To slipcover or not to slipcover?
Those of you who know me, or maybe even those who have been reading this blog for awhile, know that I excel in the practical. When it comes to making things pretty, I'm all thumbs. I enjoy things that are pretty and practical, but often don't know how or have the motivation to make them pretty.
Several bloggers out there are inspiring me to change my ways. I see the way they spend very little and make their homes lovely and inviting. Crystal's post about slip covers last week has me thinking about our furniture.
Almost all of our home furniture has been from hand me downs or garage sales. In fact, I took a look around the house and saw that in over twelve years of marriage the only things we have purchased new are dining room chairs, and an armoire. Some of our furniture is family antiques, but some of our hand me down over the years have been, well let's call it interesting. Who could forget Tim's favorite couch from our first years of marriage. It was a beast, maybe 8 feet long, and was yellow corduroy. Add to that that the previous owners had cats that thought the couch was a perfect scratching post. It was comfortable, but UGLY!
Our current couch and chair were purchased for $75 at a yard sale last summer. The previous owners were an older couple, and they did not use the furniture much. It is in excellent condition, but the fabric is decidedly 70's. The fabric is also a wool/polyester blend. It is a bit scratchy, and I was afraid it would be uncomfortable in the summer, but so far it really doesn't seem to be. The colors actually match the room. I've thought about slipcovering since we bought them. So what do you think? Should I stick with the retro look or should I invest in slipcovers?
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frugal thoughts
11 comments:
I'm all about sticking with the retro!
I kinda like the wool feel...
If you do go with slipcovers, I think that you can buy them now where the body of the chair (or sofa etc) is covered with one piece, and then the cushion with another. That way the kids aren't always pulling the slipcover out of the "crack" at the back and side of the cushion making it look all icky.
Personally, I'm not fond of that chair's colors etc. I think that having a newer color scheme would be nice, but it is definitely a want and not a need. So the real question is, out of all of your current wants, is this really what you want the most? (ie willing to spend the money on)
Retro is always fun, but you really need to go with the choice which will make you happiest in the long run.
Um, I say this in the kindest way, but I would most definitely be slipcovering those. You can usually find some on Ebay for pretty cheap or Sure Fit Slipcovers website usually has some clearanced out. I love neutral tones and tend to avoid the floral. You want something that isn't too light in color though because they will show everything.
We have slipcovered our downstairs couches because the kids get them so yucky and they are starting to look really bad. It is so much easier to clean up the couch when you can just slip everything off and throw it in the wash.
I hope that helps!!
Thanks for all the input! You're great!
I think it comes down to Jenn's point. Gotta cover my needs first. On my list of wants slip covers aren't that high. I'd rather use the money to pay off debt!
I would not slipcover, unless you can make well-fitting slipcovers yourself (or pay someone to make them to fit your furniture).
The Sure-Fit slipcovers look great, so long as they are carefully tucked and pinned. They do NOT work well on older furniture with narrow arms instead of today's overstuffed, rolled arm, tight back models.
I don't mind the plaid at all and think it would hide everything. I might splurge on a few throw pillows in a lighter yellow or gold, to lighten the look overall. Big Lots often has pretty pillows, cheap.
Tuck that slipcover money in an envelope. One day you'll find a yard sale deal that you love as-is.
How about vintage sheets? We use pretty vintage sheets over our couches to keep them clean. I also slip cover the throw pillows in vintage pillow cases. You just fold over the extra and tuck it in like a little package. Quilts, coverlets and drop cloths(my fav for bargain decorating) work as well. We do have to adjust them every few day, but they are easy to put back, and super easy to clean.
How about painting them? I found this link for Upholstery fabric paint which is advertised as safe because it's a dye.
http://www.fabricpaint.com/uph-spray-deals.htm. You might be able to find it somewhere else less expensively. You could experiment with Rit dye or even straight bleach in an inconspicous place. Nothing to lose, right? Anything that stains the fabric would work.
Stephanie,
I saw a blog post and thought of you. Earlier this month I had read about someone who was a quilter, and how they had sewn patches all over their couch. Then I saw this couch at a fancy store on this blog:
http://decor8.blogspot.com/2007/08/jroaman.html
I thought it was a cute idea, but might be a little time consuming, and you'd need to use one of those "c" shaped upholstery needles, I think. Still, thought I'd share.
Oh, I'd keep it and paint the wall a yummy chocolate brown!
Kimmie
mama to 6
one homemade and 5 adopted
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