When I decided to take on my family room makeover for my 30-Day Room Makeover, the first thing I thought was:
We are definitely getting a new sofa!!!
I mean, wouldn’t you if your sofa looked like this??
We had bought this sofa in 2002 before we started having kids, and well, need I say more?? Kids have a way of trashing anything valuable (or is that just my kids….?).
So, of course, I thought the answer was to just replace it.
I mentioned in a post that I was planning to replace it and a reader pointed out:
“Nope, you’ll have that sofa until your kids are in high school. Time will go so fast and you’ll do everything together on that sofa.”
(Okay, I’m bad at remembering quotes, but she said something to that effect).
And I thought, “You know what?! She’s right!”
We’ve built great memories on this sofa!
I’ve nursed my three babies on this sofa…
…they’ve peed on it… (HA!)
…they’ve puked on it…
…we’ve had family dinner on it…
Getting rid of it would be like giving away a family member.
And I have made over tons of old pieces of furniture from the thrift store. So why not make over my own sofa then??
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How to Fall In Love With Your Sofa Again: A Sofa Makeover
So I made over my sofa and fell in love with it again! So before you go jumping to get rid of your old sofa, try doing these things to breathe new life into your old sofa, too!
STEP 1: Steam-clean it!!
You’d be surprised how much baked-in dirt is in there!!
The parts that can be removed, toss them in the washer and dryer. (Stay tuned for that video soon!)
STEP 2: Vacuum The Inside
Everything that you eat on the sofa somehow ends up on the inside, ruining the innards. My kids are famous for dropping anything and everything in the sofa, even cars! Routinely vacuum the inside, too!
STEP 3: Make some new buttons!
If you go to the craft store, they have button kits (look in the notions section) where you can add your own fabric to the buttons. Sweet, right?? Here I used scraps of fabric for new buttons, which turned out really awesome!
I used hemp string to attach them through the cushion.
STEP 4: Add some new stuffing!
OMG…..my cushions were nearly flat from years of abuse! The craft store has stuffing in the batting section. They’re about $3.00 each. Get about 6 bags if you’re doing a sofa and a chair. Unzip the cushions and just stuff it inside. Be sure to spread the stuffing all around so it doesn’t look too lumpy.
BEFORE
You’ll be amazed how much newer your sofa looks with just those little improvements!
AFTER!
STEP 5: Add a Cozy Throw
Find a really comfy throw to keep on your sofa for when it gets cool. Also, if you’re covering old pillows, try my tutorial on how to make no-sew pillows!
Step 6: Create even more memories!
Can you imagine if you covered your sofa in plastic (ahem–if you’ve got a mom of the 70’s, you know she did this….HA!)?? It would never get any use!
One of my fondest memories is my kids making forts with the sofa (then arguing about who knocked it down! HA!). Last night I let the kids use a blanket to make the fort, which also happened to turn into a trampoline in the process, too. HA!
We decided to do a “classic” fort, but trust me, these boys have gotten creative with their forts!
P.S. And you’ll be happy to know that I’ve put my boys on a 7-Day-Electronics-Fast. You’d be surprised how much they become “kids” again when they don’t have mindless electronics to turn them into Screen Zombies!
One day, I’m sure we’ll replace that sofa. Like when the bottom falls out and I can no longer support it with plywood. LOL
But for now, I’m happy just to see how amazing it still looks after 13 years.
Hmmm….I wonder what it would look like in another 13….?? 😉
Do you have an old sofa that you’ve been wanting to save?
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Donna says
Again, a timely subject. Hubby says “we have to replace this thing!” I keep saying that it can be reupholstered or something because it was a 25th Anniversary gift from our 2 kids. 21 years and 9 grandkids later, it still has good solid bones, but the seat cushions’ piping is breaking through and the seating is too cushy. As soon as I’m able, I’m using our new HomeRight Steam Machine on it to begin with. Then, I’ll see what can be done about the seat cushions and so on. Thank you for another inspiring blog. Donna
Linda L Weeks says
~ Boys will be boys! I love how good the sofa looks now! great job!
Benita Seaton says
Hi Serena! Long time follower of your posts. I believe it’s my first time commenting thou 🙂 Just when we was thinking the same-what yo so about this micro fiber couch only 10 years old at best. The top pillows, like yours are in dismay. My thought as you said new accent pillows to be made or purchased cheap-lol and since I’m not secure in the button department, I thought to cut the larger pillows in half and stitch them up; two to 4 and add the accent pillows in between 🙂
Looking to do this soon, fingers crossed, along with the November challenge of at least redoing one of my college boys rooms before They come home for Thanksgiving ???
Serena Appiah says
Awww, yay! Glad I was able to pull you out of “reader/lurker” mode and to comment! 🙂 LOL. I’d love for you to join the challenge and re-do your sofa or college son’s room! I’ll be sending out the official JOIN email probably tomorrow. Thanks!!!
Denyse says
Serena, I am loving your blog! I’m a new blogger and I’ve accumulated so many projects I need to share … I need to find time to get it all done. I loved this post because we had been looking for the perfect sofa for so long and I didn’t find anything as cozy or comfortable as I wanted. Nothing was striking me. We went without one for over a year, maybe more. Then I was wandering thru Salvation Army and I saw it, it was calling me……my “new” sofa. $100 later we have an amazing sofa and its so comfortable everyone has threatened me about even thinking about getting rid of it. Now my mother in law is tempting me by offering her Italian leather cognac sofa which I may just take her up on and put this one down in the basement with the other couch we will never get rid of and make a comfy family gathering place with the big screen projection we also can’t part with. I don’t know where this couch came from but it already has a story in our home and is filled with love (and probably some dog drool). LOL!
Serena Appiah says
Hey, Denyse! 🙂 Sorry for the late response! Welcome to Thrift Diving. Glad you found me! 🙂 Exactly–our furniture becomes a part of our family and it’s hard to get rid of it for the next new glamorous thing! I love the idea of keeping that sofa of yours and putting it in the basement and make a cozy little family “chill” spot. Oh, and can I just say that I remember these ugly orange and green bowls that we used to have when we were kids. They were UGLY, thinking back on them now. But our family kept on to them for so long because they were just a part of our family. And now, nearly 40 years old, I still remember those ugly bowls. HAHAH. Moral of the story–these objects become our family history and memories! 🙂
Have a great day!
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Alys Milner says
Ah yes, the fort-building years. I remember them well. For many months we had a huge box in the corner of our living room. I can’t remember where it came from, but that baby was well loved. My then three-year-old dragged all this toys into the box and called it home.
Your tufted pillows are genius. I love the buttons and the tailored look it brings to your revived couch. Great idea adding more fluff, too. Further, isn’t it amazing what steam can do to revive just about anything?
Serena Appiah says
Hey, Alys! Ahhh….yes, the big boxes!! We had once recently (can’t remember what we bought) and the kids loved playing in it! It actually makes me think I want to find a place to buy a giant cardboard box JUST for the kids to play in! 🙂 I wonder if you can find THAT on Amazon….. Somehow, I think you can! LOL
Brook says
I recently revived an old love seat. It was my husband’s from a previous life! And it’s had many homes, most recently our back patio! I deep cleaned it and recovered it, it took all weekend, hours of sewing, but I love it and so does the family. It sits proudly in our living room now. I love your revived couch and the tufted cushions. I am enjoying your blog more and more Serena! Good Work 🙂
Serena Appiah says
Hey there, Brook! Oooh, I’d love to see your sofa makeover! Those hours and hours are worth it when you see the finished product. There’s nothing prouder than that! It’s a part of your husband’s life. There’s no way you can ever get rid of that nostalgia! 🙂 And I’m really glad you’re enjoying my blog, Brook! It’s a labor of love, for sure! LOL
Marigene says
Wow, what a difference, Serena. I agree, you should keep the sofa as long as possible…or at least until the boys are adults!
Have a great weekend.
Serena Appiah says
I agree, Marigene! It would seem silly now to even THINK of getting rid of it! 🙂 Have a great Thanksgiving!!