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Velvet! Couch!

It’s here! The couch! The blue velvet couch!

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While dropping it off a handful of weeks ago at the upholsterer, I told Kevin (my contact at Covers Unlimited and – bonus! – a Pittie rescuer!) about our concerns with some of the structural issues. It feels… rickety? Sometimes that leg will pop up if I sit right here? The great news is that Kevin genuinely expressed his enthusiasm for our steal of a deal, noting that it had great bones (yes!), has withstood the test of time beautifully (yes!) and shouldn’t need more than a little frame tightening (yes, yes, yes!).

Remember when it looked like this?

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Our couch was loaded up with all new batting for the tufts (look at how cushy they are!) and all new foam for the cushions. We’ve had it in our home for less than a week, and Scott and I have been working on carving out our seats within the seat. The curved shape just feels so different (different good) from our old couch (which is now living upstairs in the studio), and it’s much, much longer. After settling in at the end of a long day, we’ll say to each other, you’re so far away from me! But man, it sure feels good to stretch out.

It’s oddly fun having a big, new (to us) piece of furniture, and I especially love nestling up in the rounded corner with a good drink and the hockey game. Just look! It’s a beauty, and we’re swooning:

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We’ve fully admitted that we might be nuts for having a dark velvet couch in our four-pet-household, and yes, fur does show up. (I mean, it’s not a magical couch.) But! It’s not that bad! (Really!) When we were picking out our velvet from various samples, you might remember that we quite literally rubbed them all over Jack and CC, and our winning swatch didn’t grab their hair as much as the other samples. (Not to mention, we’re a no-dogs-on-the-furniture household, but in all fairness, we give the cats full reign.) We think that the more lived in (read: loved) this couch gets, the better it’ll get, too.

Our living room is still embarrassingly bare, but we did finally pull the trigger on a rug that should be here soon (and we’re crossing our fingers that it will work out). Nothing has been hung on the wall and a center light fixture has yet to be chosen, but, you know – baseboards. One (or two or three) thing(s) at a time.

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One of the neat things about this old couch is that there were built-in straps for keeping the extra long cushions in place. When we first picked it up from Jubilee, the straps were either overly stretched or broken, but we were given new ones! Each cushion has a loop for the strap to hook into, and because the loops are stitched into the side (rather than the bottom), they can be flipped and rotated for even wear:

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The first time I walked down the stairs after putting the couch into place, I noticed – I mean, this seems so obvious now – that our closet door plays nicely with our newest addition! We were planning on painting our front door the same Hague Blue as the closet, but now we wonder, is that too much blue? We’ve always been on Team Navy, so maybe we should go with our gut? (Isn’t that always the right choice?)

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Going so bold with the couch (and our doors) is really, really outside of our comfort zone, but we’re also really, really having fun with it. It feels scary, and we sort of love that.

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  • cassie5.6.14 - 7:09 AM

    oh i am at a loss for words because it is SO amazing!ReplyCancel

  • Kristen5.6.14 - 7:15 AM

    beautiful! it looks so luscious! (hmm, and now i’m thinking i might have to paint some of my doors too…nice job!)ReplyCancel

  • Sarah D5.6.14 - 7:46 AM

    Beautiful couch! I absolutely love the blue velvet!ReplyCancel

  • Marie5.6.14 - 7:48 AM

    I was expecting its showing today and here it is. I can tell how happy you must be, your new coach is totally awesome (and the new chair you picked up at the same time is, too). The best is yet to come, happy blue velvet evenings YBH family.ReplyCancel

  • Absolutely gorgeous! Love your bold choice of blue velvet… very jealous… ;)ReplyCancel

  • caroline [the diy nurse]5.6.14 - 8:04 AM

    Hubba. Hubba.

    It’s so gorgeous. And the door pops in the best possible way. We painted our doors in our upstairs hallway a glossy black. It’s kind of crazy but makes me swoon each time I reach the top of the stairs <3ReplyCancel

  • Julia@Cukoo4Design5.6.14 - 8:08 AM

    Gasp! Drool! It turned out more amazing then I could have ever expected. Love the shot with the door too. I want one!ReplyCancel

  • Carrie @DreamGreenDIY5.6.14 - 8:41 AM

    Wow….WOW….It’s perfect =)ReplyCancel

  • Mary | Lemon Grove Blog5.6.14 - 8:43 AM

    Saw your gorgeous couch pop into my facebook news feed and just had to swing by and see it up close! It looks a-mazing!!ReplyCancel

  • Cathie5.6.14 - 8:49 AM

    I’m coming back to Chicago to sit on that couch! It is beautiful!ReplyCancel

  • Jackie5.6.14 - 8:51 AM

    Pardon me while I wipe my drool! LOL It looks fabulous!!! What a statement!ReplyCancel

  • Sabrina5.6.14 - 8:58 AM

    First time commenting but I just had to tell you the couch is gorgeous!! They did such a great job on it, and I love that deep blue.ReplyCancel

  • jenn aka the picky girl5.6.14 - 9:02 AM

    It is GORGEOUS! So so glad you guys went so bold. Now I cannot wait to see this room really start coming together.ReplyCancel

  • Heather5.6.14 - 9:13 AM

    Wow!! It is so gorgeous. I am incredibly jealous! :)ReplyCancel

  • It looks freaking fantastic!!!

    We’re still oogling our big blue beauty and loving how much room it gives to lounge. So expect that feeling to continue for several weeks ;)ReplyCancel

    • Kim5.6.14 - 9:31 AM

      Yes, I LOVE yours too! I think yours is definitely deeper than ours even still… so I can only imagine!ReplyCancel

      • Heather5.7.14 - 2:59 PM

        Possibly. It’s super deep at 3′ It sounds like you have MORE than enough space to stretch out though :)ReplyCancel

  • carrie @ brick city love5.6.14 - 9:19 AM

    I.LOVE IT!!!! It looks so so so *SOOOOOOOOOOO* good.ReplyCancel

  • Cara@theProjectAddict5.6.14 - 9:22 AM

    Love the couch! So gorgeous!ReplyCancel

  • Love this!!!!ReplyCancel

  • Sam | winterblooms5.6.14 - 10:09 AM

    Oh wow – that blue really just pops! The lines of the couch are just amazing – and that shot of it with the closet door looks fantastic.ReplyCancel

  • erica5.6.14 - 10:36 AM

    DROOL! It’s stunning, guys. i have a club chair/ottoman at the upholsterer’s right now getting done in navy – now I really can’t wait for it to be done!ReplyCancel

  • laughing abi5.6.14 - 11:04 AM

    that is one super, sexy couch. Julia at Cuckoo 4 Design posted it & I had to come take a look for myself. Also loving the coffee table.ReplyCancel

  • Jodi5.6.14 - 11:51 AM

    it looks AMAZING!!!ReplyCancel

  • Erin5.6.14 - 12:34 PM

    I’m in equal parts love and envy! What a gorgeous restoration!ReplyCancel

  • Alexis5.6.14 - 12:41 PM

    Oh man, I’m so excited to see your couch, it looks AMAZING!!!!
    I’m planning on buying the same blue velvet to redo a slipper chair an old roommate left behind. This is gorgeous and so inspiring!!!ReplyCancel

  • Jessica@CapeofDreams5.6.14 - 12:55 PM

    It is gorgeous, and I am sure that you are going to love it for the long run. I am still trilled with my newly reupholstered purple velvet couch. There are times that I sit there and stare at it and think how pretty it is. Then, I realize that I am acting crazy and try to stop.

    One thing that works for us is to have a blanket on the couch for the cat to cuddle up on. She really prefers to sleep on the blanket, and that saves the couch. However, even the hair on the couch is not that hard to remove. I use a damp rubber glove to wipe it all up.ReplyCancel

    • Kim5.6.14 - 3:42 PM

      What an awesome shape!! Lookin’ good.ReplyCancel

  • GAH. I love it!ReplyCancel

  • tia5.6.14 - 1:48 PM

    YES!!! YES!!! i love it! omg that couch is so good! so so good! i got my chair back this weekend and i’ve been intermittently rubbing my face on it. here are the photos before: https://flic.kr/p/neCZWv and after: https://flic.kr/p/neDdNJReplyCancel

    • Kim5.6.14 - 3:44 PM

      Yup, that’s pretty freaking good! And you got your fabric from House Fabric too, right?!ReplyCancel

      • tia5.7.14 - 10:49 AM

        no, i ended up getting my fabric from thefabricco.com instead.ReplyCancel

  • kara5.6.14 - 1:57 PM

    omg. gorgeous. LOVE IT!! and like it even more knowing that you saved something from the landfill and kept a crew of skilled workers (in the neighborhood!) busy for a week.ReplyCancel

  • Alicia5.6.14 - 2:17 PM

    Oh my! I’ve been eyeing a similar sofa in turquoise. I thought I was weird loving it, but see I’m right on target! Your sofa is unbelieveably gorgeous and I thank you for helping realize my potential. I have 3 cats that love to scratch, although they have 4 scratching posts, so have been hesitant. Enjoy that beautiful piece of wonder!ReplyCancel

    • Kim5.6.14 - 3:44 PM

      You’re most definitely not weird. Go for it!ReplyCancel

  • Leslie5.6.14 - 2:33 PM

    I’m so jealous!!!!! Love it! Just beautiful!ReplyCancel

  • Nikky5.6.14 - 3:21 PM

    LOVE IT!ReplyCancel

  • LOVE. That is all.ReplyCancel

  • Amy5.6.14 - 5:48 PM

    How beautiful! It was a bold choice, but it works so well. I can’t wait to see the rug!ReplyCancel

  • Tori5.7.14 - 9:58 AM

    This turned out SO great! I love reupholstering things, it gives everything such a new lease on life. Can’t wait to see all the other finishing touches on the room!ReplyCancel

  • Amanda5.7.14 - 10:35 AM

    Oh it’s finally back. It’s beautiful & it fits so perfectlyReplyCancel

  • Ryan5.8.14 - 8:34 AM

    That couch is perfect. It looks gorgeous in your space.ReplyCancel

  • Caitlin @ Desert Domicile5.8.14 - 10:03 PM

    Blue couch owners unite! It’s so gorgeous! I love the deep tufting and curved shape :)ReplyCancel

  • Katherine5.9.14 - 10:41 AM

    SO gorgeous!
    I’m trying to convince my not-nearly-as-diy-awesome-as-you-guys partner to buy a secondhand couch and get it reupholstered. I wonder if you would mind giving a cost breakdown of how much this lovely piece cost from start to finish? You scored a great deal on the fabric! How many yards did you need?
    Then, what did the professional upholstery cost? Your guy did a fantastic job!! My curiosity lies in whether this whole process is cheaper than just buying new.
    Thanks SO much.ReplyCancel

    • Kim5.9.14 - 10:46 AM

      Katherine, no problem! A lot of the couches we were interested in fell around the $1,500-$2,000 mark. We just couldn’t decide, never pulled the trigger on anything, and then this beauty came along… and we were sold!

      Here’s the full disclosure breakdown:

      Couch = $80
      Fabric from Housefabric.com = $300 (20 yds)
      Upholstery labor + freight delivery = $1,000

      Total = $1,380

      It falls juuust under the price of a new couch, but it’s 100% unique. Scott calls it the magical unicorn pony of couches, ha! We received a couple of quotes for upholstery, but Covers Unlimited has worked with us many times in the past, they consistently have the best pricing AND their service is phenomenal and impeccable. (FYI, we received one quote that was close to $2,000 for labor, so it really just depends. Our couch is approximately 40″ deep x 9′ wide if that helps)ReplyCancel

  • Kaleigh5.9.14 - 9:28 PM

    This couch….THIS COUCH! Unreal!! Love the fabric choice! Well done! Very well done!!ReplyCancel

  • Erin@Suburban Bitches5.13.14 - 8:06 PM

    It’s so, so good! Worth every penny!!!ReplyCancel

  • Courtney10.2.14 - 9:12 AM

    I’m about to pull the trigger on ordering the same fabric you all used for a large chair in my house. I also have pets and I was wondering if you could let me know how it’s held up since you’ve had it several months now. Is it easy to clean? Would you make the same fabric decision again?ReplyCancel

    • Kim10.2.14 - 9:34 AM

      We love it! It’s super durable, even with our cats sometimes using their claws to climb up the side. We bought one of those little lint brushes (you know the kind that have a black handle with the red felt-like fabric?), and when it gets pet hair build-up, we just swipe the brush over it. So easy! It is by far the least clingy velvet we sampled (it’s pretty smooth with a low pile), but also keep in mind that Jack and CC don’t get up on the furniture.ReplyCancel

  • Sarah1.12.15 - 9:41 PM

    Gorgeous! I two require long couch, as I have a vintage coffee table from my great aunt that is soooo long. I found my couch (http://www.reinventingcourtland.com/i-think-i-have-a-problem) at an estate sale, and loved the tufting. Yours is much more beautiful though! However, I have an old chair of my grandmother’s I want to cover in velvet, and I think that blue might be it!ReplyCancel

  • […] couch in the picture is from Yellow Brick house! Mine is going to be much more teal, but this one was pretty close in shape and depth of […]ReplyCancel

  • […] to save a piece that helps to tell your story. It’s personal. Two of our favorite rescues are our Blue Velvet Couch, because it makes the biggest punch in our living […]ReplyCancel

  • […] come across something that I loved that was also in my price range. Then one day I happened across this blog called Yellow Brick Home and their amazing couch redo. My jaw dropped when I saw it and I […]ReplyCancel

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We’re Kim + Scott, Chicago based content creators behind the Home + Lifestyle brand Yellow Brick Home.

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