The decision to reupholster a piece of furniture is often a difficult one. Particularly since reupholstering can sometimes cost more than buying new furniture. A large part of that cost typically goes towards paying for the fabric, which is often marked up significantly if you are dealing with an intermediary who then subcontracts the work. Having said that, if you live in Chicago and have an antique piece of furniture that you want to bring new life to, consider using: Felipe’s Upholstery @ 4111 W North Ave., Chicago, IL, 60639, 773-252-3110. They recently reupholstered two wingback as well as six dining room chairs and did a FABULOUS job. Thus, DO NOT do what I did and go through unscrupulous intermediaries who shall remain unnamed and unlinked — go directly to the people that actually do the work. However, before you do that, go to a fabric store like Hancock Fabrics and order upholstery grade fabric that you want used on the furniture. If you are not sure how much fabric you’ll need, check out this website which offers guidelines. Also, check out Jennis Fabrics online which has an “interactive showroom where you can click on a swatch and see how it looks on both a chair and a sofa.” Then you will not have to pay ridiculous market up prices like those that I did. While I love my newly reupholstered furniture, this month long experience has been a lesson learnt. A painful one at that.