Rebirth of the Green Comfy Couch

SUSTAINABLE LIVING | by CELESTE TELL

WHEN MY GRANDMOTHER MOVED INTO ASSISTED LIVING, I got her couch. This was not just any couch, mind you, but a 1950s rococo fantasy from Brooklyn, N.Y. I had memories of playing princess on it as a child, and there was something really special about it. Its original upholstery, emerald-green silk damask, had faded to an olivine color. Its pink-and-fuchsia-print summer slipcovers had, unfortunately, disappeared. The down-filled cushions tended to get matted flat, but could easily be fluffed up.

SLIPCOVERED BEAUTY WITH BABY BROTHER

Fast forward a few years. The cushions can no longer be fluffed, the green damask is shredding, the springs are sagging. Time to get rid of it? No way! Months of fabric shopping finally yielded a beautiful textured wool upholstery fabric. Off the couch went to the re-upholstery shop. It came back like an “after” candidate on “What not to wear.”

REBORN POST-MODERN

Even if you don’t have your grandmother’s couch fall into your lap, there are some really amazing couches out there just waiting to be adopted. Check craigslist, garage sales and community rummage sales. Finding one, cleaning it up, perhaps investing in reupholstering, is like making a new friend. Or finding an old friend on facebook.

A few tips for reclaiming old couches:

• Inspect it. Smell it. Ask questions. Make sure it comes from a smoke-free home and, if you have allergies, a pet-free home.
• Use non-toxic green cleaning techniques. Do it yourself or Google local green- cleaning companies.
• Get referrals from friends for good local upholstery shops.
• Take pictures and email them to several upholstery shops for price quotes.
• Ask the upholsterers for recommendations on successful types of fabrics for your piece.
• Shop around for fabrics until you find something you really love.