Jazz it Up by Jann Chan

Choosing a fabric for the sofa is a little more taxing than choosing a new dress at the shop.   You are not able to try it out in the fitting room. With so many available choices these days, it can be pretty overwhelming; especially when u are only given some sample swatches to look at.   So I hope these tips will help “ease the pains”and make your selection a breeze..   100% Natural fibres  or Synthetic Fabrics With our hot and humid weather here in Singapore, cotton definitely provides a cool respite and is one of our more popular choice here.  However, cotton being cotton is also very absorbent and are prone to creases and shrinkage.  If you are using it for a removable covers and plan on washing it often, I will advise making it a size bigger to allows shrinkage. Being absorbent also means absorbing all stains quickly!  So preferably choose one that is treated with some kind of stain protector. Linen and silk are more delicate and I will not recommend it for sofa with heavy use. Sy

Sometimes we really feel like a "sofa doctor"  We diagnose and determine what need to be done to make your sofa shiny and new again.  Take the case of this L shape sofa that we had recently reupholstered.  After stripping the sofa at the workshop we found that the casings for all the loose cushions are torn. The fibre fills inserts in the backrest cushions had lumped together and hence the backrest cushions look and feels dreadful.  So instead of just reupholstering with the new fabrics, we had replaced all casings with calico which is much more durable than the tissue types that most store brought sofa provides. We had also tediously loosen the fibre fills that had balled together and also top up with more fills to give it a fuller look. The results an almost "new" sofa that can continues to serve you for many more years.  Notice how the backrest are drooping and the seat cushions, especially the one on the chaise and ottoman had shifted.  Torn tissue casings to re

 On the same subject of Reupholster to Save Trees, Jazz it Up is once again very honoured to reupholster this same chair and long ottoman 3 times over the span of 15 years. Each time to keep up with the changing colour scheme and to coordinate with the new sofa the client had recently purchased.  I do not have photos of the original fabrics but I do remember it was a plain fabrics with no prints.  It was back in 2013 when she first approached us to reupholster these 2 pieces. Reupholstered in 2013 with this Chinoise print   More colours are needed. So in 2016 we had reupholstered with this lively turquoise geometric prints.  And once again, now in 2020, owner is on the move again. She has also acquired a new sofa in a cheerful turquoise blue.  But the chair and ottoman no longer match. Too much blues. We needed a fabric in a different tone but yet able to compliments the new sofa.  So with some careful considerations, she has settled for this woven prints with various shades of blue, t

Yes, Recycle, Reupholster and Reuse! This is one good reason why my esteemed clients had come back to me more than once to have the same sofas and chairs reupholstered with us. Over the years I had seen the same sofa or chairs reupholstered a second or even a third time over a span of 20 years. And with some nips and tucks, some new inserts and a new cover, the sofa is good as "new" and many trees saved! I applaud these clients for their efforts in keeping our Earth green and of course for their continuous support and trust in Jazz it Up. I am truly and very appreciative.  Here's some of the sofas and chairs that we have the honour to be given the chance to reupholster not once but twice and even thrice over the years.  We reupholstered this chair with the oceanic print 8 years ago. It was a refreshing change from the otherwise dull fabric before. However, wear and tear began to show.  Paint on arms had chipped. Foams on arms and seat worn. Time for a second make over.  C

 Time and again we came across sofas that had seen much better days and being discarded by the owner. But most time, its just cosmetics damage. Frames and structures are still solid. There's no reason to just write it off as trash.  With some TLC from our skilled upholsterer, it can be restored to its former glory and be of good use for several more years.  Here's a good example of one that we recently have the honour to reupholster. It was a 2 piece leather sectional that had served the family well.  To be precise, for 13 years. Their children practically grew up on this sofa.. scratched marks, spills and shifted foams... no longer a pleasing sight to look at. it was left out at the porch while a brand new purchase took it place.  But the owner felt that despite that, it can be restored, reupholstered and put to use again as a second sofa in the house.  Here's the transformation...  The leather had peeled, exposing the fibre ply underneath.  The foam around the frames, esp

WOW, last post back in 2017! I almost forgotten about this blog and I am not sure if anyone even visit here anymore.  Over the years, we have moved on to FB and Instagram. But there's still something more nostalgic about this. Its like a personal journal, allowing me to capture each project and detailing the progress of our reupholstery journey.  We had over the past 20 years reupholstered so many different sofas, armchairs, beds, headboards..... the list goes on.. taking pride in each project and knowing that this is also our small contribution to saving the environment and keeping it Green.  The job may be mundane --stripping off old covers, re stuffing with new foams, putting on new covers, giving it a new look. But the results are definitely rewarding. We gave a new lease of life to otherwise old and discard upholstery. Many a times, our clients were shocked and surprised with the changes we had made to their old sofas and chairs. And because of this, they had keep com