How I loved her... so comfy and fabulously plump! Well, fast-forward a year and a half ...
What the heck? I've never had sofa cushions melt down to almost nothing. Even with weekly plumping and flipping of the cushions, this is what I get!
Now if we were living anywhere but here, I would contact the manufacturer and voice my complaint. After all, this wasn't an inexpensive purchase. But being in Dubai, it's a known fact that anything you buy, well, you're pretty much on your own and it simply isn't worth the aggravation (we've already gone through a toaster, microwave and water cooler).
So what to do? I needed to figure something out since it was becoming uglier by the day and so uncomfortable. Finding supplies here is virtually impossible. Until, a lightbulb moment! A foam mattress from IKEA!
I decided I could cut it up to create new cushions and give this baby some support. When I opened up the top cushions, I was disappointed to discover that all they consisted of were three horizontal channels filled with this...
No wonder! Nothing more than the filling you would find in cheap toss cushions! And we all know what happens to them after a while ~ pancakes! I measured the cover and cut a rough piece out of the foam with an exacto knife...
then I checked it for fit...
I flattened out the old filling and wrapped it around the sponge to create some softness and round out the edges...
then put it all back into the old interior casing and sewed it up...
Much better! Maybe not as squishy, but definitely back to its original shape...
I opened up the seat cushions to see what was inside...
Hmm... similar thing. Where were all the feathers it was supposed to have? I counted a handfull. Argh.
Since I had only used 2 "tubes" of old stuffing to wrap around the foam for the back cushions, I still had 4 leftover. I decided to try stuffing them into the channels on the seat cushions to overstuff them and hopefully retain that soft, cushiness we love about this sofa. It seemed to do the trick...
Much better! I got my cloud-like sofa back {well, except for the back cushions which are a bit firm}. But for the price of a cheap IKEA foam mattress, at least I was able to salvage this baby instead of tossing it to the curb! That's the last time I order a sofa from a catalogue without inspecting its construction first.
lisa
9 comments:
Well done! Not everyone can just replump their own sofa ;) That must have been maddening to have to do that. Looks fantastic now.
That is outrageous that an expensive Laura Ashley sofa is so poorly made and how ironic that cheap Ikea came to the rescue. You are a clever girl for figuring out how to fix the sofa. I would have been stuck with a lumpy one.
good thing you're crafty ;) ...but what a shame. you should let them know how unhappy you are...tell them that you BLOGGED about it!...maybe they'll send you a gift certificate or something. xo
Great smart fix. Love the lines of the sofa, too bad a well known name produces an inferior product. We searched for a year before we found a sofa with real feather, all hardwood construction. Found it at Chintz & Co in Victoria, BC, it is made in the states. 4 yrs later and a family and 4 pets and it still looks and feels perfect. So hard to find great products, really have to dig, just can't go on a name anymore. Glad you could fix it. Patty/BC
Thank you SO MUCH for sharing this. Great solution. I recently contacted the upholsterer I use about a similar problem with the back cushions on my sofa. He quoted me a price of $135 to add filling to all three cushions. Maybe I should try it myself first.
Good for you for getting creative!! I think even being where you are I'd send a note off, perhaps attaching your well worded blog post with pictures! ;-)
Lisa Great job; I hope you can write a review on their site about virtually having to remake their "coveted" Laura Ashley Sofa!
xoxo
Karena
Art by Karena
Great Fix! Our Mitchell Gold/Bob Williams sofa cushions have a lifetime warranty if they lose their shape, they'll replace them. Definitely a factor in our buying decision.
Wow looks so much better.....good thing you are crafty and not afraid to try something. You would think Laura Ashley product would be better.
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