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These pieces are never going to anywhere close to modern. The way to get the calmest look would be to upholster everything in one color. Olive green sounds like a good choice. You might ask the upholster if the back could be simplified into one piece, instead of trimmed with those padded ruffley border things.

I would reupholster without all the tufting in a creamy beige solid colour.

Just want to add the picture below which is very nice with a modern feel posted by @housegal200

Reupholstering these will cost alot and will still fail to be the calm modern aesthetic you prefer. Might be time to let go or you need to lean into their style.

why not sell them as is to someone who'd appreciate the style and buy what you want?

Duplicate post

These designs are so very stylized there is nothing that can be done to modernize them.

They are not a blank canvas. Additionally, it will cost more to reupholster than they are worth.

There is nothing about that sofa that suggests a minimal, modern vibe. If you replaced all the of the upholstery with a plain neutral color (no button back) it would tone down some of the rococo look, but if you keep the back, you're probably not going to be able to match the color, leaving you with a two-tone, button back sofa with opulent curves and ornate carvings.

modernize antique couch - Google Search · More Info

Notice modern lamp, black and white art:

This is an Anthropolgie settee:

Omforme Designs in MN does this kind do transformation - taking antiques and giving them a modern twist. Here are a few examples to give you an idea. If you want to keep the current olive green, I would pick a bold color to contrast, maybe hot pink or a bold pattern?

Redoing only the cushions will result in a very disjointed look, given the trim around the back so you’ll have 3 different fabrics. Now imagine the wood painted. If anything, suggest all the floral fabric be replaced and leave the wood as is. Be sure the overall cost is worth it.

Okay, you have two posts going at the same time. First one, you received 12 responses. This post has 12 responses. How can you expect to arrive at a consensus about what is the best solution for your dilemma? One dilemma; one post.

I advise against painting the wood. I had a vintage chair and began painting the wood on it and it was a big mistake. It’s very difficult to get it to work well. The Wood works much better generally.

Thank you @judygraham so that no other Commentors waste their time on this posting when OP doesn't care for the first round of suggestions.

That's certainly a unique set of furniture. I don't think there's any way to make it look 'modern' but you can definitely update it by making a few changes that will be determined by how much money you have to spend on this project. I'm going to follow-up on the advice that Maureen gave you, and you are definitley on the right path about replacing the floral fabric. If you have enough $ then you can consider having the upholstery entirely redone, eliminating the tufting as shown in several photos above, but if that's not in your budget here's another way to update these two pieces:

1. Don't paint the wood.

2. Remove as much of the floral patterned fabric as possible. That will probably be fairly easy on the seat cushions but may be more difficult on the lower shelf below the seat cushions and the curved trim at the top of the sofa. If you can remove the floral fabric from those two parts then that would be best, but if not then at least remove the fabric from the seat cushions.

3. Try to find the same fabric (in the same color family) as the solid color parts of both sofa and chair. If you can't find the identical color then get it a shade DARKER than what is CURRENTLY on the front of the sofa and chair. Recover the seat cushions. Your furniture will then be solid color with no pattern (or just an accent strip at the top and under the seat cushions) and your current throw pillows will still work well. If you want to change things up, consider buying light colored throw pillows for the warm Spring and Summer months (perhaps like the off-white/creamy color in the rug) and then use the current pillows for colder weather. With the fabric that was removed from the seats consider having a small narrow rectangular throw pillow made for use with the side chair during colder weather.

4. The rug on the floor is very nice. A sofa and chair set that is all (or mostly all) a solid color will look more modern with that patterned rug.

How funky! I don't think this will be an economical project but you will certainly end up with a unique look!

You can definitely use your sofa set in a modern type of setting.

Here are some visuals with your general sofa style. I created an AI prompt that simply said:

“Antique style sofa in modern room.”

Your sofa style was ALL that AI would give me - back to back - same thing.

I suggest velvet for the seat cushions and trim. Either same or similar olive color as your tufted backs - or a darker green shade. Or a plum or gold. Definitely velvet for any of these colors. And velvet would possibly also work for any other color you might alternatively choose.

OP is keeping existing backs. Just changing seat cushions, etc.

Also, @Hiba H : I suggest leaving the wood as is. Don’t paint it.

@Judy Graham . Thank you for pointing that out! You’re right, having two posts can be confusing.
I actually tried to delete the previous post but couldn’t find the option.
The reason I posted again is that I didn’t get the advice I was looking for earlier, and I wanted to provide more details this time.
I’ll make sure to keep everything in one thread moving forward. Really appreciate all the helpful input so far!

@jayapple21 . Thank you so much for taking the time to share all these ideas!
Every point you mentioned is super helpful and gave me a lot to think about.
I really appreciate the effort, it’s exactly the kind of advice I needed🙏

@freedomplace1. Thank you so much for these detailed suggestions! Velvet sounds like a great idea, and I love the color options you mentioned, especially the idea of a darker green or plum for a rich, elegant look. Really appreciate your input!

My pleasure!

If a insert into a modern space then that needs to be upholstered in one fabric for the whole thing , NO painting the frame and velvet would be awesome . I often trhow in a very odd piece in a modern space but it needs to be as simple as possble to pull off . Be prepared for huge bill for upholstery and not only that but finding someone who can do this will aslo be tricky.

It's hard to imagine anything that will make these pieces look more modern. Having them reupholstered won't do it - not with all the wood detailing and it will cost you a small fortune. If modern is what you want will suggest that you move these pieces elsewhere in your home and buy pieces that are modern in look.

If you're keeping the top section of the sofa back with the print fabric, I would suggest you pick one of the colours in that print. One seems to be a coral so a velvet in that colour could be interesting.

I think this will be challenging, especially if done on a budget. Updating these sofas will take creativity and will also be heavily dependent on the rest of the space. I have seen this style done in monotones, including the wood, and really liked the look. How it works in your space will depend on what else you have going on. Can you post more photos of the room?

Is there a particular attachment to these sofas? Are they family heirlooms?

Just to give everyone a bit more context:
This sofa set is a full set that seats 11 people, two large pieces like the one in the photo, two chairs, and one medium-sized piece.
We bought it years ago for a significant amount, but now if we try to sell it, the offers are very low.
So, we thought about keeping it and adding a modern touch instead of replacing it completely.

We still love a classic style, but with simpler, modern updates, not as ornate or busy as it is now.
Especially the floral fabric, which we really want to remove.
Thank you all for your ideas—they’ve been so helpful in figuring out the best way to refresh it!

Lovely pieces and you can certainly make these work…I have heard of painting fabric on vintage pieces. That would be my last choice though…

https://www.thisoldhouse.com/painting/22923973/how-to-paint-fabric-furniture#:~:text=Apply thin, even coats of,all the nooks and crannies.