Lifestyle

5 Designer Secrets for using an Upholsterer!

As a designer, having an amazing upholsterer on your team is a lifesaver… a true craftsman that helps guide you through the overall process. If you haven’t ever worked with an upholsterer, this is an insider peek at the world in which designers work every day.

I paid $90.00 for this second hand solid mahogany framed Hickory Georgian Wingback Chair still with its original down seat cushion. Restoration Hardware wants $1795.00 for this same chair brand new. See the dramatic before and after images at the bottom of the post! However before you begin your upholstery journey, here are 5 things you never knew about working with an upholsterer. These 5 tips should make the most of your money and your overall experience. This is a true behind the scenes view at working with an upholsterer!

1) Free Pick up and Delivery.

Most upholsterers will offer free pick up and delivery on pieces if you ask in advance. This can be a lifesaver, especially with sofas or entire sets of dining room chairs. I recommend getting a few quotes, then circle back with the upholsterer and ask if delivery and pick up are included in the estimate. Please note most upholsterers have a mileage radius (ex. 30 miles) in which they will service the public. So if this is something you’re interested in, be sure to select the upholsterers that are closest.

2) Ask about fabric remnants…

…especially if you are only doing a single piece of furniture. Upholsterers are in the fabric business and many times they do huge jobs and have bolts of luxury fabric left over. Ask your upholsterer if they are interested in selling any of their fabric remnants left over from a previous job. This lets you get designer fabrics for less than 1/4 of the price. So instead of paying $60-$70 per yard for high-end fabrics, you’re only paying $10-$20 per yard for brand new designer fabrics! This is a huge savings! That helps you recoup your initial investment of hiring a quality upholsterer.

Note: One positive note about buying fabric remnants from your upholsterer is that you get to drape the fabric over your furniture piece to get a better sense of the finished product.

Normally you would be working from a much smaller swatch (about the size of a dollar bill) if you used a fabric sample from an outside source.

Velvets, linens, even performance fabrics are all up for grabs at incredible discounts. You gotta spend time going through the options. But the savings makes it well worth your while!!!

For this classic wingback chair I selected a vintage velvet in a super luxurious taupe.

3) Cushion Inserts.

Folks, now is the time to redo or even reselect materials for cushions. Looking for a more high-end look? Go for a down or down blend cushion as opposed to a standard foam insert. You could even reshape cushions! Go from a square seat cushion to a rounded profile. These are all details you can alter with your upholsterer to update your piece. Upholstery isn’t just about redoing the fabric; it has a much bigger scope than that.

Note: We used a scrap of dust cover cloth and a piece of chalk to mark the new modern seat cushion profile. Once we got our template perfected with chalk, we cut it with shears to use as our new seat cushion profile. Little details like this instantly update your piece.

4) Furniture protector.

YES that’s right! Your upholsterer can even add professional grade fabric protector to pieces such as dining room chair seats. Or how about kitchen barstools?! And now it’s needed more than ever with the lighter fabrics that are incredibly popular right now. Life is messy… paying for fabric protectors gives your upholstery a little extra life, especially with kids and dogs in the house. The cost is only around $10.00 per seat. That’s an amazingly inexpensive way to add an extended life to your upholstery.

5) Details, details, details.

Folks, now is the time to update your furniture in the hands of a true professional. Get rid of details that “date” your furniture. Go with a lighter matte wax finish for the wood legs as opposed to a dated high gloss mahogany. Remove fussy formal welts or cords, or even add nail heads which come in a huge variety of sizes and finishes. Get rid of outdated rounded arms and go with a more square top armrest. Also, if the legs are super traditional, do a more modern skirt to clean up the profile of the piece. Your upholsterer can handle all these details! Meet with your upholsterer and mark out all these details with chalk. Keep in mind that additional changes need to be priced with the upholsterer.

We even experimented with the finish on the legs by removing the dated high gloss dark brown stain and went back with a simple wax finish.