I’ve had this gorgeous vintage sofa in my store for probably 4 years now! I was immediately smitten with the beautifully carved wood. Even the gaudy gold didn’t turn me away since I have an uncontrollable love for things Italian-made like these items currently in my store, The Blue Building.
But I must admit that I have been super intimidated by the very thought of how to overhaul a vintage sofa. I can do simple upholstery but every time I would inspect this piece, I would walk away shaking my head. Me? Completely overhaul a vintage sofa? Yeah right!
The fabric was torn and outdated but I loved her immediately! My first plan was to reupholster this beauty with my own crazy quilt fabric. I have been saving these examples on Pinterest since her arrival!
It started out, as so many of my projects do, as THAT great piece that will be a show shopper! I was saving it as my “special project”. Needless to say, until yesterday my “special project” sat untouched in the same condition in which it some arrived 4 years ago!
Over those 4 years, she did have a few different looks but you must admit, that fabric really can’t go incognito into any vignette! But I tried.
Finally the inspiration came at The Chapel Market this past October. I wish I had a better picture but take a look at this beauty from Littleville Blue.
Littleville Blue simply stripped the fabric off of this beautiful settee to nail this exquisite vintage look! The cotton batting might be a little too primitive for most mainstream taste but it certainly makes a statement…and gave me some much needed inspiration.
Here she is…stripped and ready to go!
This was so much easier than I thought it would be. I started by simply grabbing the trim from the top right edge of the sofa. It was a little tough to tug on but once I got it started, it pulled off easily. The fabric was even easier. Since it was old, it pulled right off. I had to work at pulling the stripped fabric from the very edges and needed to remove all of the upholstery tacks. Many of the tacks came out as I yanked (technical term) off the fabric. This, couple with the dust from the old fabric, was the most tedious and annoying part of the process.
She still needs a good vacuuming and perhaps some touch up paint around the edges but isn’t she beautiful??? I suppose I should have waited on this post until she was prissied up but…I just couldn’t wait! I think I will still keep her with the intention of eventually completing the crazy quilt upholstery. In the meantime, however, she will blend nicely into every corner of The Blue Building!
