Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and... Reupholster? Natural Home Magazine

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and... Reupholster?
Natural Home Magazine

Did you know that the 4th largest contributor to landfills is discarded furniture? We didn't until we stumbled upon an article from Natural Home magazine's archives about the lost art of reupholstering...

The article is from way back in 2001, but the facts remain the same: reupholstering furniture is a fantastic way to keep things out of the trash (and to stop the endless cycle of buying and dumping IKEA sofas).

The article makes two very important points:

1) Yes, reupholstering might cost more than just replacing a piece of furniture, but you'll most likely end up with something of a higher quality.
2) And, when you have a piece of furniture reupholstered you get to choose the materials and fabrics that go into it.

The article follows Tim Newman, owner of Finishing Touch Upholstery in Lafayette, Colorado, through every step as he reupholsters a Victorian rocker. Pretty fascinating.

Image via The Haystack Needle

Comments (4)

I had a couch and chair reupholstered for a fraction of the cost of a new one. And if you're handy a DIY job is cheaper still.

posted by wrenagain on September 15th 2009 at 4:17pm
view wrenagain's profile

Lots of people are also getting their broken chair seats (& canoe, stool seats) re-woven: cane, rush, splint, etc. I began doing this about 1 1/2 yrs ago & I've already done more than 70 seats! http://www.smallbones.ca/Chairs/Rush-Reed-and-Cane.html

posted by janeisgreen on September 15th 2009 at 6:50pm
view janeisgreen's profile

I've been planning to go thrift store shopping and buy some lovely old chairs and recovering them myself to save money and save them from the landfill. Can't wait until I move to my new place to go find some old treasures to restore. Older furniture just seems to be better quality and sturdier, not to mention they often have more character.

I love the before and afters at this site:
http://www.designspongeonline.com/category/before-and-after

posted by designedtoteach on September 15th 2009 at 8:44pm
view designedtoteach's profile

You don't even need to use a professional upholsterer when it comes to, say, dining room chairs.

In fact, you could do some of these projects for under $10 by recycling your own clothing/curtains/fabric. I covered our kitchen table chairs with cool prints from my old shirts, adding cushioning to boot!

Check it out here:
http://www.sustainablesuppers.com/shirtsintocushions/

posted by Frugalista on September 16th 2009 at 11:49am
view Frugalista's profile