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Howard's Custom Upholstery Family owned and operated, Howard's Custom Upholstery has been serving Orange County since 1976. We specialize in luxury furniture upholstery and the construction of custom built or bespoke furniture. We pride ourselves on the quality of our work and our emphasis on customer satisfaction. Once you visit our shop and speak to our staff, you will agree that Howard's is the best in the industry!

We believe that furniture should be a long-term investment and a legacy from one generation to the next. Howard's has worked diligently to build a strong reputation within the furniture industry and our community.
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Howard's Custom Upholstery was founded in 1976 by longtime friends George Howard & Lee Marble. They established the business in South Orange County when the area was in the midst of a great expansion. Today, more than forty years later, we continue to operate at the same Mission Viejo location in the Alicia Business Center.
Do you have a piece of furniture that you absolutely love? Whether it is a favorite sofa, chair or family heirloom, quality custom upholstery allows you to keep your valued pieces while adding your own personal style. Make an appointment and schedule some time with our in-house designer who can help with fabric selection and assist you with your overall design.
We also value the help of local high school and community college students for workshop and office positions and will work around your school hours. Workshop duties include picking up & delivering furniture, along with stripping/removing fabric and keeping the shop clean. We also have office positions.
Is it better to reupholster or to buy new? In answering this question, you must consider several things: how much do you like your current piece of furniture? Does it fit, look, or sit just the way you like? If you are very fond of your piece, then reupholstery is probably the best option. It allows you to renew your valued piece of furniture, keeping and updating those characteristics that you have grown to love.
Reviews (24)
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Karen W.
Jun 23, 2022
Tavi and Elaine and everyone at Howard's Custom Upholstery is in the top of their class! I just received back several pieces of furniture that I have had for years, reupholstered with precision by them, and this has transformed my home! Stunning is the word that comes to mind! The color choices, the complimentary patterns and textures, the detail to matching the pattern through the entire piece, took great attention to detail. If you want the best design, service and workmanship, Howard's Custom Upholstery is your spot! Thank you Tavi and Elaine so much for your beautiful work!
Niecie L.
Mar 11, 2022
Reupholstering can be pricey but if you have good, we'll made pieces, better to reupholster than replace them with junk. We have had barstools reupholstered here and an ottoman. Howard & Nancy (?) are knowledgeable and helpful about the fabrics. Lots to choose from at their shop!
Bj M.
Jan 15, 2022
Cannot say enough good things about this company - Expert, Professional, Highly Skilled, and Honest. The owner, Tavi, has high standards, and his staff does absolutely beautiful work. There may be other skilled upholstery companies out there (possibly;o), but Howard's also has the wonderful Elaine, an added bonus. Many upholsters these days expect you to have your own decorator to spec the fabric selection ahead of time, and they just do the installation. Howard's has Elaine on staff.

She helps individuals as well as decorators at no charge find the perfect fabric. Describe what you are thinking of and she can pull just the right fabric books and turn to the relevant pages in an instant. She is amazing! Found this company years ago, when Angie's List was still an unbiased consumer-driven review site (now a paid advertising site). And, every time I go back there, am impressed all over again.
Richard S.
Dec 30, 2021
I've had several pieces of furniture reupholstered at Howard's. Tavi and Elaine have always been very professional, kind, honest, and thorough with each piece they have completed. They stand behind their craftsmanship and each piece was completed before the time they had estimated. I am very fortunate to have found them and I will never go anywhere else for my upholstery needs. (5 stars)
Patty W.
Aug 17, 2021
The owner - Mr. "no can do" was rude and unhelpful. Why anyone would talk to a potential customer like he spoke to me is incomprehensible. I will take my business elsewhere!
Blair S.
Aug 09, 2021
We recently had our living room furniture reupholstered and everyone was so kind and professional. The quality was superb and the timing was efficient. We previously had our dining room chairs redone. We highly recommend them!
Jess M.
Jul 28, 2021
Just picked up our reupholstered vintage Mcguire chair. Howard's did a fantastic job. Real craftsman. Thank you for sprucing up our treasured furniture.
Meredith T.
Jul 23, 2021
After looking at many fabric books, I went to Howard's where Elaine pulled out exactly what I was looking for. She checked right then to make sure material was available. Tavi, the owner, then came to my house to determine how much material I needed for each piece. After fabrics arrived, Howard's picked up my furniture and reupholstered 2 chairs and ottomans.

They also made decorative pillows for loveseats. The items were finished before scheduled. The workmanship is outstanding! I highly recommend Howard's Custom Upholstery!
Jeff L.
Jun 03, 2021
Absolutely excellent workmanship! Had a last minute/rush order issue. While they were busy they were still able to accommodate the order and ended up finishing a day earlier. Will definitely be using their services again.
Jonathan C.
May 03, 2021
[This is written by my wife.] We have been going to Howard's Upholstery for about 20 years now; in fact, every piece of upholstered furniture in our house was done by Howard's, including two sofas (we still use both of them) and a storage bench that they built from scratch. Working with Howard's has been one of my great joys. Elaine and Tavi have been wonderful to us, and in particular, Elaine has been a full collaborator in helping me realize my design concepts.

Since the very first piece of furniture we brought to them--a small chair that we covered in a beautiful black tapestry woven with birds and flowers--Elaine has shared my joy in these projects and has offered wonderful advice. I have learned to trust her judgment when she says that a seat will be too high, or the pitch of a sofa back will be too steep, or the color of a complementary fabric too pink.

She just has a good eye and many years of experience. She also is a wizard with placing and cutting fabric to show a pattern to the best advantage. A couple of times I have brought in a roll of fabric with insufficient yardage to cover the whole piece. No problem: Elaine figures out how to cut the pattern so that you would never see the insufficiency.

In one case, she sent me to the fabric showroom to pick out a complementary fabric to fill out the back and sides of a sofa they were making for me. With Elaine's expert cutting of the patterned fabric and the complementary fabric I picked to go with it, the sofa turned out much more beautifully than it would have if I had had enough fabric to begin with.

In addition to her wealth of experience and good judgment, Elaine works to save us money on these projects. She and Tavi and their absolutely super craftspeople do their best to make my projects the most beautiful, comfortable, and practical they can be. Working with them has been a complete pleasure. My only regret is that I don't have more furniture to bring to them!
Liz B.
Jan 21, 2021
Our sofa, loveseat and dining chairs, circa 1990, were worth keeping, but very much in need of a "professional makeover." We looked for an upholstery business dedicated to quality work, and were absolutely delighted to discover Howard's Custom Upholstery in Mission Viejo. Tavy Guzman has decades of experience and a deep knowledge about furniture; he listened to our requests and thoroughly explained the process and materials. Elaine Roberts assisted with fabric selection as well as design, and she recommended updates that modernized our pieces.

Communication throughout the project was excellent. Due to the pandemic and holidays, the wait time was a couple of months, but once the pieces were in the shop, work progressed quickly. The wait was so worth it! Tavy, Elaine and their skilled team did an exceptional job, and the workmanship and attention to detail is evident. We love the results and look forward to enjoying our furniture for another 30 years. Bottom line: Howard's Custom Upholstery does outstanding work - we highly recommend!
Bob S.
Jun 05, 2020
We had two low bar swivel chairs in need of custom recovering in black vinyl. My wife called Howard's and spoke with Elaine. She expressed her confidence in handling the job and asked that we bring one chair to their store for an estimate. Elaine and Tavy described the work to be done, showed me the material they would use and offered an acceptable estimate.

The chairs are now back in our family room and looking better than ever. I compliment Elaine and Tavy for the great job they did and for the professional manner in which they handled it from start to finish.
Debbie L.
Mar 01, 2020
Eileen provided me with a quote to recover 7 patio seat cushions and 2 patio lounge chair cushions for $1,722. Per her request I sent her photos of the cushions and the dimensions. Eileen told me the fabric on the cushions is no longer available; and she told me it would take 1 yard of fabric for each seat cushion at the discounted price of $36 per yard.

I thought the price was high so I began researching the fabric online. I purchased the exact same fabric on my old cushions from Amazon.com for $29.95 per yard, and I was able to make 2 seat cushions with 1 yard of fabric. I am saving $1,341 by making the cushions myself and getting exactly what I wanted. I don't appreciate being lied to. I would have given Howard's a no star rating, but it wouldn't let me. I won't be doing business with this company in the future.
Trish C.
Jan 22, 2020
My husband and I went to Howard's to have the top of a large vinyl ottoman replaced. Elaine suggested that we reupholster the top in a fabric rather than vinyl. We were leery as we are red wine drinkers and place our wine glasses on a tray on the ottoman. At that point Elaine suggested that we cover it in Sunbrella fabric. We found Sunbrella fabric that matched the bottom of the ottoman. Elaine ordered a sample so we could give it the spilled red wine test.

It passed with flying colors. The wine beaded up and wiped up easily after leaving it many hours. We picked up the ottoman top today. We LOVE it. The workmanship is perfect and the customer service excellent!
Jill B.
Jan 22, 2020
I googled any upholstery shop option near my house for a broken zipper on my chaise cushion. Howard's was the first one I called. And I believe his name was Tom who answered the phone, he was very friendly and up front on the price and had me bring it in right away. Elaine was also there helping me. They were both the nicest people and fixed my cushion quickly. I'm hoping nothing happens tO my couch again but if it does I will for sure come back there. Thank you both. Quick turnaround and wonderful customer service.
Karen K.
Dec 08, 2019
My foster puppy chewed the cushion seat in an expensive dining room chair. I took it to Howard's and they happened to have remnant pieces of a perfect fabric that they didn't even charge me for! The labor price was reasonable and they completed two chairs in 2-3 days. They are really nice people too. Great experience.
Theresa R.
Dec 08, 2019
What a pleasant surprise to find such down-to-earth, sincere, helpful people as the folks at Howard's. Installed the best new foam perfectly in our couch's cushions and it feels better than new. Couldn't be happier. Thank You
Lisa L.
Nov 28, 2019
Excellent customer service! I had no idea what direction I wanted to go with color and fabric for my window seat in my kitchen. Elaine was spot on and made the decision easy and stress-free. Within budget and in time for Thanksgiving dinner, I am now enjoying the perfect window seat! Thanks Howard's Custom Upholstery! I will definitely return!
Jake Caldwell
Nov 16, 2019
I was having trouble getting any upholstery place to even respond to my inquiries when I called Howard's and got a quick, professional, friendly response with a reasonable quote within an hour. Everything went smoothly. Very quick turnaround. Great quality work. I couldn't ask for more and will be recommending them to others.
Arne L.
Sep 22, 2019
My wife and I, through recommendations of others, went to Howard's Custom Upholstery to inquire about getting two old, twin chairs (with old burgundy fabric) reupholstered for our bedroom. (See photos below) We looked to replace these chairs but one cannot find the quality out there that matches the quality of these chairs, as with so much new furniture today.) We spoke to Elaine and she was PHENOMENAL!

She gave us great, personal attention and service in selecting a fabric and informed us about their reupholstering process. (They ONLY do very high quality work.work that only reflects the highest craftsmanship.) For a small fee, they picked up our chairs and delivered them once completed. My wife and I couldn't be happier or more impressed with the BEAUTIFUL work that Howard's did. (See the "before" and "after" photos below.

The newly-reupholstered chairs are have a beautiful light, soft, exquisite pattern and add the beauty to our bedroom now that we wanted! We highly recommend Howard's Custom Reupholstery to others! Thank you Elaine!
Leanne F.
Aug 08, 2019
This place is amazing! I walked in with an antique chair seat and told them I want to have it recovered. I was shown beautiful fabrics an was given a great price to recover an to reattach the seat. The new padding, fabric an piping was done beautifully. It looks like a job that would cost hundreds of dollars. The job was done in a little under a week. I'm so impressed I've been telling everyone about Howard's.
Tracy Cochran
May 04, 2018
I called for advice on reupholstering my sofa and the person I spoke with was very helpful. Excellent customer service.
April C.
Mar 15, 2017
If you need any upholstered item fixed or created, this is the place to go! Huge selection of fabric! I walked in with a few photos of a window seat and hey worked with my measurements to create a perfect seat. Since it's in a window, they suggested sunbrella fabric to resist fading. It was ready when promised and fits perfectly! Thanks Elaine!
Donna Mc Clay
Nov 11, 2015
Really appreciate the care the staff at Howard's Custom Upholstery took in re-covering 6 pieces for me. The filling used in the seats of my love seat, Queen Anne chair, ottoman and 3 other chairs still holds up after 10 years! Took great care in placing the patterns so that they did not detract from the beauty of the fabrics I chose. Efficient, professional and reasonably priced. No reservation in recommending them!