I vividly recall the day my parents moved into their first home.  Although I was quite young at the time, the excitement in the eyes of my large family was unforgettable.  There would be space for everyone to spread out now.  To this day, I am deeply grateful for the privilege of being given my own room.  

But the leap from a 2 bedroom, 1 bath apartment to a five bedroom, two bath home was an enormous one, even back then.  We were just an average American family.  Not poor, not wealthy, and perhaps barely on the cusp of being middle class.  I kept thinking, "how in the world are my parents going to be able to afford to furnish all these extra rooms?"

The answer in a nutshell was:  slowly, carefully, and with furnishings that were build to last.

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My parents, although never showy in dress and lifestyle, have always had an eye for nice things - fine things in fact.  Mama knew that she wanted the living room to be special.  So after making sure all of the bedrooms and family room were furnished, she waited.  And saved.   

All the while, our living, dining, an den sat empty for nearly 3 years!  Good grief.  It was so embarrassing.  But Mama does not believe in buying cheaply made things.  And although she loves to shop 'til she drops, she refuses to go into debt to support that "pastime".  So we all waited.  And waited some more, until...

FINALLY, the day we had all been waiting for arrived.  The new furniture was delivered.  As each piece was carefully placed, I stood in absolute amazement.  Why? 

Every single item had been custom made and/or reupholstered to her liking:
Three sofas, two side chairs and a chaise.
It was was utterly decadent.
Shamelessly luxurious.
Yet soulful.
"Who would bring something like this into a home filled with kids?" I thought to myself
Mama stood there silently.  Beaming.
"These rooms are now off limits for playing" she finally said.  "You all can have the rest of the house.  This is mine"

Good call.  The most astonishing part was that although these custom furnishings are now more than 30 years old, most of them still look au courant.  

I'll dish out more details on my parents' living room in a future post.  For now, let's just say that experience instilled in me a new appreciation for reupholstered and reclaimed furnishings. 

The green chair you see featured throughout this post, was scored a few years ago at an estate sale for less than $50, and had already been reupholstered.  All I had to do was give the wood portion an antique gold finish.  Sure, it was a half-hearted attempt at bringing a custom piece into my home, but it still took things up a notch.  

Even one small reupholstered piece can take a room from "meh" to "ooh yeah" in a matter of seconds.   For proof of that, check out the stunning transformation below by designer and  blogging buddy Roxanne of Suite City Woman.

SA-woon!  B-A-M!  SA-wank!  This reclaimed French feather-trimmed chair is IT y'all!  Au contraire to popular belief, reupholstered antiques can be modernized.  And as illustrated in the personal account above, a customized a piece of furniture, becomes "yours" in a way that has to be experienced to be fully understood.

So no more half-steppin' for Ola y'all!  I am now ready to take my home and my admiration for reupholstered furniture a step further by selecting and "designing" a custom piece for my living room.   I'll be sure keep you posted on my search, fabric selections and upholstery process.  Yass...if there was ever a way to unlock the look of luxury in your home, incorporating reupholstered furniture will always be number one on my list.  

PS: Be sure to  follow me on Pinterest where I have a an entire board with nearly 800 pins dedicated to custom chairs and sofas called Chairs: Sitting Pretty.  Tell me:

• Do you like the look of reupholstered furniture?
• Have you ever had a piece of furniture restored or reupholstered?

One more favor may I ask of you?
If you enjoyed this post
Please share, tweet or pin it.
Merci Beaucoup!

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