20 September, 2020

Reupholstery A Sustainable Interior Design Idea-According to LiLu

Reupholstery A Sustainable Interior Design Idea
According to LiLu

Quality and Reuse

As designers, we work with our clients to create homes that are comfortable, beautiful, and align with our client’s values. For more and more of our clients, living a more sustainable life is an intention. When working with them we often combine new, high-quality furnishings that will last a lifetime and think about reuse, repurposing, and reupholstery as part of creating a home with a sense of history that tells a unique story.
Reupholstery a sustainable interior design idea is having a resurgence.
One of our favorite ways to reduce our consumption is to re-upholster older furniture, not only is it a sustainable idea but it gives your home a look that no one can replicate.
See a living room where we mixed old and new to create a perfect home for a young family in this post.

Nicole Crowder

Nicole Crowder’s work on Instagram caught our eye this week. She is a Washington D.C. based upholstery artist who creates unique, new pieces of furniture out of what already exists. Not only is her work fun and whimsical, but it’s sustainable, and great for our planet. Why throw away a great piece of furniture when you could upgrade it into something new and wonderful?
Reimagining and reusing older pieces gives them a new life and gives your home personality. With re-upholstery, you can have a piece of furniture in your home that no one else has. Your furniture can be as uniquely you as the rest of your life is! Not only that, but older furniture can be very good quality, and made of better wood and heavier gauge wire for the springs. Upgrading your older furniture is also budged-friendly! It costs less to reuse an older piece than to buy a whole new one.
The fact that Nicole and other upholstery artists are gaining popularity shows this is a movement that more people are getting on board with.
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Meditation Mission

At LiLu, we also love a wellness mission and at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Nicole Crowder also took on a project to create meditation pillows for children and young adults, to support their mindfulness and mental health throughout the public health crisis. This is a wonderful cause with an incredible mission. Your surroundings and home can have a profound impact on your mental health. Surround yourself with peace, and you may find peace. Buy a meditation pillow from Nicole here.
Want to know more about how your home can support your wellness?
Read Why Wellness at Home Matter
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Old Sectional-New Life

This sectional was loved by the older couple who owned it, but they found it difficult to use. It sat so low and was a fabric too light to trust messy grandchildren with. We reused the sectional, but added height and a darker fabric, giving this piece new life and a bright, sustainable future.
Since our client bought a quality sectional when they were young, they had the option as they and their home aged to use reupholstery a sustainable interior design idea as part of their approach to their home update.
Reupholstery a Sustainable Interior Design Idea

Updated and fresh

Do any of you inherit furniture from well-meaning relatives that just isn't your style? Don't despair. There is always a way to reuse, repurpose, and restyle. In this transformation, we upgraded a young couple’s chair that they had inherited from their grandma. They knew the chair was of great quality, but they weren’t crazy about the aging fabric. We upgraded the chair in this younger, fresher fabric!
Reupholstery as Sustainable Interior Design Idea

Not Your Style-Reupholstery a Sustainable Interior Design Idea

This sofa was another inheritance. This young couple knew the sofa they were given was good quality, and they didn’t want to part with it. They also didn’t want to coordinate their living room around its louder fabric. So, they chose re-upholstery! We used a stain-resistant soft, family-friendly fabric.  They ended up with a gorgeous, subtle, fresh sofa.
Reupholstery A Sustainable Interior Design Idea

More Modern Take on a Wing Chair

This chair had a skirt upholstered, but gorgeous, hand-carved legs underneath. So, we took it off with re-upholstery! This upgrade was a truly amazing transformation, we love the detail in the beautiful, hand-carved legs on this chair! And the silver legs are a fresh take on a traditional style.
Reupholstery a Sustainable Interior Design Idea

Update an Entire Room

Here, we upgraded an entire room. When this couple’s kids were growing up, they wanted a living room with darker colors, to avoid stains and embrace efficiency. As they adjusted to being empty nesters, they wanted a lighter, fresher look. We reused their furniture, saving their budget and the planet!
Reupholstery A Sustainable Design Idea

Bringing Intention Home

For more than a decade, LiLu Interiors has been designing intentional living environments that reflect the singular values and needs, lifestyle and aesthetics of each individual client. With care, joy and trust, we’ll creatively collaborate with you to design a home that uniquely expresses who you are and how you live. Intentional design, no matter the style, requires thoughtful attention to detail and deliberate choices.
Let’s make life better. Let’s bring your intentions home.
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Comments on Reupholstery A Sustainable Interior Design Idea-According to LiLu
  1. Janet Lorusso says:

    I love reupholstery of older, high quality pieces! As you point out, they can be totally unique and personal, while being responsible and sustainable at the same time – and always for less than new pieces of any comparable quality – it doesn’t get any better than that!

  2. Leslie Carothers says:

    Wow, Lisa. What a great post. I just love what Nicole Crowder is doing with reupholstery. Her use of fabrics is sensational!
    And the way that you have done it for your own clients, in real homes, is equally wonderful. What a difference a detail or two makes + new fabrics. And.. even if it is the SAME price to re-upholster as buying new would be, it’s worth it to do so, simply to keep the pieces out of our landfills.
    A lot of people who are downsizing/rightsizing also don’t realize you can cut a longer sofa down, if you have a really well built wood frame, therefore saving our trees.
    Thanks for surfacing such a great resource for everyone and for bringing this topic to the forefront of discussion.

  3. Denise says:

    Such great ideas on why we should consider reupholstered furniture as opposed to buying new. Loved the tip on how you transformed the sectional sofa. I’m thinking I should attempt that as it’s much better to reuse a big piece than trash it.

  4. LINDA MERRILL says:

    I love a good reupholstering project!

  5. Mary Ann Benoit says:

    I love this idea of reuphostering as a sustainable design idea., plus you can create such unique styles this way. Also love the meditation pillows.

  6. Veronica Solomon says:

    I love a great reupholstered chair. Such a great way to repurpose. These upholstery pieces you featured are amazing

  7. Sheri Bruneau says:

    I am seeing more and more people wanting to reupholster than just sell/dump the old to get new. I love how you have showcased many examples of how can be such a great option!

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