The variety of sofas presented in stores allows you to always choose the look you need in terms of color, functionality and type of construction. But not always finances allow you to buy your favorite model. For lovers of carpentry, we offer options for making sofas with your own hands.
Sofa as a piece of furniture
It is difficult to imagine at least one housing with the absence of such a type of furniture as a sofa in its interior. Their functions depend on the design of a certain type. Strict leather sofas will perfectly fit into the atmosphere of an office or office, soft frameless bean bags will be a great addition to a nursery or bedroom. Various types of folding sofas allow, if necessary, to organize an extra bed, and a drawer inside such a sofa will accommodate bed linen or other things.
The street version of the sofa is usually installed under the roof of the gazebo, or made in the form of a swing under a canopy. In this case, a waterproof fabric must be used to make the soft seat.
The appearance of the sofa, the color and texture of the upholstery fabric allow you to correctly fithim to the interior of the room. You can add functional elements: a table in the side or a pull-out tray. In order to understand how to make a sofa with your own hands, you need to understand the design of the option you like.
Sofa Design Styles
You need to choose the design of the sofa, based on the design features of the room in which it is supposed to be located. Consider several stylistic options for making sofas:
- Renaissance sofa. A distinctive feature of this type of furniture is its luxurious appearance, the use of only natural and expensive materials in the manufacture. When decorating furniture, chic, rare fabrics are used, decorative elements in the form of stones and gilding are an integral part of the design. The shape of the sofa should be rounded, concise, carved legs and inserts in the armrests emphasize the curves of the body.
- Sofa in the style of minimalism. Such sofas have a clear geometric shape. The color of the fabric for upholstery is plain, without texture and patterns. No decor elements.
- Hi-tech sofa. A distinctive feature of the high-tech sofa is its functionality: built-in control panels for appliances, retractable structures and landing settings. Such sofas are very difficult to make with your own hands. You can only pass the appearance.
- Sofa in eco-style. The concept of environmental friendliness implies the use of only natural natural materials. They can be solid wood, stone or coarse natural fabrics. Recently, wicker furniture has become popular.
- Mediterranean style sofa. This category includes simple, classic sofas, the upholstery material of which should fit in color and pattern with the interior. As a rule, different shades of blue and cyan are used.
Sofa mechanisms
To transform a sofa into a bed, special mechanisms of furniture fittings are used, which facilitate the transformation process. Share several types of design solutions for sliding sofas:
- Dolphin. To transform, you need to pull the fabric handle, an additional block will extend, which is installed on the seat level.
- Click-clack. The backrest reclines to form a single surface.
- Pantograph. The seat of the sofa is slightly pushed forward, and the back is lowered in its place, thus getting a bed.
- Book. The seat is folded up, the backrest is set to a horizontal position, then the seat is also fixed flush with the backrest.
- Drawout. The mechanism consists of three sections. The lower part needs to be pulled towards you, when moving, it will pull the seat section along with it, which, in turn, will put forward an additional base, which is hidden in the space of the backrest.
- Puma. For transformation, you need to pull the seat handles up and towards you. Under the top seat is another soft area. The puma mechanism will perform the whole process itself, the efforts made for the transformation are minimal.
The choice of mechanism for the sofa depends ondesign features of the models. Give preference to better fittings made using durable and reliable materials, otherwise, with constant use, over time, a low-quality mechanism may fail.
Sofa fabric and filler
As a filler for the soft elements of the sofa, we use foam rubber of different thicknesses and synthetic winterizer. Sheathing is made in several layers. To give relief, you can lay out additional segments of this material. After that, the entire surface should be covered with a thinner layer, this is necessary for a smooth transition of levels.
For the exterior, strong and durable types of woven coating are used, which are less prone to abrasion and fading. The fabric should be easy to clean. Do not take a fabric with an embossed pattern, such elements will wipe off in places of most frequent use. Best for sofa upholstery:
- Chenille. The fabric is dense and wear-resistant, rough to the touch. Does not deform under the influence of moisture, does not stretch well, does not wipe off and does not shed.
- Mattling. Durable and coarse fabric, similar to burlap. Has a large weave structure, easy to clean from dirt.
- Velor. Soft material, reminiscent of velvet in structure. Furniture velor is distinguished by its strength and durability.
- Flock. The fabric is very similar to velor, but unlike it, flock is produced in a non-woven way. Scraps of wool or cotton are glued onto the base material in several layers to obtain a densehomogeneous structure.
- Tapestry. Heavy and very dense material, the structure of which consists of several layers of weaves. Offering unparalleled strength and durability, it comes in a variety of woven patterns.
When you cut out the necessary details, make sure that the direction of the pattern is the same on all elements.
Sofa bed made by hand
The first step in making your own sofa will be designing. Make a drawing of the future design of the sofa, indicate the dimensions and decide on the transformation mechanism. Let's take a closer look at how to make a sofa with your own hands using the "book" mechanism.
Prepare the necessary tools and materials:
- jigsaw;
- screwdriver;
- furniture stapler;
- drill;
- corner;
- roulette;
- nails, screws, furniture fittings, furniture bolts;
- foam glue;
- bar 4060 mm;
- board 25200 mm.
- non-woven, foam rubber;
- exterior fabric.
If you have experience with the listed equipment, then you can start making a sofa with your own hands. Step-by-step instructions will help you determine the assembly sequence:
Step 1. First of all, we assemble the frame of parts: a laundry box, back, seat, sidewalls.
Step 2. We sheathe the frame with fiberboard sheets. To maintain the sofa mattress, we install wooden slats.
Step 3. Forwe cut out the details of the armrests from fiberboard, then we make a frame for them from boards and timber.
Step 4. After collecting all the details, we install a mechanism for transformation.
Step 5. We install interlining on the slats, put 60 mm foam rubber on top of it.
Step 6. We install a 40 mm foam rubber roller on the armrests, lay foam rubber 20 mm thick on top. so as to smooth the surface of the armrest.
Step 7. We glue the foam rubber to the base, we cover the armrests with a cloth, we nail an element of furniture fittings to cover the front of the armrest.
Step 8. By the same principle, we fit the seat and back. When making a sofa bed with your own hands, try to use high-quality materials, the foam layer must be sufficient, otherwise the body of the structure will be rigid.
Restoration of an old sofa
If you have a sofa that you feel sorry to part with, but its appearance leaves much to be desired, then you need to restore it, replace the outer upholstery, parts of the frame and decorative elements, after which the piece of furniture will look like new.
Assess the condition of the sofa. If the upholstery fabric is a little worn, then according to the available templates, you need to drag the sofa with your own hands. But what if it is very old? In this case, it is necessary to completely disassemble the structure into parts and replace all parts that have served their purpose. It may be necessary to strengthen the frame or update some of itparts.
After parsing the sofa, you will have ready-made patterns for making new parts. Prepare foam rubber and synthetic winterizer, as well as fabric for upholstery. When preparing patterns, add 1 cm from the edge, so it will be easier to stretch the fabric during sheathing.
Wooden furniture pieces need to be cleaned of old sandpaper. If small cracks or chips appear, then use furniture putty to level the surface. To give wooden elements a certain color, use acrylic or latex paint. If you want to preserve the texture of wood, then varnish the surface. To imitate more expensive types of wood, you can use stain.
If you are dealing with an old antique sofa, then it is better to entrust the upholstery to professionals. Such interior items require a particularly careful attitude. You should not take on work if your knowledge and practical skills are not enough to restore such large items. Pulling a sofa with your own hands is not for everyone. To do the job well, you need accuracy and accuracy. Start practicing on simpler furniture.
Hanging sofa
If you want to bring originality to the interior, then you should think about making a hanging sofa with your own hands. The photo shows a model that can serve as a bed. The manufacture of such a sofa is carried out quickly, since there are no complex structural elements. The frame is made from a board 155 cm, you can take a boardthinner. For structural rigidity, it is necessary to strengthen the frame with transverse jumpers in the form of bars. Close the bottom of the base with a sheet of plywood.
As a soft base, use a regular mattress for a one-and-a-half bed. Frame elements can be covered with foam rubber 2 cm thick and covered with furniture fabric. From the same fabric, sew a mattress cover and pillowcases. You can leave the wooden elements open. Then you need to carefully sand the surface, then cover it with varnish or stain.
Use the ring screws to hang the bed. Take strong screws of the right size. Screw them into the frame of the sofa and at the fixing points on the ceiling. Attach a chain or rope to the rings. Another option is to fasten with protruding wooden elements. To do this, simply tie a rope around a board or beam.
Hanging sofa bed is not only an original way to decorate the interior, but also the organization of an extra bed. The smooth rocking of the sofa will allow you to relax and take a break from the external fuss.
Corner sofa
Making a corner sofa with your own hands is carried out according to the same principle as a book sofa. A distinctive feature will be the transformation mechanism, if it is planned to manufacture a folding version. For corner sofas, the dolphin mechanism is most often used.
We assemble the frame of the sofa from boards and beams of a suitable size, sheathe it with fiberboard or plywood. The structural part must include the installation of the mechanismfor transformation and a mechanism for a drawer with linen. See the description of assembling the sofa with your own hands in the instructions.
For the outer skin of open frame elements, we use foam rubber 1-1.5 cm thick, we fasten the fabric on top with a furniture stapler. We sew covers for armrests and seats, we attach a thicker layer of foam rubber (5-6 cm) to the frame. All corners of the frame must be smoothed with foam rubber. Making a sofa with your own hands at home will require jewelry precision from you. You need to make allowances on the fabric and foam rubber to mask all the unsightly places of the frame.
In the side of the sofa, instead of the armrest, you can make a retractable structure that will play the role of a table. It is not difficult to do this, it is enough to build an additional body of the retractable element from plywood and install the guides for the retractable mechanism.
How to make a corner sofa with your own hands so that it looks like a purchased one? To do this, it is necessary to observe accuracy and accuracy. Be careful when cutting parts, and also check the location of the frame elements with a level.
Creating a frameless sofa with our own hands
The production of frameless furniture has only recently begun, despite this, such interior items have already reached a considerable level of popularity. Many owners of frameless pieces of furniture speak positively about performance and ease of use. Thanks to the special filler,the sofa is able to take the shape of the human body.
In order to sew a sofa with your own hands, you need fabric for the filler, fabric for the cover, the filler itself. The shape of a frameless sofa does not have to be oval, you can make a cover in the form of a seat with armrests and a back. The choice depends on your preferences. Provide a zipper for the sofa cover so that it can be removed and washed if necessary.
Styrofoam balls are used as a filler. This material is lightweight and non-hygroscopic. Due to their structure, the foam balls quickly move into the containers, giving the furniture the desired shape. Do not fill the entire capacity of the bag, leave some space for the filler to move freely.
The sofa-bag will perfectly fit into the interior of the home, decorated in the style of minimalism or high-tech. In this case, the fabric for the sofa should be chosen in a solid color, without a pattern or embossing.
In conclusion
Making a sofa with your own hands at home will allow you not only to save a lot, but also to create a unique design based on your preferences. An exclusive sofa will emphasize and complement the interior of your apartment or country house.
