Leather and suede are popular choices for covering furniture for the luxe feeling that they lend to any room. While these fabrics are often quite pricey, there is no need to go over budget in order to get a sofa with a similar finish. Instead of spending a few thousand dollars on a new couch, consider covering an old futon with futon covers that mimic the look of leather or suede. They are the perfect way to complement the decor in a den, study or dorm room, giving it a sophisticated look for around $70.

It can be difficult to find real leather covers, but faux leather is easy to find. Faux leather is typically a synthetic vinyl that is finished to look like brown, black or vintage leather. Unlike real leather, there is no need to worry about the material coming into contact with water or other staining. Vinyl is both stain repellant and water resistant and requires little more than a damp cloth for cleaning.

One of the most common substitutions for real suede is a micro fiber fabric. Usually cotton based, this fabric is “brushed” giving it the unique suede texture. Unlike suede, most micro fibers are machine washable and any stains that appear on the fabric can be treated with common spot cleaners. In order to make the micro fiber look more convincing, opt for a color in a neutral brown palette. This color choice will go far in convincing guests that you splurged for a real suede couch.

Futon covers that mimic the look of the most expensive upholstery options will give any old futon the appearance of a fine piece of furniture. Vinyl and micro fiber covers are offered through many different outlets in different colors, sizes and finishes. For those who are just starting out, they are the perfect way to decorate your home in your style without spending more than you care to.

Post provided by Home and Garden Co

The style known as shabby chic has been around since the 80′s and continues to be very popular. Experts are not predicting any decline this year. It was started in the US by Rachel Ashwell who has expanded her line of shabby chic furniture across the country and to other countries as well.

What exactly is shabby chic?

It is a style that in many ways is reminiscent of English cottages, which after all is normal since Rachel Ashwell is an expatriate from England.
Before all it is a style that is relaxed, retro, light and luminous. White is the principal color, but is enhanced at will by flowers, a little like you would think of a british cottage. Colors are often very light with a penchant for decorating with pale green paint. pinks, pale blues, and light yellows.

Shabby chic furniture is sold in many stores today and it is new, just pretending to be old or distressed. But the style calls for old things that have been recycled. If you have some old pieces of furniture, perhaps a little beat up and past their prime, you can make them fashionable again by converting them to shabby chic. Imperfections are not only welcome they are sought. If your furniture looks too new you will want to age it a little, before painting it in white.

Another popular way to make your style fit into this popular decorating trend is to add odds items for a purpose for which they were not intended. For example, you could bring in an old garden bench and use is as a coffee table. (I don’t know how you will sit in the garden but that is the subject of another article.) You can use chairs as night stands or an old wheelbarrow as a decorative element. Rachel Ashwell said it best when she said “be creative!”

For some shabby chic will be a bunch of old things with a bad paint job, and will go down as bad taste, but for others it is pure retro, it is green (I mean eco-friendly, since it recycles everything) it is comfortable vintage. The choice is yours.