Here is my new couch in all her glory!
Modern couches are junk. The frames are literally made of cheap plywood and cardboard... yes cardboard. I needed a looooong couch to fill a space and everything of decent quality that fit my taste was really expensive, $2000-$3000.
So I found a couch on Craigslist that I loved. It was custom built in 1954 and owned by the same woman ever since. It was the “good couch” and only sat on when she entertained in the formal dining room. The frame is solid oak and sturdy as hell. It has 8 way hand tied springs, which only the highest end sofas use these days. The upholstery was in good shape, but not my taste. The sofa was $200.
I asked around until I found an older gentleman who worked out of his home shop. He’s retired but still does little jobs here and there. Several people told me he was one of the last true craftsmen in the field. He’s 87 and doesn’t need the money he told me, he just doesn’t have anything else to do and enjoys the work. His rates reflect that and are much more than fair. He recovered the entire couch and made new cushions for $490!
The fabric was maybe my best find. A huge fabric wholesaler happens to be headquartered in my town, and their outlet store is nearby. All the lines they discontinue are sent there. And it’s cheap. Really cheap. There’s no original price on the bolts, or info about the fabric, you just sort through all these unlabeled bolts and find something you like. This one was $4 a yard! And if you buy the entire bolt it’s 50% off. So I got all my material for $34. I was actually able to find a mill marking on the bolt when I got home and looked it up online. This upholstery fabric sold for $109 a yard new! It’s essentially a high end material used for swanky offices, casinos, etc. It’s made to last forever with high usage.
I got my dream sofa for $724, and I couldn’t be happier!!
November 09, 2018 at 02:36AM
