Sometimes you’d like to refresh your home’s vibe, but it feels like maybe it’s not the best time to be spending a lot of money doing so. Like — just as a hypothetical — perhaps the world is feeling a bit uncertain and prone to sudden fits of bizarreness.
But aren’t those the times you could most use a breath of fresh air in your life and home? Thanks to the power of things like upholstery fabrics, you can have a design refresh without adding uncertainty to your budget.
In fact, there’s a kind of joy in creating spaces that offer the comfort and beauty you want on your terms. It’s like sailing past a line outside a trendy, expensive restaurant on your way to your neighborhood’s hidden gem, the one that actually has the best food in the city.
In other words, uncertainty comes bearing gifts. It has a way of nudging us into looking around our spaces asking “What really matters here? What do I really want it to feel like?” And then you choose fabrics and ways of adding small lifts to create that feeling, be it soothing, uplifting, relaxing, or a million other vibes. Today we’ll take a quick look at how to get it done.
Liberating Rule #1: Reupholster, Don’t Replace To Revive Your Space
Speed. We live in a world that’s pretty obsessed with all things speed. You know, fast casual food, fast fashion, fast makeovers, fast fast fast. Speed has its place, but too often “fast” has become synonymous with disposable and low-quality.
To find something truly emblematic of the benefits of prioritizing more than just speed, you need look no further than furniture. Think of those family heirloom pieces, handed down again and again. Or the style and substance of vintage furniture at your local thrift or antique store.
When you invest in pieces that have good bones, that are made to last, home just gets homier and homier as the years go by because your favorite perch is never far away. And refreshing your home’s vibe gets simpler and simpler, too. Instead of replacing (and doing all the shopping that goes into replacing) you can reupholster.
We’ve got loads of reupholstering resources to help you DIY, whether you’re a beginner or a closet master craftsperson. Or Google your way to a local professional to do it for you. The point is, you already love your furniture and now you get to fall in love with it all over again in a brand new outfit.
Pro Tip: Slipcovers for the win. If you’ve not played with slipcovers before, give it a try. Relaxed looking or tautly tailored, thanks to their slip-on-off nature, you can launder them and/or refresh your space throughout the year and just tuck them into a closet in between.
Liberating Rule #2: How Neutrals Release Your Home’s Style Swagger
You may be thinking, “I need something big.” Well, you can do that, too. Because budget-friendly changes limit you to accents. Focus on foundations.
Think of it like this. If you’ve ever watched a fashion makeover show, the person getting made-over gets some exciting pieces, wildly different from what they’ve been wearing, right? But there’s also the theme of the experts walking that person through how to build the bulk of their wardrobe around classic staple pieces. The kind of pieces that set the stage for smaller, zhuzhed-up pieces to shine in an outfit later.
For a bigger change in your upholstery design, come at it like that. Use reupholstering and slipcovers to reinvigorate your home’s design vibe foundations for much less than a full redo — while still kinda getting a full redo.
These days, design experts are finding that what works best and is most future-proof are neutrals. But not lifeless, uninteresting neutrals. Warm, earthy, rich neutrals.
Like redoing your family room furniture in a mocha brown microsuede or harvest beige chenille tweed. Or your bedroom in patina green linen or soft amethyst velvet.
Earthy neutrals mean all of nature’s warmest most welcoming hues are your palette. So feel free to set your foundation’s tone to ocean blue, cloud white, or sunset orange if that’s what inspires you.
As you do, you’re clearing the canvas for your vibe, setting a new tone. Going back to clothing, you’re nailing down your “classic” look and setting the stage for whatever style swag strikes your fancy next.
Liberating Rule #3: Accents Are Your Home’s Passport To Personality
Also, accents are awesome. And they’re an excellent way to play. In fact, they’re especially excellent against those new neutral foundations of yours. By focusing on foundations that feel really aligned with your vibe, you’ve set the stage to add accents like you might add an exciting dessert to a regular average weekday meal. All the nourishment is there, plus a bit of joy that has just the right amount of mmmmm.
The mmmmm lives in the contrast. When adding some dynamic pop, look for fabric colors and patterns that offer a contrast to your foundations that strikes the right feel for you.
For your vibe, that might just be some simple vintage accents sprinkled in through throw pillows in currant red Juliet floral and soft beige striped chenille. Or it could be a bolder addition, like a pair of armchairs donning an elegant upgrade in mist-toned vintage Cecile floral or an unexpected crane and lotus pattern fabric.
Add some bedroom pizazz with headboard in a sky blue contemporary pattern jacquard and tufted changing bench in tapioca white performance ultrasuede. And give your dining room a kitschy, playful refresh with chairs in an earthy wheat gingham pattern linen and curtains in regal ruby red Victorian pattern damask.
In Turbulent Times, Your Home’s Vibe Can Offer You Peace And Calm
Uncertain times are, well, uncertain. But there’s a power in you, and there’s a power in upholstery fabrics. And we’re not just saying that because we’re the largest online upholstery fabric store and we think it’s clever.
Upholstery fabrics offer a path to reinvigorate and renew your home’s vibe — anytime — on your terms, within your budget, and aligned with your style.
- Skip a cheap new mass-market sofa. Instead, reupholster or slipcover pieces you already love, restoring and reinventing them for your life’s next chapter.
- Start with neutral foundations to set your vibe right and you set yourself up for swapping accents in/out as the mood strikes you going forward.
- Accents like switching out pillow shams, changing curtains, or using a slipcover or DIY reupholstery to turn armchairs, dining chairs, a loveseat, headboard, sofa, and more into a piece popping with personality.
We’ve got fabrics durable enough for the life you live and a team of folks who love helping you get what you need. Because, no matter how uncertain, your life is now. So, on with the story you’re living and the memories you’re making in your home. Give us a call or drop us a line today.
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