'Brown' furniture - Victorian loveseat

[babybrain77]

Hi all

Looking for tips. I have a beautiful Victorian 'love seat' style mahogany sofa/chair (the legs are mahogany, the seat and back cushion are covered in a pale cream velvet). I bought it whilst living in a Victorian house, and it looked amazing in the bay window.

I've since moved to a modern (1990s) house and am struggling with what to do with it. I have just had a ring around (including to the shop I bought it from) and discovered that 'brown' furniture is completely out of fashion and that I'd be lucky to get a third of what I paid for it.

Since I'm unwilling to sell a piece I really like for so little simply because it's not in fashion, I'd love to find a way to 'modern it up'. I do still have most of my old furniture and have managed to make it work (e.g. by putting a bright country style table cloth over the top of my dark wood dining table, and having my study full of dark wood desk/bureau/shelves) but I'm really struggling for ideas of what to do with the love seat. I'm not completely averse to having it re-upholstered, but it does seem a shame as I got it re-done 3 years ago and it's still in perfect knick.

Does anyone have any inspiration?

If you like it, leave it. You could add some funky fabric or cushions.

Who cares what is "fashionable" , what matters is if you like it. I have seen a lot of old furniture ruined by chalk paint-
Give it a few years and good quality oak and mahogany furniture will be back "in" and everyone will be painting their oak furniture land stuff dark brown.

Agree about waiting a bit. Brown furniture is definitely coming back in to fashion! In the meantime, would some modern cushions and throws do the trick?

A friend of mine stripped the dark varnish off a mahogany chest of drawers, then waxed it. It ended up a paler, pinkish light brown colour. Personally, I thought it was a bit of shame, as that was 100 years of patina gone ... but on the other hand, it does look really nice, and much more modern.

Thanks all, great tips. I have never given two hoots over whether something is in fashion or not, it's more that it looks a bit silly in my modern (rather boxy!) new home. I will try the throws and cushions to see if I can brighten it up a bit :-)

Might be nice in a bedroom.
It's easier to style a bedroom to a particular piece.

Dressing table seat?

@7days that's a good idea - I have a lovely dressing table of the same era. Although baby number 1 arrives in March and DH seems to think my dressing table area is the only space for a changing table

Is it the right size and is there room for it to go at the end of your bed by any chance babybrain a bit like an ottoman?

Don't mind a changing table. I've never seen them get the use, except downstairs in a kitchen/diner. In all other rooms it's sofa/bed/knees with a towel underneath if particularly fancy.