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Velvet!

velvet-sofa-02

Velvet!

It’s here! And whoa, how about this blue? After Scott and I agreed that our new couch needs to be a statement, our thoughts immediately went to – surprise, surprise! – navy. Our velvet chair has held up really well with a home full of pets, so we knew that we could always order West Elm’s fabric by the yard again. But after we received a suggestion from our reader, Heather (thank you!), to give House Fabric a go, we ordered a handful of samples. (We also checked out our favorite local Textile Warehouse, but with no luck.)

The winner was clear from the moment we spread out the samples across our table – Chambord Indigo. It’s so thick, and this blue has so many shades and variations depending on the light. Just imagine how it’s going to look once it’s been tufted! We took these photos outdoors which shows a very vibrant blue, but indoors it looks deep and rich, true to the sample on the House Fabric website. It does not lean primary (as these photos in the direct sun may suggest!), and at times, it’s a subtle gray blue. And as I sit here at my desk and look over at my swatch, it’s a true, dark navy. How’s that for a blue with multiple personalities?

velvet-sofa-01

We had budgeted around $20-25/yard for our fabric (we would need 20 yards total for our more-than-8′ couch!), but quality was a must for us – so we weren’t set on sticking to that number. But as you can imagine, we were thrilled that our favorite (crazy durable) indigo velvet came in at $15/yard! We rubbed our sample all over the dogs (you know, as you do), and we were surprised to see that it came back virtually fur-free. Our other contenders were fur magnets, so while we know choosing a navy velvet couch might seem nuts for a four pet household, well, we’re taking the risk. Call us crazy. (Oh, hey, crazy!)

I’ll be dropping off our couch to the upholsterers today, and in a handful of weeks, we’ll have a game changer in the living room. We’re bursting.

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  • caroline [the diy nurse]4.8.14 - 6:58 AM

    I absolutely love it!ReplyCancel

  • Marie4.8.14 - 6:59 AM

    I can’t wait to see the final result, I understand your bursting state of mind. Navy blue, you said ? Some colors are so hard to photograph. It looks so cozy, the kiddos will love it. I like your velvet choice, you crazy !ReplyCancel

    • Kim4.8.14 - 8:29 AM

      Yes – blues and pinks are difficult! And those are our favorites, so go figure. I love that you called us crazy. (We are.)ReplyCancel

  • Can’t wait to see the transformation! It’s definitely going to be the statement piece you’ve been looking for!ReplyCancel

  • Kerri4.8.14 - 7:59 AM

    oh that navy… seriously though… it’s going to be stunning. can’t wait to see it!ReplyCancel

  • Erin@Suburban Bitches4.8.14 - 8:26 AM

    I recovered a vintage midcentury couch in the performance velvet from West Elm in a deep navy and I lOVE it! Yes, it is usually covered with fuzz from the rug that is in the same room but I wouldn’t change it at all. The velvet is so luxurious!!
    http://www.suburbanbitches.com/diy-hio-reupholstered-midcentury-couch/ReplyCancel

    • Kim4.8.14 - 8:29 AM

      Ooh, it’s SO good! We took home a sample swatch of that ink blue from West Elm, and seriously considered it. The fabric we chose in the end is sliiiightly less deep, which felt like a good fit for our 4 pet household. Love your couch!ReplyCancel

      • Erin@Suburban Bitches4.8.14 - 3:53 PM

        I can’t wait to see the final result. And reading your reply to cost below, I too have found that you can’t really get away with reupholstering a couch for any less than buying a new one. But having a one-of-a-kind piece is worth it in my book. I know that I could never buy a new couch that I love as much as my reupholstered one!ReplyCancel

  • Laura @ Rather Square4.8.14 - 8:44 AM

    I’m curious about the upholstering process, I’ve never had that done before (John’s done a few simple chairs himself, but not a whole couch!). Is getting furniture upholstered/re-upholstered a “splurge” kind of cost, or is it more reasonable? Let me put it this way: more or less expensive than buying a whole new couch?ReplyCancel

    • Kim4.8.14 - 9:14 AM

      Depends. Scott and I were liking couches we would see online for around $1500 (and slightly more), but when we got into the store to check them out, the quality/comfort wasn’t what we had hoped for. When we saw the sofa on Jubilee’s blog listed for $80 (basically, they were giving it away!), I emailed the photo to a handful of upholstery shops for a quote. The best price was from Covers Unlimited – who we have used in the past and LOVED (they’re a small shop that’s top notch and have amazing customer service!) – so once we bought the couch, our fabric ($300) and the upholstery (plus tightening up the slight structural issues), we’re going to end up in the same range – if not slightly less – as if we had brought a brand new couch. And the brand new couches we didn’t LOVE in person. So! I guess all that to say that we’ll end up paying a little less than a new couch and have something totally unique!

      Some of the quotes were completely outrageous though… so it really all depends! We’re lucky that we’ve used Covers Unlimited in the past and they always have the best price, so we trust them fully.ReplyCancel

  • Sally4.8.14 - 9:48 AM

    No wonder you are bursting – it’s going to be gorgeous! Can’t wait to see the result. How long do we have to wait?ReplyCancel

  • Monica4.8.14 - 11:14 AM

    that fabric is so so SO beautiful! crazy goodness.ReplyCancel

  • Carly4.8.14 - 11:15 AM

    I think velvet works great with pets! We have a performance velvet couch from West Elm and the hair comes right up. The other bonus- we have spilled EVERYTHING on our couch and it wipes right off!ReplyCancel

    • Kim4.8.14 - 1:22 PM

      Agreed. It also seems to hide any little kitty claw accidental puncture wounds!ReplyCancel

  • Erin4.8.14 - 1:54 PM

    I bought 2 swivel chairs and a settee on Craig’s List for $60. I’m covering one of the swivel chairs in navy velvet and I can’t wait to see the final result. I’ve got to save a little money first to pay for the upholstery job but I know it will be worth the cost.ReplyCancel

  • Nikki4.8.14 - 1:55 PM

    I love that fabric! I am currently obsessed with navy velvet furniture. I am looking for a bench or midcentury chair to reupholster with navy velvet. I would never have the guts to do an entire sofa, but I can’t wait to see your finished sofa. Maybe it will push me out of my beige or gray sofa comfort zone! :)ReplyCancel

  • tia4.8.14 - 2:54 PM

    oh i cannot wait to see the finished product! i ended up choosing jb martin como velvet in indigo. currently waiting for it to arrive.ReplyCancel

    • heather4.8.14 - 3:14 PM

      Sorry that I didn’t get back to you, Tia. I have been on vacation and not using my computer much. Anyway, I purchased a velvet called Geneva Midnight. Good luck with your project!ReplyCancel

      • tia4.9.14 - 12:32 PM

        no problem and thanks! i would love to see a photo of your finished project.ReplyCancel

    • Kim4.8.14 - 3:43 PM

      I love that we both ended up using House Fabric based on Heather’s reco!ReplyCancel

      • tia4.9.14 - 12:33 PM

        i actually ended up ordering from another website. i have a lovely collection of navy velvet swatches now…lol. i’ll share a photo once my chair is finished.ReplyCancel

  • Heather4.8.14 - 3:10 PM

    Yippee! The velvet is gorgeous and it is going to look amazing on that sexy sofa. I am so glad that you checked out House Fabric! Like I said before, I am totally satisfied with my choice, which was velvet named Midnight Geneva. It takes the “ruff” and tumble nature of my pooch like a champ. I will email a pic of my chair to you. :) I totally agree that the sample price is a little high, but did you see that the sample you chose can be returned for a refund? 5 bucks is still 5 bucks, right! Can’t wait to see the finished product.ReplyCancel

  • heather4.8.14 - 3:20 PM

    Kim- Do you follow Smitten Studio? Check out the 5th image in Sarah’s latest post. I couldn’t help but think of your sofa!!

    http://www.smittenstudioonline.com/smitten-travels-miami-beach/ReplyCancel

    • Kim4.8.14 - 3:44 PM

      Oh, awesome! We could not be more excited! And I didn’t notice that you could get your sample money back. Thank you!ReplyCancel

  • SO exciting! can’t wait to see it done!ReplyCancel

  • Aileen4.9.14 - 2:21 AM

    That is SO exciting! We’ve been wanting to reupholster our sectional for a while now, but have to hold of due to financial constraints. But I’ll live vicariously through you because I can’t wait to see how your couch comes out!

    And pet hair friendly? YES PLEASE. We have 3 dogs, 4 cats and a revolving door of foster puppies (recently had a litter of 8!) so I’m definitely looking into something similar. Our current couch loves to hold onto pet hair no matter how many times you vacuum or sticky mop.ReplyCancel

    • Kim4.9.14 - 9:36 AM

      Whoa, that’s a lot of pets! Thank you so much for being an amazing foster family. It’s so, so appreciated!ReplyCancel

  • Amanda4.9.14 - 8:09 AM

    This looks like it’s going to be fabulous! Has it been 3 weeks yet? Is it done yet?! Come onnn upholsterer you have dying fans needing to see this couch!ReplyCancel

    • Kim4.9.14 - 9:35 AM

      I know, I know! We’re hoping it’s closer to 2 weeks, but we are dying over here too! ;)ReplyCancel

  • Rachel4.9.14 - 12:11 PM

    I’m new to the blog but from Chicago. It is fun to read about things and that are kind of local for me. What is the name of the fabric warehouse you struck out at?ReplyCancel

  • Julia@Cukoo4Design4.9.14 - 2:26 PM

    This makes me all giddy! Love it and it will look so amazing!ReplyCancel

  • LOVE IT! I can’t wait to see the final piece!ReplyCancel

  • laura joyce9.25.14 - 1:37 PM

    hi! i have a cat with CLAWS and two dogs! we have gone thru two upholstered crate and barrel couches in two years.

    will performance velvet hold up with cats claws or can they sink in? thank-you so much i’m not having any luck finding answers on the web!ReplyCancel

    • Kim9.25.14 - 1:50 PM

      Our cats aren’t huge claw-ers, and we haven’t had any problems at all with our velvet. BUT, I do understand that some pets really love to scratch, so have you thought about Sunbrella? You can see a little more on our testing with that fabric here:

      https://yellowbrickhome.com/2014/08/14/fabric-picking-chair-rescuing/

      Another thing to think about if your cats love scratching furniture is course-correcting, kindly. For example, our cat Maddie used to scratch when she was younger, and I would mist her face with a water bottle. I think I did it twice, and she was like, “screw this!” and hasn’t scratched since! Or you could try spritzing some sour apple spray (we got some on Amazon) on the corners or wherever they like to scratch, and it should deter them.ReplyCancel

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