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

Home and Living

Domestic Fridge Recycling in the UK: Compliant, Convenient and Eco Friendly with Recycling4you

Every year thousands of fridges in the UK reach the end of their useful life and must be replaced. These appliances cannot simply be left out with general waste or dumped at the nearest tip. They contain hazardous materials such as refrigerant gases and insulating foam which require careful handling in accordance with strict legislation.…
Read More
Estate Agent Talk

Buy-to-Let Explained: How It Works and Is It Worth It?

Buy-to-let is one of the most popular property investment strategies in the UK, attracting investors who want to generate regular rental income while benefiting from long-term property value growth. Whether you are a first-time landlord or someone considering adding property to an existing investment portfolio, understanding how buy-to-let works is essential. If you are exploring opportunities with Whitegates…
Read More
Letting Agent Talk

The Hidden Cost of Deposit Disputes for Letting Agents

Nobody gets into lettings because they love arguing over oven grease. Yet for a growing number of letting agents across London and beyond, deposit disputes at the end of a tenancy have become one of the most quietly destructive parts of the job — eating into time, draining morale, and slowly eroding the trust that…
Read More
Breaking News

Britain’s strongest housing markets revealed

The latest research from Benham and Reeves reveals the best-performing housing markets across Great Britain when it comes to the average rate of house price growth seen over the course of 2025, with the northern regions and Scotland outperforming most of the rest of the country with annual price growth of up to 11%. Last…
Read More
Rightmove logo
Breaking News

Over £900 million economic opportunity lost to property fall throughs

Analysis from the UK’s largest property platform Rightmove reveals there is an economic opportunity of over £900 million in England if the number of property transactions falling through can be reduced The calculations show that nearly £392m in potential estate agency revenue and £515m in potential government stamp duty receipts were lost last year to…
Read More
Breaking News

Landlords chasing rental arrears of £470m

The latest research from Propoly – the platform that automates compliance, reduces risk and protects landlords – has revealed that landlords in England deal with more than £470 million worth of rent arrears in a year, with the largest number of tenants in arrears found in London and the North East. Propoly has analysed the…
Read More