Whether you’re giving a new lease of life to a forgotten favourite or working your magic on a flea market find, reupholstering is the perfect way to get old furniture looking fabulous. Here’s what to think about when styling your seat.

Choosing the chair

Before you can even think about reupholstering you need to pick your perfect chair. Start by considering the role it’s going to play in your home. Is it going to be a statement piece that’s more style than substance? How about a sofa sanctuary where you can curl up with a good book? Maybe it will be a communal couch, playing host to movie nights and popcorn. If it’s going to be mostly decorative then push the boundaries and go for something that will start a conversation, but in all other instances you’re going to want comfort and function. Think too about who’s going to be using the chair: if it’s going to be your own personal haven then find one that fits you perfectly, but if it’s for the whole family to enjoy then it might need to be more practical – not to mention durable. Make sure it’s not too big for the room, and always go for quality.

Choosing the colour

While admittedly a statement piece of furniture like a chair can make a good focal point to build a room around, when it comes to reupholstering it’s usually safest to decide on a room’s overall colour scheme first. The reason being is that, with the entire world’s fabric to choose from, it’s useful to have some influence to help you narrow down your favourites. The good news is that you really do have complete freedom to find your perfect colour match, so it may as well be one you love, right? A word of warning though: try not to be swayed too much by the latest trends. It can be tempting to opt for Pantone’s colour of the year to show you have your finger on the pulse, but only do that if you really, truly like the colour. If you’re just following fashion you might find it much less appealing once its ‘colour of the moment’ popularity wanes.

Choosing the design

Solid colours or subtle patterns are what’s most commonly used for upholstery, but this isn’t a hard and fast rule. If you want something a little more adventurous then that’s fine, so long as you’re careful to make sure the fabric is right for the furniture. Stripes and certain patterns can be a challenge for some shapes, especially if you’re reupholstering yourself and have limited experience. You also need to make sure the fabric works for the era of the piece – an antique Victorian armchair probably wouldn’t work in outlandish geometrics, whereas florals might look out of place on a modern and edgy lounge chair. 

Choosing the fabric

Remember that design is as much about function as it is about style. The fabric you choose needs to be durable: woven patterns last longer than printed ones, and so do higher thread counts and tight weaves. This is another instance where you need to think about who will be using the sofa, for example if you have pets or young children the fabric will most likely need to be able to withstand extra wear and tear. On the other hand, if the chair is going to be placed in your bedroom then it won’t need to be quite so heavy-duty. It needs to feel good to touch too, so don’t choose anything scratchy and make sure you like the texture. If you can’t stand the feel of velvet, you definitely don’t want to curl up on a velvet chair!

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