Do you have a treasured piece of upholstered furniture that has seen better days? A well-loved but increasingly-tatty armchair, or a chaise-longue that your Grandma passed on to you perhaps?

Sadly a stained and battered chair looks to everyone else like a stained and battered chair no matter how much history and happy memories it’s associated with, but the good news is that giving it a new life needn’t be expensive. In fact it’s often a far better option than merely purchasing a replacement which will likely either be very expensive, or of inferior quality, or possibly both.

Reupholstering your heirloom piece of furniture not only restores its respectability, it allows you to really customise it to your own preferences, and you don’t have to simply copy its current style or colour – you can go craaaazy! Classic pieces in bold modern fabrics look great in both contemporary and traditional interiors - have a look on Pinterest for some examples.

The first step is to find a few upholstery fabrics you like, and the only real way to do this is to visit an interiors shop where you can see the fabric and drape it over a chair or sofa arm to get a real feel for how it will look. Interior Inspirations in Farnborough should be your first port of call – they have fabrics from Kobe, Silent Gliss, Swaffer, Wilman Interiors, Nono, Francis Price, Sanderson, Malabar, JAB, Morris & Co., Zoffany, Elanbach and more, a choice unrivalled in the Aldershot & Farnborough area.

If the fabric you like has a pattern, pay attention to the repeat length as this can have an effect on how much material is required. Large patterns can cost a lot more in material and will unfortunately produce a lot of waste, however this wastage can often be recycled and used to create cushions either for the same piece of furniture or for elsewhere in the house. Or if you’re a crafty kind of person you could use it to make purses or to glam up plain items of clothing.

Plain fabrics will always require the least amount fabric and therefore produce the least amount of waste, but hey who wants plain?!

Once you’ve picked out a few fabrics (and checked with Interior Inspirations’ staff that they’re suitable for upholstery) then arrange for an upholsterer to inspect the piece(s) of furniture you wish to have reupholstered. He/she should be able to indicate how much of the fabrics you’ve shortlisted will be required for the project. Don’t forget that despite the cost it is always best to order more fabric than required than to buy too little; running out with the job not quite finished will be an absolute pain.

So don't throw that tatty old chair out, give it a second glance and imagine how it could look re-upholstered in a new vibrant fabric. It could be your favourite chair once again!