Hipstorically speaking, spring is an exceptional time of year to refresh your space. (What’s that, you ask? No, that wasn’t a typo. Hipstorically speaking is exactly what we mean. Stay tuned.) In the spring, the world is bursting with new life, and you start itching to feel the same about your home.
For interior design, spring this year is trending, comfy and fun. It could be the ongoing questions about what’s next for the economy. Or just a basic desire to keep things simple and get all the value you can out of what you already have. Regardless, when it comes to furniture and upholstery, making new magic out of old things is totally in style.
And in case you missed the most recent issue of our digital magazine, in keeping with that spirit, Pinterest has coined a name for it all: Hipstoric—“people are combining vintage—often inherited—pieces with their modern styles. Thanks to the Boomers and Gen X driving these trends, antiques have never looked so chic.”
So today, we thought we’d look at a couple of old reliable go-to’s for achieving that hipstoric (or any other) look: slipcovers and reupholstering. Ah, slipcovers and furniture reupholstering. It’s the magical transformation that can turn a worn-out, tired piece of furniture into a fresh and stylish new addition to your home.
It’s like giving your sofa a facelift or a mini-makeover — and who doesn’t love a good makeover? Let’s dig in.
How You Can Slipcover Furniture Into A Whole New Style For Your Home
Let’s start with slipcovers. These handy little easy-to-slip-on-or-off covers are like the superhero of furniture. They can save your couch or armchair from spills, stains, and everyday wear and tear. Plus, they can come in all sorts of colors and patterns, so you can give your room a whole new look without having to buy a whole new piece of furniture.
Maybe you’d like to take a faded and dated set of family room furniture and give it a fresh and friendly feel with slipcovers in machine-washable sugar white linen fabric. Or give your office a trendy warm, and vintage vibe with a crisply upholstered sofa in sunflower gold tweed or maybe something like grass green instead—both with the protective power of Crypton, by the way.
But slipcovers aren’t just practical–they’re also fun! You can mix and match different patterns and colors to create a unique and playful look.
Want to add a pop of color to your living room? Try a paprika burgundy slipcover over a previously neutral sofa. Feeling adventurous? Go for a bold floral pattern on your armchair, like a spring floral tapestry performance fabric. Offering both an eye-catching element and some of that vintage appeal.
Slipcovers can be as basic as new fabric draped and tucked over your furniture or taught and sleek like a whole new piece. As far as getting from finding a fabric you love all the way through the process of turning it into a slipcover, you’ll find loads of DIY resources for whatever level of skill or time you have here. Or just let us DIFY—that is, let us Do It For You—and get your custom slipcovers fast and easy.
Reupholster: Get All New Furniture—Skip All The Old Shopping
But if you really want to take your furniture to the next level, consider reupholstering. This is where you get to pick out a brand-new fabric and completely transform your furniture. It’s like giving it a whole new identity — from drab to fab.
Of course, reupholstering does require a bit more work than slipcovers. But the end result is a one-of-a-kind piece that truly reflects your personal style. And reupholstering is something we’re pretty passionate about (obviously).
So we have a vast amount of tips and tricks for doing it yourself. Or you can find a skilled local upholsterer who can take your furniture apart, strip off the old fabric, and put it all back together again with the new fabric of your choice.
Or how about a bit of both? That’s where our friend, Aimee, the inspiring talent behind Artisan Upholstery Studio, comes in. She offers in-depth how-tos from the super simple to the super professional. And we get to share her wisdom and artistry on our DIY channel every month. Like her recent guide to reupholstering barstools from start to finish. (Looking fresh and fabulous in our pecan leather grain vinyl.)
With reupholstering style, possibilities are, once again, virtually endless. Make your design update simple and classic, like silver-grey, small-scale diamond pattern fabric, or even a traditional heirloom in blue and white.
Make furniture contemporary but comfy with soft lavender or indigo velvet. Or make something retro and vibey with a mauve, coral, and gold decorative flower paisley brocade, an alluring white and green heirloom, or a pale blue textured striped velvet.
While reupholstering may at first feel like a bit more of a commitment than slipcovers, it checks all the boxes for those pieces of furniture that you’ve lived in and loved enough to know you really want the chance to live in and love them for a whole lot longer. Plus, it’s so much cheaper and less time-consuming than buying new pieces again.
Let Your Home’s Simple Spring Design Refresh Begin!
The bottom line from our time today is that your hipstoric spring design update is closer — and easier — than you think. And the feeling of taking furniture that seems worn out and done and giving it life and personality makes the journey well worth it.
So whether you opt for the simplicity of slipcovers or the reinvention of reupholstering, remember that furniture isn’t just functional – it’s also a reflection of your personality and style. So have fun with it, and let your imagination run wild.
As always, we’re here to help you. We have the fabrics you love. And we love to help you make your design dreams come true throughout the year. Give us a call today.