Saving the planet, one sofa at a time.

Sayonara big box stores and their disposable, boring furniture. Seriously, stop buying from them... instead listen to my sarcastic rambling and unsolicited advice.

The word upholstery might be alien to most of you. For me, it might have been my first word, following 'mama' or 'no'. I was raised in the industry of upholstery, so I consider myself a little bit of an expert. Plus I am a furniture designer by trade, so I am kind of a big deal. I am constantly on the lookout for unique pieces to transform into something better than their original beauty.

“Needless to say, I think we can all agree that things were just made better back in the day. And furniture is on the top of that list.”

I used to own a house that was built in the 1950's. After I got pregnant with my third unplanned child (who is on a daily rotation of my favorite) I decided to renovate the basement. Only problem was that there was a furnace the size of a Chevy truck smack dab in the middle of the livable area. The irony of this was that the furnace itself was ACTUALLY made by Chevy. Which I didnt even know that was a thing. Anyway, I had a HVAC dude stop out and give me an estimate. To my shock, the giant 70 year old Chevy truck furnace had a better emissions reading than the one he wanted to replace it with. But I did it anyway, because my children were getting bigger and louder and more annoying every day. Sorry mother nature, but everyone has their limits.

Needless to say, I think we can all agree that things were just made better back in the day. And furniture is on the top of that list.

Unsolicited Advice.

Here is my official unsolicited advice. Stop buying new garbage furniture made from cardboard in a country you cannot find on a map. OK, I have faith you can find China on a map - but especially stop buying from THEM. The thing about upholstery is that most of the materials used are unseen by the end user (you). So you can be charged for hand tied springs, hard woods and fancy foams; but instead you might be getting webbing, partical board, glue and carpet foams. Even though this sounds insane, it's true...I've seen it with my own two eyeballs.

The most important thing you can do is check for the weight of a piece. Is she heavy? Is she light? And yes just like boats, all furniture is definitely a 'she'. Although I don't like to assume gender, its just the vibe. OK, I'm off track again...

What I am getting at is this. Stop giving these corporate big box stores your money, only for their warranty to expire 30 days before your sofa breaks in half. Their goal is not quality product, it is repeat business, and fast repeat business. Find old cool furniture and bring it back to life. At least you know how long it will last if you reinvest in it. Also, you know.... help save the planet one sofa at a time.