When to buy new upholstered furniture
By Catalogs Editorial Staff
Here are a few simple tips to know when it’s time to replace your old furniture
Buying new furniture is never a task to be taken lightly. People hold onto old pieces for decades to avoid the hassle and expense of having to replace it, even when it?s looking a bit worn around the edges and is horribly outdated.
If you?re afraid you might fall into this trap, heed the following signs to know when it?s time to buy some new upholstered furniture.
The 70s Want Their Faux Fur Couch Back
Are you still hanging onto your grandfather?s old Lay-Z-Boy from 1982 and your mother?s favorite 1950s teal sofa she picked up antiquing years ago?
While there?s nothing wrong with employing a retro look if you have a few nice pieces and a way to pull it all together, too often we hold onto things for sentimental reasons and end up with a room that looks like a snapshot of the nearest thrift store.
Mismatched furniture from different eras, color schemes that don?t work together or have become drab with time, and fabrics or designs that go beyond shabby chic to just plain gaudy need to go. Look, instead, for upholstery that fits with an overall theme. Try something new, a bit more modern.
Even if you prefer designs from bygone decades, make sure to step back and see the whole forest. It is often vastly improved with the loss and replacement of a few dying trees.
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Rips, Stains, and Fading
Take a good critical look at your couch, or those upholstered chairs you bought when you first purchased your house (because at the time they went just perfectly with everything).
After years of use, they are bound to have sustained some cosmetic damage. You?ve been covering them up with throw pillows (which are now showing some wear themselves), blankets, and covers, but there comes a time when you just can?t hide the blemishes anymore. The deep brown on that chocolate divan has faded in spots to coffee-with-cream, and the cats have scratched to tatters the legs of that old armchair. And, unless the piece is a serious antique with really good bones, it costs as much these days to replace the piece as it does to try and get it reupholstered. The work, in most cases, is just not worth the expense.
Better to buy a new, updated couch or recliner than to try to spruce up something that may have been cheaply made in the first place.
If It?s Broke, Don?t Fix It
It is no secret that, in this day and age, most furniture is mass produced with subpar materials and built to be thrown away.
If you have a loveseat, for example, that is structurally broken ? a leg?s fallen off; the springs have snapped and the seat now sinks to the floor ? it may have literally come to the end of its expected life span. Of course, you can try to repair that old wingback chair if it?s made of good hardwoods and dates back a century, but for most pieces it?s a waste of time and money. Besides, this time you can look for pieces that are more durable and might last awhile.
Factory warranties can be a lifesaver, especially if your family is particular hard on furniture via kids and pets. And you can often find great deals by doing some research so you know what you want, and then shopping sales.
In the long run, it pays to make informed decisions, even if you have to shell out a little extra for something that you know is durable and won?t snap under the weight of the first jumping child. Then you can pass on that new leather sofa, now a family heirloom, to your kids, and they can figure out how to fit it in with their d?cor.
In this way, life comes full circle.
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