Save your furniture! Older furniture has character and class and history! I am always an advocate of keeping the old...just freshen it up! Decide what type of new look you want: modern, contemporary, shabby chic, French country, retro, the possibilities are endless... Then go shopping for your fabric. If you feel like the lines or style of your sofa won\'t go with the new design ideas you have planned, just remember that fabric changes everything. The style and color of the fabric are always the most important when creating a cohesive room. Plus, when you put a modern fabric on a traditional wing chair, that\'s when you\'ll acheive that truly unique and ecclectic look. As far as price is concerned, reupholstery tends to be less expensive than buying all new furniture if the pieces that you want to upholster are high quality. If you are wanting to reupholstery cheaper made furniture that is lower in quality, it probably isn\'t worth recovering because you can most likely replace it with something new for less money than it would cost to recover. We have some great upholstery workrooms that we use that do a great job and are reasonably priced, just give us a call to get their info.

Hi Renata, Great question, this is something I dealt with after purchasing my first home during college. It was in need of major work, and we planned either to sell it soon, or rent it out. In my opinoin, basic cosmetic work will always bring a return in a sale, or a rental situation. If renting the home, you can command a higher price, and secure a tenant much quicker. For either situation, here is what I would do, in order of priority: 1. Kitchen Cabinets- This will give you the most bang for your buck. An entire new cabinet system would probably not be the best solution. Painting your cabinets would be the way to go (I am assuming they are stained wood?) Painted cabinets have always been in style, and if done right look great. White is typically the color used, but that does not have to be the case. Make sure the cabinet doors are removed when painting, dont have them painted in place. Be sure to replace your hinges with new ones and dont try to reuse the old ones, this finishes the look. Go with some new knobs/pulls as well. In some cases, add a larger, more substancial crown molding to the top edge. Depending on your door style, try to find a couple of glass doors to break up the look. 2. Flooring- This may eat into your budget but is important, especially if you have a dated, unattractive floor. High on my list of common kitchen floors that must go are 1. Linoleum 2. Large white\'ish\' ceramic tile with a broad dirty grout line. A wood floor looks great in a kitchen. Wood in a kitchen scares off most people, but in my opinion, it\'s worth the possible risk. There are a lot of great stones that can be used. Try to think outside of the box, and avoid travertine. It is overused, and too common. Find something unique that gives your kitchen character. Possibly install it in a diagonal pattern, or an offset brick pattern, for a more custom look. 3. Front Door- Nothing gives a first impression like a great door. Unfortunatey that great door does not come cheap. There is not really a way around finding a great priced door that looks good. I think go with my advice on the cabinets on this one. Pick a unique, but sophisticated color. Dont go overboard. For some charm, add a knocker to the door. 4. Appliances- An agent may be able to advise you better on the R.O.I for appliances. They do look great in a new kitchen. A buyer may already have appliances, or want to get their own to suit their needs. Dont worry too much about this. But again, I am a designer, not an appraiser. 5. Windows- Save your money, hire a good window cleaner, and throw out any ugly blinds! If the windows are truly ugly, have some shades made and cover them up. You can easily put basic custom shades on all windows in an average 3bdrm home for under $2K (we did it last week)....much cheaper than a $10K plus window replacement.