What is Upholstery? Tips,Trends and Styles to Help You along the Way
Upholstery refers to the materials used to stuff and cover seats, couches, chairs, and most furniture that requires such, with the exception of bed mattresses. Upholstery can include a variety of materials including leather and vinyl, foam and cotton padding.
An upholsterer will redo your upholstery when time has taken its toll on your favorite pieces of furniture. If you have a couch that has seen better days, do not throw it out just yet. You might be able to save some money by getting it recovered and restuffed. You can even change the type, pattern and color of the upholstery when you do this, so it will seem like you got a brand new couch.
Most upholsterers will bring you one or more books of sample upholstery from which you can choose. You do not have to stick with what you had before. Many times, you can also pick the grade of foam to restuff it. Foam padding comes in degrees of density. Some people prefer firm padding, while others like something a little more cushioned.
Once you redo the couch, your recliners might look a little tired. Do not worry! New upholstery might also do them some good! You can even get them done to match the couch. On the other hand, if you prefer, pick out chair upholstery that nicely contrasts and accents the couch.
The great advantage with redoing upholstery rather than buying new is that you can pick colors, patterns and fabrics that go perfectly with your rug, window dressings and overall color scheme. How often have you eyed something in the showroom, only to get it home and find it clashes? With an upholstery sampler handy, you can walk around the house with the samples and place them next to the rug, drapes, and other furniture, ensuring a good match. If you already have well made furniture, replacing it with new furniture of the same quality will likely be more expensive than getting it reupholstered.
To get a quote from a local business, you will likely need to have a consultation, as the price will vary depending on the upholstery chosen, the padding and the amount of materials required. To find a local upholsterer, you can check the yellow pages.
If the upholstery in your car needs replacing, you can find an automotive upholsterer to help you, though this is usually pricey, perhaps because the alternative of replacing the seats is quite expensive. This might explain why seat covers are popular! Many of these businesses will also replace sagging or torn headliners. Check the automotive section of your local yellow pages to find this type of upholsterer.
Upholstery Trends
Lifestyle
looks, stripes and some new colors like lavender will be among the current
trends. Lifestyle is turned into the
look of Restoration Hardware, Pottery Barn and Crate & Barrel, a style that
has become as ever-present as traditional, contemporary and transitional as
manufacturers look for the winning numbers at retail. The look is clean,
upbeat and urban, and in many cases is scaled for condominiums, lofts and
new Baby Boomer retirement nests.
The upholstery trends that are currently popular are the Queen Anne's lace with prints, checks, plaids and sophisticated country flair; Elements, a clean transitional look with solid base cloths; and Low Country, chock full of cottage and coastal flair, as in a vibrant blue-striped sofa with mitered blue pillows.
The Color Pod collection is also popular. The Color Pod collection is of contemporary/lifestyle/urban hip pieces — having established Color Pods presentations. People are also turning to a more muted and natural looks for upholstery.
Upholstery Tips
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It is important to know what fabric treatments actually do. A topical treatment only stops the stain from penetrating the fabric and will not prevent soiling. A common misconception is that treatments prevent soiling, but they only make cleaning easier.
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Fabric treatments also do nothing to prevent fabric wear.
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Vacuum upholstery at least once a week. Small dust particles are very abrasive and can wear furniture prematurely.
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Regularly rotate the cushions of a sofa. This distributes the wear evenly, and keeps the foam cores of the cushions square and the welt lines straight.
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Zippers are installed for ease of manufacturing. Do not remove the cushions, even when cleaning.
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Throw pillows used at the ends of sofas flatten over time. Simply add some loose polyester filling to pillows to keep them looking great.
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Rotate chairs in a room regularly so they wear evenly.
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When unsure about how to clean a fabric, consult a professional.
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