If you think it's time to replace that dated chair or sofa, reconsider. You might only need a few yards of pretty fabric. That's Diane Kaufman's solution for freshening up old upholstery. Instead of always buying new furniture for her home in Tybee Island, Georgia, Diane shops at garage sales, secondhand stores, and other bargain shops to find comfortable chairs and sofas that she can renovate with well-made slipcovers. With designer Jane Coslick, she scours area outlets for current fabrics at a discount. The decorating duo chooses 100% cotton fabrics that can be washed.
After keeping the cost of both the furniture and fabric to a minimum, Diane turns to seamstress Kendrah White Galassi of Savannah for custom slipcovers that complete the rags-to-riches transformations.
What a Great Look Beautiful floral and striped slipcovers clothe the seating group in Diane's family room. It's hard to believe that each piece-even the gorgeous aqua armchairs-began as a bargainbasement find. "These are $20 chairs," she says. "That's why we needed Kendrah."
For the chairs, the talented seamstress sewed slipcovers with deep, gathered skirts that brush the floor. For the sofa, she created a striped beige-and-white cover and then topped it with fringe-trimmed, aqua pillows. To dress up the stools at the breakfast bar, Kendrah sewed ruffled outfits accented with contrasting piping and fabric-covered buttons.
Easy and Original With the furniture makeovers complete, Diane and Jane added finishing touches to the family room. To devise a one-of-a-kind table lamp, they had an artist cover an inexpensive ceramic base with oyster shells and fragments of beach glass. Stacking some well-traveled suitcases yielded a stand for a vintage fan. To make the space even cozier, they placed an electric faux-wood stove (from a home-center store) in the space where a real fireplace once stood. And at the mantel, a wide landscape painting hangs over an arrangement of seashells and fan coral.
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Copyright 2009 Southern Living
