Good Buy Friday: Upholstered Furniture

photo: Vincente Wolf
In Learning to See: Bringing the World Around You Into Your Home,
designer Vincente Wolf shows how a traditional sofa can look fantastic in a  modern setting.

Okay, so I'm a bit tardy. Internet issues. No matter: there is still time to take advantage of lots of good buys at auction because...well, there are always lots of good buys! Last Friday, we focused on weird chairs. Another absolutely great thing to buy at auction is upholstered furniture. Yes, sofas and club chairs can be a fantastic deal, enabling you to get a George Smith, Baker or other very well made plush perch for less than you'd pay at Pottery Barn. Insiders know this, of course, but why this isn't the first step for all first time home buyers is a giant mystery to me. Here are some of the mental impediments I come across and my answers to them:


1.  I don't like the fabric. Of course you don't. You will almost never like the fabric of the upholstered piece. Besides, even if you did it's probably worn, and, well, yes, someone else has probably spread out on it with the newspaper at some point and not much else. But not to worry: you are going to recover it!

 

Let's begin with a classic: down filled, John Oetgen sofa (read: expensive!)
 at auction on May 30th, starting bid $75 (yes, that's correct).
A classic three seater such as this one is the lynchpin of many amazing looks,
such as this Bunny Williams living room, below.

photo:Fritz von der Schulenberg
Courtesy of Bunny Williams' Point of View: Three Decades of Decorating Elegant and Comfortable Houses.

2. But recovering the couch will be expensive. Um, yes, it will probably cost a lot more than the couch did (especially if you're buying the couch at auction). But you are always paying for the upholstery anyway, is the thing, whether it's built in to the sticker price or not. Now, at least you get to choose your fabric from a vast array of sources. To save money, figure out the approximate yardage you need (there are lots of fabric estimators on the internet), and then go to a discount fabric store and see what you find. Upholsters carry fabric, and there are lots of discount fabric purveyors on the internet. By the way, the upholsterer will pick up and deliver heavy items of furniture straight to your door.

photo:Lisa Romerein
Designers, such as Michael S. Smith, above...

...and Mary McDonald love the sofa at the end of the bed trick.

...try it with this style, at auction in North Carolina on
 May 30th, starting bid, $250.

...or this Georgian cutie, at auction in California on June 4th,
 starting bid $150.

3. Shipping will be expensive. Yes, which is why I recommend buying upholstered furniture from local auction houses. Because that way you also get to sit on the piece first, which is very important, as well as check its overall condition. You want to make sure, as best you can, that the couch is well made. One indication is the weight: a well made sofa is heavy because it is comprised of thicker pieces of high quality wood. If you can't figure out what wood it's made of, see if someone at the auction house can help you. You do not want a frame made of pine or other soft woods, you want oak or a similar hard wood. Another is the support: you want to lift up the cushion (assuming its loose), press down and feel it spring back: in other words, it's got springs in the seat, not just elastic strap webbing, which is the cheapest of all options. (You can often tell this more clearly by getting on your knees and looking under the sofa.) Keep in mind that cushions can be restuffed so they're all down/ poly down/ whatever you prefer, so that is somewhat of a cosmetic problem, though it will add to the refurbishment cost.

If you like this couch, in a room by Miles Redd...

...then consider this Florence Knoll sofa,
 up for bidding in New Jersey on June 12th, starting bid $1,200,
 or the Warren Platner sofa, opening at $2,500 below.
(where did you think all those NoHo stores got their mid-century modern?)

4. I'm worried about bedbugs and other pests. I'm worried too, we all are-- and, trust me, that includes the auction house. All I can tell you is it would be a disaster for an auction house to get infested with pests and pass them on to their clientele, so they are probably going to be pickier than you are. In any case, my suggestion is to go to reputable houses for your upholstered furniture. Many of you will be shocked when you see how inexpensive these pieces can be at places like Christie's. And, while there is no reason pests can't invade 5th avenue buildings--they can and they have--well, let's just say I still like my odds there.

Club chairs, likes these in a room by Miles Redd,
 are a furnishing staple...

For whatever it's worth, I've bought lots of upholstered pieces over the years and never had a single problem... except picking out the fabric! I've saved a ton of money along the way and gotten great pieces that I never would have been able to afford otherwise. One final tip is to never rule out furniture suites: two or three pieces often go for less than one. (This is because many buyers are just looking for one thing and get tunnel vision. More on buying mixed lots to come: for now, just remember that more can sometimes cost less!) So please, get off the couch and go bid on a better one!

...snag a pair at Christie's, New York, on June 21st,
estimate $1,000-$1,500 (but no reserve; these well made beauties
could go for much, much less!)