Upholstery Charts

Oh happy day! I've scheduled a pick up with my upholsterers to come and get my sofa and maybe a chair...or two...and maybe some x benches.

{If anyone local is wondering, I use Jensen's Work Room in Elkton, MD. They are inexpensive, really good and very fast. Tell them I sent you.}

Bye bye, green linen. Hello, ivory velvet!


I do have plans for reupholstering a couple of chairs myself for the new apartment, but the pieces mentioned above would take me more than 20 hours of labor - more than I can give right now.


It's been exciting to go fabric shopping for these upholstery projects (speaking of which, I have a fun new collaboration to announce soon!). Here are the pretty standard, but really handy, yardage charts that I like to reference when I'm planning to reupholster a piece of furniture.




Don't forget that if you're using a patterned fabric, the yardage will go up a lot, depending on the size of the pattern's repeat. And of course these charts are just rough estimates. If your furniture is newer and you know the manufacturer, you should call them for guidance on yardage. Or talk with your upholsterer.



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41 comments:

  1. Hello Lover...July 19, 2010 at 6:37 AM

    Great charts - thanks!

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  2. ReneeJuly 19, 2010 at 7:20 AM

    thanks for the cheat sheet! can i ask where you got your sofa? i've been looking for one like it, to no avail....

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  3. Kim@ChattafabulousJuly 19, 2010 at 9:39 AM

    Can't wait to see how they make up!

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  4. My Plate is FullJuly 19, 2010 at 10:22 AM

    If that is your living room...I love it! Thinking myself of trying to make slip-covers for a winged chair. Thanks for the upholstery charts...so helpful.

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  5. Capella Kincheloe Interior DesignJuly 19, 2010 at 10:26 AM

    I think the lime linen is great, however I am looking forward to seeing how the ivory velvet turns out - but don't you have kids?

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  6. CathleenJuly 19, 2010 at 10:49 AM

    Great charts! I had gotten one from my mom but yours is so much more complete.
    I'm in NJ and I'm looking for a workroom for some upholstery projects that are a little to big for me to tackle myself. Can you offer any advice on I could find one? Are they just upholstery places?
    When you move to NYC you are going to be like a kid in a candy shop when you shop the garment district. The fabric and trim selections will make your head spin! And if you're looking to make an hour road trip there's a GREAT place in Englishtown, NJ that's a huge junk shop with all kinds of stuff, (furniture, lighting, old bedding and napkins, pottery, shelves and shelves of plates, paintings, etc) that you HAVE to visit! It's dirt cheap too.

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  7. melisJuly 19, 2010 at 11:00 AM

    Love the curtains... Where can I find them?

    Thanks!

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  8. hanaJuly 19, 2010 at 11:25 AM

    oh so helpful, thanks for sharing! you know i can't wait to see how your luscious velvet sofa turns out!

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  9. MoonlightJuly 19, 2010 at 11:44 AM

    This is soooo helpful!
    When we where looking for someone to reupholster our living room furniture, we asked 2-3 reupholsters how much fabric they would need, and their answers were too different from each other!

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  10. merciblahblahJuly 19, 2010 at 11:45 AM

    I was wondering about those black and white curtains myself....

    Gorgeous room!

    Merci,
    Shannan

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  11. AnonymousJuly 19, 2010 at 11:47 AM

    Love the charts, so many options!

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  12. Jenny at LGNJuly 19, 2010 at 12:04 PM

    Thanks for the nice comments!

    I sewed the curtains myself last year. You can read the post here. http://littlegreennotebook.blogspot.com/2009/07/on-sewing-pinch-pleated-curtains.html

    If anyone is interested, I'm going to be selling these drapes. You can email your offers to jkomenda@gmail.com.

    Stay tuned for more goodies for sale!!

    xx

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  13. UnknownJuly 19, 2010 at 12:11 PM

    Thanks for the charts! Those are really helpful. I can't wait to see the newly finished pieces!

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  14. emilyJuly 19, 2010 at 12:13 PM

    That is such a great group of charts. It will come in handy as I tackle my first upholstery project on an old sofa.

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  15. Stephanie SabbeJuly 19, 2010 at 12:22 PM

    Thanks Jenny! This is SO helpful!

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  16. JulieJuly 19, 2010 at 1:11 PM

    That is SO helpful. I've been looking for something like that. Saving the pics!

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  17. ellenJuly 19, 2010 at 1:11 PM

    do you know any good/reasonable places in Boston? thanks.

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  18. AnonymousJuly 19, 2010 at 1:39 PM

    Wow, I am continually inspired by your creativity and ENERGY. I love it! Keeps me looking for deals rather than spending so much at every stop.

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  19. EmilyJuly 19, 2010 at 2:06 PM

    I've never had anything upholstered and always wonder how much that sort of thing costs. Of course, there is the cost of the fabric -- but, how much can I expect to pay for labor? I'm always torn about buying that cheap and ugly chair from a flea market, thinking that once I get it home, upholstering will be just too much for my budget. I'd love to have a sense of upholstering costs -- even just a ballpark range if possible.

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  20. Jessica @ Simply A Farmer's WifeJuly 19, 2010 at 3:19 PM

    I love your room! The before is amazing so I'm anxious to see the after.

    I started an upholstery class last week and am so excited about it. Thanks for the cheat sheet!

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  21. UnknownJuly 19, 2010 at 3:23 PM

    Jenny thank you so much for the info on Jensen's. I live in Bel Air and have been looking for a reasonable upholsterer for a couple of months now! Can't wait to try them!

    Rachel
    xoxo

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  22. Bailey@ peppermintblissJuly 19, 2010 at 5:24 PM

    Ummm you are a SAINT for posting those charts...my upholsterers are always so cagey about giving me rough estimates...I guess maybe they are afraid I will freak if they tell me too much/too little...either way. Bless you, woman.

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  23. CathleenJuly 19, 2010 at 6:54 PM

    Yes, ditto what Emily said! That would be EXTREMELY helpful!

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  24. Cynthia SarverJuly 19, 2010 at 7:46 PM

    THANK YOU!

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  25. Delightful DahliaJuly 19, 2010 at 8:54 PM

    I've been wondering about how to figure yardage. Thanks so much!

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  26. Jenny at LGNJuly 19, 2010 at 9:02 PM

    I think for a reputable and fairly priced/inexpensive upholsterer, you can expect to pay:

    dining/side chair (upholstered back): $150

    Arm chair: $200-$400

    Sofa: $550-$1000

    All this depends on lots of variables - tight-backed or cushions? Skirted? Nail head trim? Tufting? 1,2, or 3 cushions? Type of fabric, etc

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  27. UnknownJuly 19, 2010 at 9:10 PM

    Thanks for the cheat sheet, it's really helpful! Can't wait to see everything you're having done. Good luck!

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  28. Shannon @ What's Up WhimsyJuly 19, 2010 at 9:38 PM

    Thanks for these charts...and thanks for posting the ranges for the upholstery labour. I really want to reupholster a couch (once I find the right one!), but I wasn't sure the amount for labour. Can't wait to see that couch in it's different fabric!

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  29. Naomi@DesignManifestJuly 20, 2010 at 8:59 AM

    this is very handy! And also, just wanted to tell you that I've been pondering black and white curtains. I couldn't decide between horizontal and vertical stripes. Anywho- yours look great!

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  30. amandaJuly 20, 2010 at 9:35 AM

    Where's the sofa from?

    So cute!

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  31. LindsayJuly 22, 2010 at 4:23 PM

    This is a great reference! Thank you for the upholsterer recommendation as well. I've been looking for someone to upholster a pair of caned barrel chairs.

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  32. deliciously organizedJuly 23, 2010 at 12:19 PM

    Thanks for sharing these. Very helpful!

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  33. Jill MarieJuly 23, 2010 at 2:23 PM

    how cool are these? Thank you so much for sharing!!
    Love your blog!!

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  34. PetraJuly 23, 2010 at 2:26 PM

    Fantastic cheat sheet! Even as interior designers, we don't know these things off-hand. Thank you!

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  35. Brandi@ Flights of WhimsyJuly 26, 2010 at 1:37 PM

    Where did you get your couch? It's exactly what I'm looking for!

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  36. Julie B.July 26, 2010 at 3:36 PM

    Hi Jenny, just curious what your upholsterer is charging you for the couch? I'm trying to get a feeling for what is a good price. Thanks!! Juile

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  37. Jenny at LGNJuly 26, 2010 at 3:40 PM

    Julie, I'm paying $525 for the labor on my sofa. That's on the very cheap end. But they do really great work.

    My sofa is from Lee Industries. Here's the link:

    http://www.leeindustries.com/productdetail.asp?id=134157151124255198037171064223225187166026195044002194231127192239214163032181209149108113213236098081240057048137219057048102179000085162037213176252060140140129147235237139146058176005048250254195125185185131244221165043184152204105113076113159179166245025046083001005144026185103133014077082170065069219044099148004148091082095178043204058225014042076133185064017163083084080021154005031147224207009018115207224174122216118175119142012078201176227105196062

    I can get you pricing, if you're interested.

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  38. Julie B.July 28, 2010 at 7:14 PM

    WOW! $525! That really is CHEAP! Especially if they do great work. Just curious if that is a designer discount? Good for you! Can't wait to see it reupholstered! Thanks for sharing! Julie

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  39. AnonymousAugust 3, 2010 at 10:33 AM

    Hi Jenny! Thanks SO much for these charts. They come at a perfect time since I'm starting my first slipcover project. I posted about your charts and linked to this post so everyone could take advantage of the information. Your blog is amazing and I get so much inspiration from all of the wonderful pictures.

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  40. daganAugust 27, 2010 at 2:48 AM

    i have been looking for any information on recovering a chair from the 1920's... lo and behold, it's on your chart!!! thank you for restoring some confidence in my first reupholstering project!

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  41. ShelbyJune 18, 2011 at 2:53 PM

    Thanks for the charts! Are these measurements for 54" wide fabric?

    -Shelby
    shelby.scheidt@gmail.com

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I so appreciate hearing from you. Nice comments make my day! Thanks for keeping things light here, friends! :)