May 2017 - Comfort Works Blog & Sofa Resources

Cutting it up

We’ve always told our customers that we can’t make slipcovers for the Tidafors sofa because it’s entirely upholstered firstly, and secondly there are two armrest cushions which will not allow for a nice form-fitting cover.

What do we do?

We get rid of the everything that stands in our way of making a beautiful slipcover for it – this would mean separating the seat and back cushions from the frame, and cutting out the armrest cushions completely.

Resume cutting

Once everything’s more or less taken apart, we can go back to cutting what needs to be cut. Do be careful not to damage the foam as you’ll still need this.

Before you know it, here’s what the frame should look like more or less when everything’s cut out.

Depending on how pedantic you are, you can use x-acto knives to trim off any excess upholstery left but as long as it’s 95% gone, putting the slipcovers over it would mean that it’s going to be hidden anyway.

Not to mention, there will be seat and back cushions to cover up any imperfections from the frame.

Putting it back together

Once you’ve got your pieces i.e. two seat cushions, two back cushions and two armrest cushions – it’s time to re-assemble and put on some new covers.

Putting it back together

We wanted to turn the armrest cushions into lumbar cushions by taking out the foam and trimming it down. As you would see in the final picture however, we trimmed a little too much.

And there you have it – our very own Tidafors Sofa Slipcover Hack.

What do you think? Is this something you would do?

Let us know in the comments below!

Besides going to just IKEA, which is not that cheap by the way – there are actually other ways to save thousands of dollars when shopping for furniture.

Moving in to your new place can be daunting, especially when it comes completely unfurnished but it can really be fun to play “interior designer” at times.

The problem is making sure you’re not spending too much on the big items, and these are the furniture which can cost quite a bit.

Making your new home cozy and aesthetically pleasing doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg, so here are some ideas you can use to ensure that

1. Right furniture, right timing

sale-sign-by-glass-window — Image credit: Pexels

If you’ve got eyes on a furniture set and nothing can stop you from buying, that’s alright, you do you. However, one way to save while still getting new, premium furniture is to wait for the right timing. A lot of furniture brands usually have great discounts, such as Pottery Barn. They can sometimes go up to 20% – 30% off!

So, be patient and wait it out until then if you intend to save some bucks. You’ll then be getting high-quality furniture at a great price.

2. Rent furniture

furniture-display — Image credit: Unsplash

Renting furniture isn’t only cheaper, it’s also a better choice for people who are always looking to change the furniture in their homes. It’s a more flexible and sustainable alternative compared to purchasing new furniture.

Cort, Conjure and CasaOne are well-known furniture rental companies serving different parts of NYC, with Cort comprising almost the whole of the US. Some offer delivery as well as assembly, and some don’t. Apart from that, there are also options such as rent-to-buy, buyouts or buying at the end of the lease.

There’s going to be a minimum rental fee to abide by depending on the lease and also the company you choose.

3. IKEA

Your next best option would be to shop for affordable furniture at IKEA. As much as they’re affordable, their furniture quality is quite alright if you take really good care of them. To save more while you’re at IKEA, do remember to join the IKEA Family programme, so you’re able to get exclusive discounts on furniture, birthday surprises or even discounts on food and drinks.

Another way is to go to their “Deals” tab on the IKEA website to see what product prices have been slashed lower. By that, we mean, like, a Neiden bed frame for USD49.

5 best IKEA sofas under $1000

4. Secondhand furniture

used-armchairs-tv-curbside — Image credit: Pexels

With secondhand furniture, you could be spending a lot of time and effort on the search. However, the outcome will be worth it when you manage to get one-of-a-kind furniture that are considered to be vintage pieces. If they’re still holding up well, you’ve got yourself some high-quality furniture there.

When you do it offline, you can go to thrift stores and flea markets to handpick the furniture. As for buying used furniture online, there are a lot of options too, such as Kaiyo, AptDeco and Facebook Marketplace, just to name a few. Kaiyo even goes the extra mile by inspecting and cleaning the furniture before delivering it to your home.

Want to purchase a new sofa but you have concerns? Here are some tips on purchasing secondhand sofas to help guide you:

What you need to know about purchasing used sofas

5. Upcycling and re-purposing

If you’re a handy-man (or woman), there are a lot of things you can DIY without spending too much money (though it will take time and effort).

That’s why it’s important to be able to visualise whether items can be salvaged with simple restoration first, before proceeding to buy the lot that you might not even need.

Take a sofa for example: if it’s just cat scratches or tears, they’re all still just superficial issues. If the bones are strong, then you can either consider getting it re-upholstered or better yet, have some custom sofa covers made for it.

Hop onto the IKEA hackers website to get some inspiration (even if you don’t own IKEA products) and you’ll be able to repurpose a coffee table into a scratching post for your cats even.

The possibilities are endless with upcycling – all it takes is a little inspiration, and some elbow grease.

6. Be minimal

Do you really need a shoe cabinet that stores 20 pairs of shoes? How about that display case that holds 5 rows of books you never read, especially the shelf with the entire set of Encyclopedias?

At the end of the day, you’ll have to differentiate what is truly needed for the home as opposed to what you find aesthetically nice-to-have. You can always put it down on a list, and get back to it later when you feel like spending a little extra for the home.

When it comes to creating a home, all you really need are the white goods, tables and chairs and some storage. Even a television is somewhat unnecessary, but what’s a home without movie night? ;) Just kidding! I definitely need my Netflix to get me through the day.

We hope these 6 ways will have save you a decent amount of money when it comes to furniture shopping.

For more ways to spend less when upgrading your home, take a look at this article:

Upgrade your home without spending unnecessarily