Ideas & Inspiration
Here are some of the projects I've worked on
Art Deco Dining Chairs
Leather & Oak - a perfect combination
These beautiful panel back oak dining chairs needed a lot of love and attention. After cleaning and patching up the veneer I decided that creating new genuine leather seat pads was the way to go in keeping with the utilitarian look and feel. Reupholstered using traditional methods, they now look back to their former glory.
Traditional Techniques
Edwardian Salon chair
A stitched stuff over Edwardian salon chair finished in Linwood Coniston fabric. The braid was chosen to highlight the colour of the tree motif on the material.
Mid-century reimagined
Velvet bedroom chair
Plump and fabulous, this cocktail chair has gone from green to gorgeous. Hard to capture how beautiful the velvet is but you can see a close up in the next image.
It’s All in the Details
Edge Piping
Close up of the cotton velvet fabric I used on a couple of 1950's cocktail chairs. Slippery fabric so the piped edges were quite challenging. Finished chairs are on my instagram feed.
Feather Scatter Cushions
Arts & Crafts design
Beautiful symmetry in patterned fabric looks great when centred on cushions and chair seats and backs. This Morris & Co weave has a luxurious sheen to it and the petrol background colour means the accent colours really stand out. I've teamed it with a Prestigious Fabrics satin in "Gilt"
Danish mid-century style dining chairs
Scandi fabric for Danish-style chairs
These chairs came to me in a bit of a sorry state - the black faux leather covers were cracked and peeling but the frames are beautifully grained solid oak. I used Stoff & Stil woven oilcloth in 4 colourways but brought them together as a set using the same dark red contrast piping.
Parker Knoll
Rescue chair!
This beautiful solid beech Parker Knoll chair was left out on the street, destined for landfill. Frame has been sanded, stained in “walnut” and polished. My client chose Nina Campbell “Rushlake” fabric for the cover and the whole chair has been completely reupholstered and a thicker and firmer seat pad created for the cushion. So happy that this chair will live on for a few more years!
Howard Keith "Bambino" chair
Mustard Velvet perfection
Clarke & Clarke supplied the velvet fabric in this full reupholstery on an iconic chair design - it's called Alvar and the colour is "Honey"
Bench Cushions
Your style, my expertise to get your unique look
These cushions were commissioned by my client who wanted something to reflect the colour scheme in her kitchen, but also to make the solid oak benches around her table more comfortable. After sourcing samples, she chose a beautiful chenille fabric from Linwood - Hi Ho Silver in "Campfire". The insides are 2 inch seating foam, wadded, and stiched inside a calico case. The piping runs around the top and bottom panels and each cushion has four ties with velcro to ensure it sits snugly on the bench without sliding around.
Seat pads
Turn a hard seat into something comfy, stylish and practical
My client had been struggling during lockdown with hours spent working while seated on her hardwood dining chairs. She asked me to make her some seat pads that would provide comfort and harmonise with her kitchen diner decor. We looked at many samples and settled on this lovely Voyage Maison Enso fabric in Violet. As the fabric has a light background, the covers needed to be removable and washable, so all seams are overlocked and covers have a zip at the back.
Ligne Roset Armchairs
Modern chairs + geometric cut velvet = Art Deco club chair "look"
I was lucky enough to work with a client with a fantastic eye for fabric. She chose this amazing cut velvet by Designer's Guild for her chairs and they look incredible. The scatters are also Designers Guild Vincenza velvet and match the gold thread in the main fabric perfectly - opulent and stunning. This project showcases how the look of a piece can be really changed just with a recover.
Mid-century Ercol classic
Boucle!
The lines of this chair are just lovely. It's a really early Ercol, dating from between 1953 and 1955 - it has tension springs rather than webbing which the later models have so this is why we can date so precisely. I was lucky to be working with a client who wanted to recreate an authentic look so we went for this wool boucle in pea green - it was really nice fabric to work with. The frame has been lightened to get it back to the blonde wood rather than the original dark stain. The cushion is fashioned from the original fabric which I found when I stripped off the cover.