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Hi all! I've got a problem that hours of HGTV and Pinterest have not been able to help me with, so I figured I'd ask you fine folks what you would do.

I'm moving in with my boyfriend, into our first place together. This should mean I get a blank slate to start decorating with, but he is set on keeping his old couch because we have to buy quite a bit of new furniture already, so a new sofa isn't really in our budget. Problem: I loathe this couch. I've got the other rooms in our new place all mapped out in my head, but this sofa has blocked my inspiration for our living room. So here it is:

http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q...0HSBe7DQ0xTlIMoa&t=1

How would you guys create a still-gorgeous living room despite that couch? Our living room is in a high-rise apartment with floor-to-ceiling windows on two sides, a wall on another, and no wall on the fourth side because it opens into our kitchen (Here's our floor plan: http://www.everyaptmapped.com/...2B10%2Bfloorplan.jpg ). The one 'real' wall we do have will probably have to house our giant television (another contribution from the boyfriend), but other than that (and the sofa I hate), I can decorate however I see fit. Any ideas? What would YOU do?

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Firstplace23,

While I agree that I would not choose that sofa, I was expecting something really bad... Pheasants/deer print, etc.

I am sure that you will get some great ideas from the helpful folks on here!

Haha, you're right, Grapefruit, it could be much worse. But at least I could upholster over the deer! With the weird fake leather on the arms/bottom of this couch, upholstery seems out of the question. Plus I don't know how you'd incorporate color with it, since it's multiple shades of drab, and I'm a girl who likes pops of color! Hopefully you're right and someone will be able to suggest the right additional living room furniture/decorating ideas to make it work.

If you can sew a straight line (or know someone who does) you can easily upholster the cushions to go with new furniture. Find the furniture you want and then look for fabrics to go with it. Sometimes manufacturers will even sell you yardage, so you could conceivably cover the cushions to match. I think the sofa is fine and I would have no problem incorporating it into a nice design. Why don't you show us what you were thinking of for chairs in the room?

Well, first thing I would do is shop for fabric and cover the cushions only. Leave the frame as is but get some fabric that will make you feel good, introduce your favorite colors.
They sell that sofa here in Floria just about everywhere and they are around $500. So, if your fabric idea goes more than this amount, go for a new sofa.

Fabric on sale in Red or bold blue or whatever color you want to wake up the place should work. Sort of like making a tight slip cover for each pillow.

Good luck! You have a great floor plan. And you can spruce up so much with only a few bold items, so take your time and choose items that mean something to the both of you and select what will grow into what feels more like a home.

quote:

Posted Aug 28, 2012 10:10 PM Hide Post
Well, first thing I would do is shop for fabric and cover the cushions only. Leave the frame as is

I may not have explained myself very well . I didn't mean for you to upholster the whole sofa, just the seat and back cushions. I like the idea of a mixture of leather and fabric combined on the same couch.

Cavin,
You and I were posting about the same time... I didn't see your post, but agree with your post!

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone! I was indeed thinking of covering the cushions, I was just unsure as to what would look good with that dark-brown-almost-black frame, which is what I really hate. Maybe I could leave the two bottom cushions, and the matching larger cushions of the same color (sand?) as is, but then try to bring out other colors on the other cushions, maybe some combination of purple and gold (a more metallic gold of some kind, not yellow). Does that sound good in my head but ugly to anyone else? Haha. Maybe I could tie in the color scheme that I create from those cushions with other objects? Lamps, drapes, art, etc.

As for the other chairs, I was thinking of doing something in a neutral similar to the color of the two base cushions (ex: http://rk.weimgs.com/weimgs/rk...1211/0092/img97o.jpg ), just because I'm scared that something too different will look haphazard and disconnected. Should I not be worried about that?

Gosh! I don't see this as such a bad problem.
Are those cushions part of the sofa or are they throw pillows?
Assuming they are probably part of the sofa, I think butterscotch (close to your choice of gold but not as brassy looking), ivory and cream, would look just fine with the sofa color.
If, in fact, they are simply throw pillows, ditch them and buy new ones in butterscotch, cream and ivory. Same with the chairs.
Problem solved.
PS. One thing: If you really detest that sofa, you don't want to focal point it by adding bright colors like purple, etc. to make it stand out. The less you attract attention to it the better.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: arepo,

Have you considered slipcovering the whole thing?
A neutral (even textural) would offer greater scheme flexibility.

I recently ran into this situation with a sofa for a design client. He wanted to buy a combination leather/fabric sofa, but the fabrics didn't go with his decor. Here are a couple of inspiration pictures we looked at.

Here is another. There really are no limits to how you can change your sofa.

Arepo, they are just throw pillows so ditching them completely could very well work, hadn't thought of that, weirdly enough. And thanks for pointing out that I don't want to bring attention to the couch if I hate it, hadn't thought about that either!

Froo Froo, I did, but I'm not a fan of the drapey, couch-wearing-a-frock look of slip covers, I prefer clean lines if I can get them.

Sharon, thanks for the inspiration!

I'm still not 100% sure what to do but you guys are definitely helping me think of things that I hadn't considered before! Thanks! Keep it coming!

quote:

Originally posted by Firstplace23:
I'm not a fan of the drapey, couch-wearing-a-frock look of slip covers

Thanks for the laugh! ITA, unless slipcovers are custom made and tightly fitted, they look too sloppy.

Cavin, having had custom-made, tight-fitting slip covers, I agree with you, but if they can't afford a new couch, I doubt that custom-made covers are an affordable option either.

That's a misconception. There are stretchy, fitted slipcovers today that look as though the furniture was reupholstered. Check out Surefit and others before you nix this idea. The key is careful measuring of your sofa.

Optionally, you can (as illustrated) have just the cushions reupholstered (or slipcovered) in a fabric that works w/ your chosen scheme and style. In fact, one long cushion can replace individual cushions if that's your preference.

quote:

Originally posted by sms29s66:
Cavin, having had custom-made, tight-fitting slip covers, I agree with you, but if they can't afford a new couch, I doubt that custom-made covers are an affordable option either.

That's why I recommended covering the cushions only. Custom slipcovers are as expensive as upholstering.

Yes, you can use those stretchy sure-fit covers, but the fabric doesn't look that great IMO. For about the same amount of money Firstplace23 can buy fabric on sale and transform her couch into something stylish.

omg wnat to trade my plaid sectional??

actually you have a perfect back-drop for almost andy color acent you want...with some creative wrapping, (like you would a package) you can change the throw pillows and even the back/seat ones...

Thanks for all your input, everyone! Froo Froo, thanks for the tip about Surefit. I'll see what I can do, but I'm still super wary of that messy slipcover look.

I do think that for sure I'll cover the other cushions, but that still doesn't get rid of the part I hate the most, which is that fake leather dark brown portion on the bottom/sides. I wish there were a way I could cover that. Part of me wants to buy some fabric and a staple gun and have a go at it, but something tells me that wouldn't turn out too well Perhaps I'm just stuck on it and when I cover the cushions I won't notice it anymore. Finger crossed!

Does anyone have any suggestions for what color schemes would look good and take attention away from the gross bottom? Or blend well with it? Any and all suggestions welcome!

I'd slipcover the cushion and back pillows. It's not difficult to sew squares of fabric or even repurpose scarfs to cover loose pillows. Leave an opening and use velcro for closure. Some sites offer envelope style of pillow cases that eliminate the need for a closure. There are tons of how-to sites that give DIY instructions suitable for novice sewers for this on the Web and all you need is a straight stitch vs. being a skilled seamstress. If this idea doesn't appeal to you, then shop for new cushions in a pattern and color you like and replace the back cushions. If the pattern features the color of the faux leather and/or the seat cushion plus accents you love, all the easier to tie everything together. If the new patterned pillows are bold enough, this will detract from the faux leather. In any case, don't introduce a real leather piece with this sofa. BTW, Bed, Bath and Beyond sells accent pillow covers that zip over the existing pillows if their sizing works w/ your needs. I have one and love it. It's washable too.

In cases where something is not to our liking, often, it's best to "go with the flow" and work with this piece making it appear intentional. Then, when budget permits, weigh reupholstering it entirely or shop for a new sofa. If you simply tie this piece into your new scheme via a change of some pillows and perhaps a throw, this may be the best budget friendly solution for now. In that case, draw scheme and feel inspiration from the newly introduced colorful, printed fabrics (and perhap, area rug) and go from there.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Froo Froo,

I would say: quit obsessing over the sofa. Focus on the big stuff: the overall scheme, color palette.

The sofa isn't hideous at all...just change out the pillows.

Instead of doing the cushions over, why not save some money and time, take the covers off (they probably have a zipper). Then, I would dye them a bit darker tone and voila, you have a new look. I take my cushion covers off the sofa and wash them in the washing machine, then dry them on low heat. Did the same thing with my last sofa. The fabric on my two sofas never shrunk or went out of shape.

Not sure what the fabric is on your seat cushions but if you are willing to have new ones made, then trying to dye them first would be the way to go.

Dyeing the cushions is a great alternative but before you attempt it, check the fibre content of the fabric. Usually all cotton and all nylon are receptive to dye. Anything with a blend, especially polyester is not as easy to dye. I speak from experience.

You might paint the cushions/pillows. Here's an example (resource link) and how-to:
http://www.designsponge.com/20...er-painted-sofa.html

I thought it was going to be a broken-down, cat-ripped, stained thing...with purple 'fur' backed Elvis-themed toss pillows; sure gladdddddd I was wrong!!!!!!!