Victorian Cameo Back Sofa

Sweet but Under Appreciated

This was my first ever foray into auctions where I actually bid on a piece - and won. Mine was the winning bid on this Victorian Cameo Back Sofa - in original upholstery. This piece is a little worn out, as you can tell from the pictures - the feet are splitting, her velvet is worn out and breaking down, and she needs a makeover.

The bidding process was the easy part. It was all online, and the moment I saw the single picture of this little sofa, it was all over. I had to have it, so I put in a really low bid of $52. The auction came and went, and I forgot about the bid, thinking that someone else would have won it.

Then the next week, I got a call, saying I had it! I was over the moon. Until I had to crawl through hoops and make a zillion phone calls, just before Christmas, to try and get it delivered, halfway across the Island. No-one phoned me back, of course.

Having paid for the sofa, giving my credit card information over the phone, no less, I was in a bind.

Finally, Hubster came through, roped in a friend with a pickup truck, and drove over to Summerside to pick it up. It was outside the auction house, in the snow and rain, waiting.

They brought it to the front door as that's the best way into the house, and set it down in front of the old fireplace - or where the fireplace used to be.

The Supplies

I already purchased the fabric I'll use - originally, I thought to use denim, but was voted down by the other member of the team - Hubster.

He wanted velvet, which is what's on there now and was original to the sofa, so that's what I got. But. You'll see that there are some other fabrics here also.

Velvet is the typical fabric for this age of furniture, so getting something similar is best - but finding it is another matter.

Eventually I found some with a cotton blend in - of all places - Turkey. They shipped it out and I got it within about ten days. They obviously have a system that works to get it into the country and through customs quickly.

The sea shell design will be on the back of the sofa, unseen until you look. The three dimensional wave design brocade will be in the center 'cameo'.

Hubster didn't go for it, but I think it will look exceptional. I want to keep the original feel, but give it a bit extra.

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There will be some structural integrity issues on the sofa itself which will require some repair, so I don't think adding something colorful to the top of it will alter it's antique value.

I feel that renovating this very old sofa that is in dire need of help will be more of a salvage operation at this point.

The picture above is all I had to go on when I bid on this piece. As soon as I saw it, I just had to have it. Sorry, budget. You're blown.

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I also ordered the webbing, which comes in various sizes. My advice is to double check on the Etsy website, as their dropdown menus can be confusing. Make sure you're getting the appropriate length that you need.

I won't be using the eight tied spring method. I'll use space age materials like memory foam, I won't be altering the structure all that much so if someone in the future decides to go back to the old fashioned ways, they'll be able to.

So, now the hard part begins - the actual upholstering.

I'm doing a lot of research to figure out how to tackle this project - I'm thinking I might just start with the chairs first - oh, did I forget to mention?

There were four occasional chairs to go with it, all with the same carving, and similar construction. I will attempt to tackle one of them, now that all the fabric is assembled.

Stay tuned!