The very concept of reupholstery is of course to repurpose a piece of furniture and to give it a new life. Rather than throw out a sofa or chair once the covering is worn or the springs are gone, we encourage customers to talk to us about refreshing, renewing and reusing the piece, in order to get many more years enjoyment from it.

Springs, padding and frames can be restored, and we also often re-furbish woodwork in our workshop. As you can see in our Before & After Gallery, even very worn pieces can come back to life and avoid the landfill.

We are also huge supporters of furniture and furnishings that stand the test of time rather than being disposable items.

At Living Room we are committed to an ongoing programme to include sustainable and environmentally friendly products and practices across the business. We are constantly looking for ways to improve, learn, and up-skill in this area. Some of the things we are doing already include:

  • Returning suitable old foam back to the manufacturer to recycle into new foam products.

  • Recycling glass, plastics 1, 2 & 5, soft plastic packaging and cardboard.

  • Recycling battery & e-waste through the Sustainability Trust.

  • Delivering pre-loved curtains and curtain tracks to the Sustainability Trust for repurposing.

  • Ensuring left-over fabric is returned to the customer.

  • Promoting the use of sustainable and renewable products in our padding, fill and cushion inners, such as wool. See more here.

  • Sourcing fabrics made from recycled material.

  • Looking for suppliers with environmentally friendly policies and taking the time to research the technical specs of the fabric we supply to check eco standards.

  • Using recycled paper bags for our workshop packaging.

  • We are active members of Zealandia's Sanctuary to Sea pilot programme, and are connected with Predator Free Wellington. We are involved in rat-trapping and providing habitat hotels for weta in our area, and are conscious of looking after the waterways and biodiversity around our premises (Kaiwharawhara stream, Trelissick Park).

  • We are working toward becoming a paperless workplace.

We see our Sustainability programme as a constant work in progress and are grateful to our team members who are passionately working on it and coming up with new initiatives. We aim to add to this list regularly.

Page updated: 16 June 2023