Below are a few things to conside when making your decision.
Re-upholster or buy new?
Furniture Quality
If you have a robust piece of furniture, it can be re-upholstered to be as good as new. You will then have a great quality item that will last for many years.
It doesn’t have to be a mid-century classic just something that’s well made. By getting your furniture re-upholstered, you will know it’s been done by either a single trained upholsterer or a small team. This is in contrast with buying a new item which will likely have been made in a factory.
The quality of furniture has deteriorated over the last few decades. A combination of the need for manufactures to be competitive and the drive for us all to have the latest look in our homes has driven down both the quality and the price of new furniture. Older frames are usually made of solid materials either wood or metal and last for many years. If you are lucky enough to have one of these, re-upholstery is worth considering.
Unfortunately, sometimes a piece may not be worth spending the time and money on. It’s usually down to the strength and condition of the frame. If that is the case it may be worth looking at getting something second hand and considering re-upholstery.
Unique Bespoke Piece
Upholstery offers furniture to suit your specifications. You choose the fabric from samples that you can consider in your home or wherever the piece will be in different light conditions. Sometimes something will look completely different in a shop or on a website than it does once in your home. Will that funky pattern really work as a standout piece? Which shade of blue will look best with the décor? Upholstery offers the chance to deliberate in your own time and space.
Comfort
Simple changes and tweaks can be made to a chair to suit your requirements. A common one is that a slightly higher firmer cushion can make getting up from a chair a bit easier, on the other hand one may prefer to change to softer seating. These requirements are usually easy to accommodate.
Keeping a special peice
There may be a piece of furniture which has belonged to a friend of family member or is just special because it fits your room and has memories. Re- upholstery allows you the chance to keep this, either in an updated version of its original form or with an entirely new look.
Sustainability
We all (or most of us) recognise the need for sustainability. According to a 2018/19 report by the North London Waste authority 22 million pieces of furniture are discarded every year in the UK, the majority of which goes directly to landfill. There are moves to encourage reuse and recycling, but nothing is happening quickly. From this perspective re-upholstery is clearly a good environmental choice.