repost this. I feel that without context some folks may not get what’s up and make some wrong assumptions. And they did, but the sofa is still rad but defiantly not for everyone.
Orange Rust whatever the color!!! It’s hot!!
Gorgeous! I’m not sure I could have seen past that godawful “fabric” that was seemingly sprouting live from the original, but I’m particularly myopic that way. I had a picture of a sofa from a magazine in my “WANT!” files for ten years, dreaming of the day I might find something like it. Only to FINALLY realize I had the exact same sofa in my basement – the same sofa that sat in my parent’s living room the entire time I lived at home, but dressed in an indestructible and very-boring taupe brocade instead of the canopy black and white stripe of the sofa of my dreams.
thanks for being a design pioneer in allowing us mcm junkies to include some comfy, commodious, cushy furniture in the mix–and which looks beyond amazing, too!
Love love love love love this. Great job.
that is unbelievable. i love it more than ketchup.
No way. Is it really the same sofa? It looks completely resurrected. The original skin was poor, however. The new one is brilliant!
what an awesome transformation!!! love the color.
the before picture reminds me of a giant turd
am i allowed to say that? this is my first comment on your blog and i don’t want to be rude or anything 
MORGAN. This is the greatest. Thank you for consistently bringing it.
wow, thats´s lovely!
Anyone want a sofa like that in Austin, TX? Just found this on Craigslist.
http://austin.craigslist.org/fuo/2298814855.html
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