Ways to update an outdated sofa for a fresh interior.

Decorate with pillows

The easiest and most inexpensive way to update a sofa is to complement it with elegant pillows. For a single-color product, multi-colored pillowcases with a variety of textures, sizes and prints are suitable: fur, knitted, with patterns, round and rectangular. For a sofa with patterns, it is more appropriate to use plain pillows, which will muffle the activity of the upholstery without overloading it.

You can sew pillowcases yourself, tidying up your closet and using old clothes that you don’t wear.

Cover with a bedspread

Even the most inexpensive sofa will look cozier and more attractive if you cover it with a thick blanket and throw a couple of pillows on top. For convenience, the product can be secured with threads or pins on the back and at the corners. It is important to choose the right fabric – sufficiently textured and heavy so that it does not slip when used.

A universal option is a contrasting single-color fabric without a pattern or in tone with the textiles of the room.

Add foam rubber

A sagging sofa has several disadvantages:

• unaesthetic, shabby appearance;
• inconvenience in use;
• cheapens the overall appearance of the interior.

If you have removable covers, add extra-hard foam (EL2240 or EL2842) to the main filler to make sitting on the sofa comfortable and stretch the fabric on the cover. This simple and inexpensive upgrade will help to visually update your upholstered furniture.

If the upholstery is solid, you will have to “tinker” with it, carefully unstitching the material, adding filler and re-securing the fabric with threads and a furniture stapler.

Paint

Surprisingly, upholstered furniture can be improved with paint: the main thing is to consult with a specialist in the store and choose the right composition. There are latex paints for upholstery on sale, which are applied with a brush, and special aerosols. If you strictly follow the instructions, the coating will not crack or get dirty.

If the cover is removable, it can be painted using textile paint, a washing machine and a bit of adventure.

Sew a new cover

If you want to implement the idea with your own hands and with minimal costs, you will need skillful hands, several meters of upholstery fabric and a sewing machine. Soft fabrics are easier to work with, but they wear out more.

When calculating fabric consumption, be sure to take shrinkage into account. You can take a simpler route by ordering a ready-made cover from trusted manufacturers.

Universal covers made of stretchy synthetic fabric, which are easy to find on Internet services, rarely look attractive, so they are only suitable as a temporary option. Give preference to wear-resistant and dense material so that the sofa looks more expensive and lasts longer.

Change the components

Put the sofa on legs or replace the old (usually chrome) supports with new wooden ones. You can also paint the legs in a bright or more muted color, sew covers for individual cushions – for example, just the seat – or add armrests to a laconic product.

Some sofas have a “skirt” and do not fit into the modern style – you can remove it, turning the structure into a lighter-looking model. Or vice versa – add decorative elements in the form of buttons, imitating a carriage coupler on the back.

Completely restore

Such work will require not only enthusiasm, but also an investment of money and effort. To thoroughly renew a sofa, you should disassemble it, sand the wooden parts or replace the damaged chipboard. The filler must be replaced, the moving mechanisms must be lubricated or new ones installed. The wood must be covered with a protective compound (oil, wax or paint).

To sew new upholstery, we recommend removing the old one and, using it as a template, cutting out new components. With due patience and accuracy, the result will definitely please you.

There are many ways to transform a boring or damaged sofa: use your imagination to create a completely new piece of furniture without much investment.