If you’re bored of your existing furniture, or if it’s looking old and worn, then your first thought might be to go out and buy something new. You’ll have plenty of choice at any local furniture store, and an even more extensive range of products to buy online, but is buying new furniture always the best decision?
That solid oak armchair might have been in your family for generations. It might hold special memories of bedtime stories by the fire with Grandma. It’s looking dated, and it doesn’t fit with your current décor, but do you really want to send it on a one-way journey to the local tip?
How about that sofa? The cushions are less comfortable, and the material is frayed, but is it really at the end of its life? Rather than throwing your furniture out, why not consider reupholstering or buying furniture covers?
Reupholstering Saves Money
The ‘Make Do and Mend’ mentality is becoming increasingly popular. If the recession has taught us anything, it’s that money is precious and that many household items can last longer than initially expected. Reupholstery can bring a new lease of life to an old piece of furniture, and it’s easy to find sofa covers that can make your favourite settee look like a brand new purchase.
When we’re trying to save money, we often forget that we have to pay for quality. Buying cheap furniture can mean that you end up with a sofa that breaks within a month, or an armchair that’s incredibly uncomfortable. It’s often cheaper to buy furniture covers, or to send your favourite piece of furniture to be reupholstered, than to replace a purchase that was made just twelve months earlier. If a chair is strong enough to have survived years in a hectic household, then it’s probably one that’s worth keeping.
Reupholstering Helps the Environment
A sofa that’s thrown out will end up at a landfill site, or will be incinerated. Many people are making a conscious effort to be increasingly environmentally friendly. Reupholstering your furniture, or buying a furniture cover, is one way to play your part. If your mind is set on disposing of old furniture, then local furniture recycling companies will happily take it away. Usually, these items are reupholstered elsewhere, to be sold on or donated to a family in need.
Reupholstering Gives You More Choice
If you’ve tried buying new furniture in the past, then you’ll probably remember long hours spent walking from store to store. You’ve set your sights on a specific style or colour, and you can’t find a retailer that stocks what you’ve pictured. The beauty of furniture covers is that they come in an extensive range of designs. If you’re choosing reupholstery, then you can select from almost any fabric. You’re not limited to the sofa that ‘comes in 5 colours!’, or the one that has ‘two matching cushions’ – you’ve got control over the look and feel of your furniture, and can add as many matching cushions as you’d like.
You might decide that you’d prefer new furniture because you’ve looking for a more modern shape, or a completely different size. There are some things that reupholstering can’t do, but if you’re happy with your chair and not with the colour, then new furniture covers might be the best solution.
Have I convinced you to reupholster your furniture, or will you be buying new from your local furniture store? Comment below, and let me know.