As we retreat to the comfort of our homes many of us will begin to take a good look at our furnishings and start thinking about updating our living spaces. Perhaps reupholstering a piece of furniture we currently own, or combing the antique stores, flea markets or garage sales looking for that special piece to complete a room.

Either way, if you plan to recycle or rejuvenated your furniture, the question I receive most often is, "How can I tell if my piece of furniture is a gem or is it junk?" In order to answer this you first need to ask yourself a few questions to help you determine if your piece is worth recovering.

Is it a good quality frame? The most important part of the furniture is the frame and coincidentally this is the part, you cannot see. High quality upholstered furniture frames are made of kiln-dried solid hardwoods such as oak, cherry, maple, and alder. Tip: check the weight; heavy = quality wood and springs. Try to wiggle the arms and back to see whether anything is loose. Also, just as you would look underneath the hood of a car, check out the bottom of the sofa. Good quality pieces have the back legs as part of the frame.

If a sofa or chair has a good solid frame it's usable. The springs and innards can be replaced if necessary. Old furniture is generally better made than most low- to medium-priced furniture available in today's market.

Other more subjective questions you may want to ask yourself are: do you love sitting in the chair, does it have special sentimental value, do you like the way it fits into your room, would you buy it all over again? If the answer is yes to one or more of these questions then it is worth recovering.

Now that you have found that special piece or have decided to recover the piece you currently own the next step is to choose your fabric. To do this, take a good look at the piece itself. Your furniture, like yourself, has a unique personality. It is important to choose a fabric that compliments your furniture’s own personality and style. A big, bulky sofa wouldn’t suit a dainty print; similarly a small antique can be overwhelmed by a large print.

Secondly, when choosing fabric you should have an idea of the life expectancy you want from the fabric. Some people want 15 – 20 years, although I have found today that due to the frequency of moves and other lifestyle changes most people are happy with 7 – 10 years before wanting a colour or texture change in their décor.

There are also practical considerations of the type of use the furniture will receive in your home that may influence your fabric choice. Will the fabric be used on furniture that will experience high traffic and heavy use or will it be used infrequently? For light to medium use your options are pretty wide open including cottons, cotton blends and even silk.

When more durability is required you will want to check out chenille’s, velvets and the latest in faux suede’s. Faux suede continues to be popular with the wide range of colours available, soft touch, and rich look they provide. What I also like about these fabrics is that they are easy to clean and colourfast. These kid, cat and dog friendly fabrics will let you remove ball point pen, red wine, coffee tea, and even grape juice with just a little soap and water.

Remember, transforming an old piece of furniture can be very rewarding, just like getting reacquainted with an old friend.

chair, does it have special sentimental value, do you like the way it fits into your room, would you buy it all over again? If the answer is yes to one or more of these questions then it is worth recovering.

So, if you believe your sofa or chair needs and update just com in and pick your fabric and we'll take care of the rest. Our workmanship is guaranteed and we'll even pick-up and deliver it when it's done.

Slipcovered furniture is practical. You can always match them with new décor by just changing the slipcover! While changing the more conventional upholstered furniture is a bit more involved.

Slipcovers are a practical solution if you have young children, pets or health problems such as dust, animal allergies, or asthma. Your child spills or gets dirt on the furniture. Your dog or cat sheds fur and flea eggs on your sofa. Dust, dirt and flea eggs just get ground into conventional upholstered furniture. It looks unsightly, and can cause a variety of heath problems.

No problem with a slipcover. Just take it off and wash it! Slipcovers are easy to care for and are made to be washed. If you like the casual look, just throw it in the wash. If you prefer a crisper look, you can either professionally wash & press, or dry clean it.

At Arlene’s you just choose your fabric and we will take care of the rest. Our workmanship is guarateed and we'll even pick-up your piece and in approximately 3 weeks return with your completed slipcover.