At Home and Apartment by Marc we love the idea of re-upholstering. We believe that it is often very difficult these days to find new pieces that are as cherished and as well built as older pieces. And, there is something to be said about the overall creative process and renewal that your furniture will take on once the project is completed. If you are in the process of considering revitalizing your furniture,  below are our 4 helpful upholstering tips.

1) Before you visit an upholster have in mind your style decor and how you want your furniture to function. It's important to know the type of material that will fit into and work well with your lifestyle. This will help you determine if you should use a fabric such as a microfiber, heavy trafficked and easy to self-clean, or something more like suede which will require professional cleaning. Certain materials generally require special cleaning products or maintenance so it's important when considering the use of the furniture and the future costs that you may incur.

2) Type of Furniture piece: Do you want to re-upholster an antique piece or a modern piece? Knowing what type of furniture you want to re-upholster will help in choosing the right person for the job. There are many different upholsters who specialize in certain areas and it is important to find the right craftsman in order to save you time and money.

3) Price consideration: Re-Upholstering can be a great alternative to buying new and has more advantages than just monetary savings. But, it is important to discuss with your upholster the overall project and your design goals before making the commitment. Fabric can be just as expensive as the project itself so you want to communicate your budget with your upholster in advance and  take time to price compare.

4) Know your furniture's bones: It is important to know the durability of your furniture's frame since the life of a piece of upholstered furniture begins with its frame. Although the underlying wooden framework cannot all be seen in the finished product, the type of wood used to create it will have a bearing on the quality of the final product. Prior to the process, the upholster should be able to tell you exactly if your furniture's frame will need a process known as dowelling. Dowelling is a process where about two dowels are drilled, hammered and glued in the wood stress points to provide extra strength and support to the frame.

Below are a few of our favorite upholster projects that were done by are in house upholster, Robby.




Before





After



Before

After



Face it; no one likes to be told what goes together, especially when it comes to expressing yourself with your clothing or home design. True style comes from mixing and matching and finding your own unique aesthetic, which we believe, if done right can make your home look and feel very cozy. Besides, who likes a room that looks as if it can be brought right out of a catalog?

Here are our 5 tips to Mixing & Matching Furniture:

1) Mixing & Matching Wood Finishes:

Known for its’sleek, streamlined lines with wood finishes that are simple, elegant and well defined, Mid- Century Modern Furniture mixes with about any style decor you already have. Because of its simplicity and the use of  materials such as metal and plastic, it's easy to  incorporate a single piece without disrupting the balance of the room. The piece below is a great way to add modern to a traditional room: our very own Mid-Century Basic Witz Credenza ($485)

2) Try not to get stuck in a time period:

If you inherited your grandmother’s antique lamp and several of her other pieces don’t feel like all of your decor has to stay in that semblance. Adhering to a single style is rarely the way to go. Be sure to combine the past with the present to keep your decor looking fresh. This allows you to pick up a classic style with a new twist. You can’t miss if you mix new with antique, rustic with refined, traditional with modern. The key is balance and knowing it's ok to express and find your style. For example, take a look at how the room below mixes the old with the new:



Photo:  Rome designed by Kipps Bay designer Richard Mishaan

3) Stay away from Sets:

Not to say anything against coordination, but if you really want to stand apart and still stay within budget, mixing and matching is the way to go. We totally understand that not everyone has a knack for design. However, we feel that limiting yourself to a single style can make your home look like a museum and stifle your creativity. For example, mixing traditional furniture design with contemporary can create a more vibrant, interesting and relaxed environment.

4) Take in consideration the weight of the furniture and your accessories:

In order to keep your room balanced  try to accessorize with lighter pieces. For example, if you have a heavy dining room table and chairs, try to lighten up on the lamps, vases, paintings etc in the room. This allows for your room to not have such a heavy feeling. According to stylist, Peter Frank, “it all comes down to contrasts: mix hard with soft, square with round, blocky with leggy. The below picture mixes traditional with mid-century pieces."

Photo: Room Designed by Darryl Carter

 
5) Some things probably should match:


Not to totally contradict ourselves, but we do think it's ok to get a little matchy match with your dinnerware. We do think it's cool to choose distinct dinnerware that adds to your kitchen's/dining overall appearance.

You don't need a big budget to renew your space for Spring. Here are our 5 Top Tips to referesh your space and bring a little beauty to any room.

1) Add a splash of color: Chartreuse, a color halfway between yellow and green is one of our favorite hues. It's a really great way to bring the outdoors inside and add the warmth of spring to your space. This color can be incorporated by adding plants, painting, throw pillows or adding a fabric panel to the wall.

2) Bring in the Light: If you have any dark curtains, pull them down and add sheers in a nautral material such as linen. This is an awesome way to add just enough coverage and keep the neighborhood out. We love these Faux Linen Grommet Curtains found on Overstock.com for $49.99

3) Add a new furniture piece with a bright colored fabric or you can upholster a piece that you already have. Check out our Mid Century Baltic Blue Buttoned Sofa on our site located under the category section.

4) Add a fresh coat of paint. Check out the Spring Color Combinations by Benjamin Moore.

Sail into Spring

First Signs of Spring

5) Simply washing the windows. I know it sounds boring, but whipping out the Windex can give your windows a fresh sparkly glimmer and add a world of a difference. We also suggest hanging crystal above the window. When the sun begins to set, the crystal will drench colorful ranibow rays all over your space. If you are in New York, Pearl River Mart in Chinatown carries hanging crystal balls in all sizes. Or you can order online at www.pearlrivermart.com.

If you ever have a chance, we highly recommed you visit the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club Decorator Show House held annually in New York. Every year the showcase gets better and better. The artwork used by the designers, this year, gave an extra wow factor and really helped to define each room. But, what makes the transformation of an upper east side Manhattan mansion so special is the fact that it supports the Boys and Girls Club of Kips Bay and allows interior designers to display their creativity. We left very inspired and could not think of a better way to kick off Spring. At Home and Apartment by Marc attending events, like Kips Bay, gives us the opportunity to share with our community tips and ideas for their own space. To find out more about the show visit http://www.kipsbay.org/

Barbara Ostrom Associates

Richard Mishaan Design, LLC

Regina Bilotta of Bilotta Kitchens of New York

We're not sure who designed this piece, but we love the jewel encrusted Ram

Home and Apartment by Marc truly enjoys advising and sharing with our community on what looks great in a space. Below are some of our furniture pieces that we feel could mimic what the designers used to decorate their rooms. Master Bedroom decorated by Amanda Nisbet Design

Home and Apt. by Marc, Pale Pink Vintage tufted pale pink sofa

Brad Ford ID Inc. ( Check out the turntable in the table) Home and Apartment by Marc Mid Century tufted loveseat

.