upholstered – The Interiors Addict

With their designs found in the global offices of Google, Microsoft, Facebook and Instagram and their furniture having graced the sets of movies and TV shows such as Iron Man 3 and HBO’s Girls, Canadian furniture maker Gus* have cemented themselves as leaders in upholstered seating, beds, desks, dining, storage, accents and accessories.

With their new collection soon to be available in Australia, Gus*’ style is simple and unfussy, with a timeless quality that can withstand changing design trends. Taking classic forms that focus on material, detail and craftsmanship and transforming them into contemporary, warm and approachable pieces, Gus*’ range is sure to resonate with the Australian market.

“Canadian and Australian cultures have always seemed similar to me and Australia’s interest in Gus* feels like an extension of that,” explains founder David Podsiadlo. “We don’t take ourselves too seriously, which is a key ingredient to the way we approach our designs. Gus* fits the Australian aesthetic and we are really excited to see the response from consumers.”

Blending elements of Modernism with industrial and Scandinavian influences, the brand focuses on being beautifully crafted, colourful and versatile. “Versatility is a key factor in our design process,” says David. “For example, the ability to have the chaise positioned on the left or right side of a sectional, depending on room layout. We inject elements of fun into our designs. Our Switch Sofa has a different quilted pattern on each side of the cushions, allowing consumers to easily change the look by flipping them. There’s a sense of creativity with the use of colour in the fabrics; bright yellows, oranges and blues to contrast neutral finish options.”

Gus*’ new collection will be stocked exclusively in Australia through GlobeWest and will be launched at Decor+Design in Melbourne this July.

If you haven’t already, you need to know about Comfort Works. They sell slip covers in a huge variety of textiles, colours and patterns, to get your tired sofa looking like new again for a fraction of the cost of replacing it. It’s not only cheap, but great for the environment. And it all happens online (you can order up to eight free swatches).

They supply handmade covers for almost all the IKEA sofas and armchairs as well as a few Pottery Barn ones. Before too long, they promise to offer a custom service too, to suit pretty much any sofa. This appeals to me for so many reasons. I’m fickle, so I love the idea of being able to change up my couch for a few hundreds dollars every couple of years (yes, I know you should buy big items like sofas in neutrals, but we don’t always make the wise decisions). I’m currently loving the trend for velvet lounges and Comfort Works offer a variety of velvets as an option.

It’s also a great solution for those on a budget who might pick up a pre-loved couch on eBay and want to give it an easy makeover before they put it in their home. If you have kids and want to protect your sofa from spills and burp-ups for the next 12 months, here’s your answer! And then there’s the people with a ridiculously lived-in couch that has seen better days but they can’t bear to part with it because it is so comfy, even if it does look sorry for itself.

Last year, I partnered with Comfort Works, which is an Aussie business, to help my friend Amanda make over her sofa (I like to be able to vouch for quality before writing about things like this). She hated the colour of her IKEA lounge but, in the middle of saving for her wedding to Scott (incidentally, I was the MC and it was a stunning day!), couldn’t justify a new one. They were really happy with the result (shown below).

You can see many other people’s transformations on their flickr.

Amanda's new look lounge — Amanda’s new look lounge

“We had bought the IKEA couch during a short period overseas with the intention of selling before we left. We ended up leaving earlier than planned for Scott’s work purposes so the company helped ship everything back to Sydney,” Amanda said. “The blue wasn’t a colour that was going to work with what I planned for the room, and the couch itself was absolutely fine so it seemed a waste to buy a new one when all I had wanted was to change the colour to grey!

“The option to have a cover which was going to fit perfectly was a winner. I was so happy when we got it. The material was strong and durable and the pieces fit each part of the couch like a glove! I couldn’t believe how they had worked out exactly the best way to have the piece fit; elastic in the right spot, velcro here and there. It looked like a professional upholstery job when we were done with it.

“I got to keep the couch but upgrade it. When this one wears out down the track or we change colour schemes, we have the option to replace it again! Brilliant.”

If you’re feeling brave, you might want to try their new addition, a DIY tufting kit which also works on upholstered headboards. You could use this on an existing sofa or in conjunction with a new slip cover.

You probably want to know what the catch is? Hard to say, as international shipping is free (well, refunded in full when you post a photo of your sofa transformation on their Facebook Page, which is smart marketing!), they recently won a Houzz award for great customer service, and you can expect to wait just four to six weeks for your sofa covers (a lot quicker than waiting for a brand new sofa these days!).

Discover Comfort Works for yourself.

Disclosure: Comfort Works provided Amanda’s slip cover free of charge for review purposes. Positive coverage was not guaranteed.