A good sofa has a frame that lasts far longer than its cover. The solid wood frame, the springs, the webbing: if they are sound, the sofa still has decades ahead of it. It is the fabric that wears, fades, or simply stops pleasing you. Reupholstering means keeping the part that has value and changing the part you see.
We have been doing this in our Milan workshop since 1960. Here is how we think it through when someone brings us a sofa.
Reupholster or replace?
Reupholstering is worth it when:
- the frame is solid: the sofa does not creak, does not sag on one side, and the arms are firm;
- the piece has value: as design, as a family piece, or simply because it has the right proportions for your room;
- you want a particular fabric that no off-the-shelf sofa offers in the size and colour you are looking for.
Replacing makes more sense when the frame is chipboard or pressed card, or when the cost of a full rebuild exceeds the value of the piece. We will tell you frankly: just send us two photos and the measurements on WhatsApp.
How to choose the fabric
The right fabric depends on how you live with your sofa, not just on its colour.
- Everyday use, children, pets: you need fabrics that resist abrasion and are easy to clean. For a family sofa used every day we look for fabrics that perform well in the Martindale test, and we show you the technical alternatives that today have the look of a linen or a velvet.
- Linen: natural and fresh, it creases elegantly. Lovely on loose covers, less suited to anyone who wants a sofa that always looks crisp and taut.
- Velvet: in cotton, linen or mohair, it gives depth to colour. It changes with the light and with the direction of the pile: choose it by looking at it at home.
- Wool and bouclé: warm and tactile, perfect for living rooms that are well used in winter.
Colour is chosen in the light of your own room, not under shop spotlights. We give you samples to take home.
What happens in the workshop
A proper reupholstery job is not a new cover over the old one.
- Stripping. The cover comes off and we see what lies beneath.
- Checking the frame. Frame, springs, webbing. If anything needs strengthening, it is strengthened now.
- Fillings. Often these are what has lost its shape: they are remade or topped up, to give the sofa back the seat it had when new.
- Cutting and making up. The fabric is cut on the piece, with pattern repeats matched and piping where needed.
- Delivery. We collect from and deliver back to your home.
Timing depends mainly on the fabric’s availability from the textile house and on the complexity of the work. We give you the delivery date together with the quote, and we keep to it.
What determines the price
No serious quote is given over the phone, but the factors are always the same: the metres of fabric needed, whether there is a pattern to match, the complexity of the making up (buttoning, piping, removable cushion covers) and the condition of the fillings. With a few photos and the measurements, we can give you an initial idea.
Not just sofas
The same work applies to armchairs, chairs, benches and headboards. And since the fabric comes from the same sample library, we can coordinate it with your curtains and bedroom: that is the advantage of having fabrics and upholstery and curtains under one roof.
