Sofa Revival – Home Staging Tip of the Week.

For simple restyling – scatter cushions rule!

I was asked to upgrade the Kensington rental flat featured here. The property had good quality but tired furniture, especially the sofa which was looking so out of shape the owner felt they would have to replace it, but I love a challenge and I knew that with some TLC the sofa could be salvaged.   I managed to revive the existing piece with just a good plumping of seat pads, plus new scatter cushions and throws from mix of Ikea, TK Maxx and Primark. Sorted on a very small budget. The geometric patterns and mix of textures added a complete new look and brought the sofa from sad sack to elegant addition.

The theory of working with 3’s applies to many styling tricks, but especially when it comes to mixing it up and creating an interesting, colourful or textural arrangement.  Here i’ve used a mix of velvet, wool and chenille for texture, one pattern, one dark and one light grey, plus there are three slightly different sizes of cushion.  Although this may seem like there is a lot going on it works to make the sofa looked thoughtfully yet casually styled,  all the tones merge together and are balanced.   I don’t recommend using too many patterns as this will end up looking just too busy.

When sourcing on a budget look for good quality textures, such as a heavy weave or a more matt finish to the fabric.  Shinier fabrics such as silk, unless good quality tend to look less expensive.  Also stick to selecting fabrics within the same tonal range for a least two of your colour choices, with maybe one pop of colour or bold texture to add interest.

Alex Evans

You May Also Enjoy

Love or Hate Rightmove
Breaking News

Average two-year fixed mortgage rate for 60% LTV now cheaper than five-year rate

The average two-year fixed mortgage rate for those with a 40% deposit (60% LTV) is now cheaper than the average five-year fixed equivalent, the first time this has happened since the mini-Budget The average two-year fixed, 60% LTV mortgage rate is now 4.18%, while the five-year equivalent is 4.19% The gap between average two-year fixed…
Read More
Overseas Property

How UK Property Investors Can Manage Exchange Rate Risk When Buying Off-Plan Overseas

Off-plan purchases are especially common in developing overseas property markets with a high proportion of international investors. In these less mature markets, a significant share of stock is sold directly by developers, making off-plan transactions a natural sales model. These opportunities appeal to international buyers because they typically require less upfront cash due to extended…
Read More
Breaking News

Foxtons Lettings Market Index – March 2025

London rental market gains momentum as new rental listings surge, Foxtons data shows   March saw a 14% increase in new rental listings across London compared to February Applicant registrations rose by 11% month-on-month in March. Year on year, demand was stable, tracking just 2% below March 2024 levels The average rent in March stood…
Read More
Breaking News

UK’s mid-market firms show improved business growth in March but economic uncertainty continues

Key findings: NatWest’s Mid-market Growth Tracker shows improved business growth in March, led by a strong service sector performance SMEs register a softer decline in output levels during March Market conditions remain challenging and we could see continued challenges in the coming months   Mid-market businesses continued to outperform the wider UK economy in March,…
Read More
Breaking News

ONS Private rent and house prices UK – April 2025

The Price Index of Private Rents (PIPR) measures private rent inflation for new and existing tenancies. The UK House Price Index measures house price inflation. Main Headlines Average UK monthly private rents increased by 7.7%, to £1,332, in the 12 months to March 2025 (provisional estimate); this annual growth rate is down from 8.1% in…
Read More
Breaking News

Renters’ Rights Bill – what you need to know

The Renters’ Rights Bill is an extremely important piece of legislation for anyone who rents their home. For those in England (with some elements also covering Wales and Scotland), it represents one of the biggest changes in well over thirty years, and it’s important to be aware of what it might mean to you if…
Read More