Monday, March 14, 2011

Family Room Sofa Decision

A few weeks ago I came here to ask all of you for some inspiration about replacing our family room sofa.  If you missed that post, click HERE to catch up.  After a lot of consideration, The Husband and I have finally come to a decision. 

I'm reusing this old family room photo to show you the sofa in question ... and because I like it.


The fabric on the cushions is continuing to deteriorate, and the threads are shattering and creating holes and tears where I sit most often.  This beautiful damask fabric just wasn't made for 20+ years of hard family use.  Considering its age, it really has held up well.



I do not have the energy or time to do sofa shopping as it should be done, even with the helpful suggestions that many of you offered.  If I'm honest with myself, I don't really WANT a new sofa ... I want my current sofa to look better. 

We decided that a slipcover is going to be our best option right now.  Last week, I wandered through fabric stores looking for inspiration.  At my second stop, I found a faded-burgundy cotton duck that should be totally perfect!  Here it is, sitting on the sofa in front of my inspiration pillow.



Now all I have to do is find someone to make the slipcover for me, because I do not have the time or the energy at this time of year to do it myself ... though I would love to give it a shot.  I want a fitted slipcover, not a loose one that will require primping and retucking every second of the day. 

I've never lived with a slipcover before, and part of me is still a little bit apprehensive.  I sure hope I don't hate it.  For those of you who have slipcovered furniture, do you have any tips?

11 comments:

  1. I've tried a store bought slipcover but wasn't happy with it. I ended up making covers for the cushions only; you might try that.

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  2. I don't have anything with a slipcover, but I imagine a big advantage would be the possibility of removing it and throwing it in the washer.

    Sofa shopping is so draining. Your solution is a good one.

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  3. I had sofa slipcovers made at the Arlington, VA Calico Corners shop. They did a beautiful job! They also made my draperies for my NYC apartment.

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  4. That will look great. I love my slipcovered PB sofa in my sunroom. When it gets really dirty I just unzip the covers and throw them in the washer and dryer. I don't dry them all the way because they can shrink. Then I just put them back on and done.

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  5. We had a sofa and loveseat that had lodge style cushions that I hated. My neighbor sewed me some zippered covers for them, which worked so much better than I've ever managed to get slipcovers to work. Too much wallowing on mine, for them to stay put.

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  6. Hi,
    I ran across your blog while surfing. As for slipcovers I bought a 'Surefit' slipcover for my gold brocade loveseat. The cover is a Blue and Cream Toille, fits quite nicely. They have velvet ones, brocade,all types..

    Your house is shapeing up quite nicely. Do you watch HGTV?? I've watched it for about 15 years. PLEASE don't take this the wrong way,but I know what the very 1st thing is that they would say to you, about your family room.

    "The Fireplace is ALWAYS always the focal point of any room"..it should be shown off to it's best advantage".

    "The 2 leather chairs are tooo massive for the size of the room"

    "Please showcase those beautiful windows, maybe by putting the TV on a low stand in front of them, instead of where it is now"?

    "Why are 4 or 5 tables (spacetakers) needed in the room, could you possibly remove at the very least 2 of them"??

    When I look at a room I instictively see everything thats right and wrong about it...Balance is what's needed. Love the rug,pillows and pictures. My style...

    PLEASE take this in good humour and do NOT send me a MYOB mail. I'm just trying to be helpful. :>)

    Val, from Chicago, IL

    hon1@sbcglobal.net

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  7. O dear, you just got a comment full of ideas didn't you? I love the color of the sofa...don't you just hate it when our comfortable sitting places have to be redone?

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  8. Hi Connie - I just bought Ikea furniture for Perch that has slipcovers and bought extra slips so I can easily swap them out - the sofa itself isn't really that comfy but with those two dogs I don't have to be super anxious about dirt. And bleach is a girl's best friend. I think the idea is great - I hope you can find someone soon who makes them for you. best, Linda

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  9. This summer Im going to undertake the daunting task of reupulstering our couch... and adding an L shape to it???? What am i thinking???? Maybe if you have success with your slip covering adventures ill follow suit!

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  10. Never used slip coverings but do love the look. I've been reading the Shabby Chic book and that style really appeals to me. Your sofa is lovely and if you've gotten 20 years from that material, you should be celebrating. That's pretty amazing!

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  11. I haven't slip covered a piece of furniture since back in the 70's and man oh man were slip covers horrible back then. I hear they've come a long way though so I'm curious to see how your handmade one will do.

    DI

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