Soft Seating for Students

Sofa Swap at Sierra Madre

Last summer, Residential Operations staff made an effort to replace damaged furniture in anticipation of residents returning to campus in Fall 2021. Our staff discovered that 70 of the sofas in Sierra Madre Villages were showing signs of damage, specifically the "pleather" fabric was experiencing significant peeling and tearing. Typically, soft furniture should last up to ten years, but these sofas were already in poor condition after five to six years.  

Residential Operations contacted DCI Furniture, who has been one of our primary vendors for bedroom furniture, and decided to try their lounge furniture. A simple, modern sofa design was selected, and most importantly a new, durable fabric that can be easily cleaned. Not only was DCI able to commit to delivery by mid-September, but DCI is also a sustainable furniture company with a furniture recycling program. When the new sofas were delivered, DCI took the damaged sofas back to their warehouse for refurbishment. DCI was so pleased with the project, they even featured UCSB in a company article!

Residential Operations staff were so impressed with the Sierra Madre sofa project that moving forward we will be partnering with DCI and SFI Furniture (our other residence hall furniture vendor) on our soft furniture purchases. Both companies use sustainable materials and will recycle our old furniture to be repurposed for lower-income communities. A win-win for everyone!

   Before (left) and after (right).