Can you reupholster furniture yourself?

Yes, it is certainly possible to upholster furniture yourself. And practice makes perfect.

In other words: don’t start straight away with a wingback chair like the Artifort, but with, for example, chairs with a separate seat or removable cushions. Or with furniture featuring straight lines.

And it sounds like stating the obvious: but use the right materials: sharp scissors, a staple gun, and if necessary, foam rubber.

Our advice: don't rip the old furniture fabric off the furniture (that's naturally the quickest way), but carefully remove the old fabric from the furniture and use it as a pattern for the new fabric. The time you then save on puzzling will be earned back in no time!

Tips for successful DIY upholstery:

• Start simple: Choose furniture with straight lines and/or loose cushions or seats.
• Requirements Use a staple gun, a staple remover, good upholstery scissors, new upholstery fabric, and foam rubber if necessary.
• Method Carefully dismantle the furniture and use the old fabric as a template for cutting the new fabric. It can also help to take photos of the different steps so that you can easily reassemble it in its original state (but with new fabric). And could the wood perhaps benefit from a coat of paint or stain? If so, paint this first before the fabric is applied.
• Remove old fabric: Carefully remove the old fabric, as it will serve as a template for the new upholstery. 
• Apply new fabric: Ensure the upholstery fabric is fitted in one direction. Rotating it a quarter or half turn will generally result in a different light reflection and therefore colour. In our case, the inside of the fabric is always the ‘good’ side, or the top side. 
• Stretch taut Stretch the fabric in the middle and work towards the corners to prevent creases.
• Use leftover upholstery fabric from Stof voor Design: These are all new offcuts of fabric that have been used by qualified upholsterers on previous projects. A lovely offcut of Stof voor Design upholstery fabric at a great discount – and truly sustainable too! Help prevent material waste.

By following these tips, your furniture will be like new again, and you'll have saved a lot of money. And perhaps more importantly: upholstery is a fantastic and creative hobby.

If you’d like to gain more knowledge and experience in furniture upholstery, there are many training courses available in this field. For example, at the Wood and Furniture College in courses Amsterdam and Rotterdam, Stadswerkplaats, Utrecht and Ambachtshuis Brabant.