My first sofa, way back in my college days, was a ratty old 1950s thing in a vivid black and gold floral print. Like most of my friends who also owned junky old sofas, I covered that ugly sofa with an Indian blanket discreetly tucked around the cushions, and pretended it looked much better than it really did.
For those of us who can’t quite afford a new sofa right now, quilts and blankets are just one way of making a ratty old sofa look more presentable. These ideas will also work:
The sofa slipcover
Sofa slipcovers are loose, detachable covers that fit over an existing sofa. In the old days, slipcovers were used to protect Mom’s furniture from us wild kids, but in recent years, are seeing a comeback as an eco friendly way to remake an old sofa. Slipcovers are a fraction of the price of a new upholstery job and come in an incredible range of styles and colors. Best of all, most slipcovers are machine washable, a real plus for active families.
Ready made slipcovers for sofas start as low as $35, with custom slipcovers starting at $225.00. Here’s just a few links for slipcover dealers; you’ll be surprised at how pretty they look!
Bed Bath Store
Next Tag
Getslipcovers.com
Stretch & Cover
Before and After Slipcovers
King Sized Sheet
If you can’t afford a brand new slipcover, a king sized bed sheet will also work as a low cost alternative for a standard sized sofa. To turn a sheet into a slipcover, you will need a handful of upholstery pins. These furniture pins resemble “T” shaped wires and are designed to hold arm covers in place.
Begin by centering the sheet over the sofa, lengthwise.
Use your hand to tuck the sheets firmly in behind the seat cushions and along the base of the arms. You may have to untuck and retuck a little depending on the size of the sheet in relation to the sofa.
Once everything has been tucked in, use the pins to secure the arms in place. This is done by tucking the sheet around the arm rests, and then holding the material in place with pins tucked beneath the rest itself.
The next step is to gently pull the sheet up and over the back of the sofa, taking care not to untuck from behind the cushions. Use the upholstery pins to secure the sheet in place behind the backrest of the sofa, beginning in the center back and moving outwards towards the back of the arms. Be sure to leave enough give in the sheet so that your guests don’t inadvertently unpin the sheet as they sit down.
Pillow cases and decorator pillows
An easy way to cover a ratty old sofa is just to cover the seat cushions in a queen or kind sized pillowcases that somewhat match the existing fabric. Prints look great with solid sofa material, and plain pillowcases look wonderful on a sofa with a heavy pattern.
Pillowcases are inexpensive and can often be found for $5-10 a pair in the clearance bin at your favorite discount store. To complete the look, arrange decorator pillows along the backrest.
