Want to learn some Upholstery Skills…?

If you have always wanted to have a go at the traditional craft of upholstery then why not come and join me for an Upholstery Workshop at The Pig Barn.

The workshops are being held on the 1st & 2nd of May at this beautiful studio space in Stoke Row that has been created by mother and daughter team Sue and Jessica Koomen. The Pig Barn offers all kinds of workshops and they have asked me to do a day course where you can learn how to do a 'pin cushion' seat or a 'stuff over' seat using all the traditional methods and materials. 

All details for booking this are on the Pig Barn website www.thepigbarn.co.uk or contact me directly!

Stripes

A 'happy' chair, seemed appropriate as we emerge from Winter into Spring. The fabric is from Harlequin.

The Henley House & Garden Show

The Henley House & Garden Show is this weekend - 28th February and 1st March 

I have done this chair for a 'home decor fashion show' which will have local sporting heroes and celebrities modelling a variety of pieces of furniture to create a room set. All the money raised is in aid of a multi-sensory room for The Chiltern Centre, a respite centre and 'home-from-home' for disabled children in Henley. 

To Do …

Re upholster one small sofa …

Mid Century Magic

This chair was purchased from the 'Peanut Vendor', a London based shop who specialise in mid century furniture. It has been covered in a silvery grey Sanderson fabric that gives it a fresh clean look, enhancing the shape and line of the show wood. 

Liberty Love

I love Liberty's and its a joy to cover a 19th Century folding chair in their fabric. It was designed in 1887 and is called Mermaid Hera Linen Union and named after the Greek goddess, whose sacred animal was the peacock. 

Laura's Chair

This is a special chair, it was commissioned by a close friend's husband for her 40th birthday.

I like to describe it as a 'country house' chair with the deep buttoned back, the generous seat and the lovely curve at the side. It is the perfect chair to snuggle up in beside the lit stove on a cold winter's evening. 

Happy Birthday Laura. 

Dishevelled Grandeur

I mostly feature images of completed chairs and I have a few 'before & after' pictures that show how a chair can be transformed. However here is a little iron back chair that I feel holds a real beauty in the way it is. There is a charm in its threadbare patchwork appearance, in the unravelling stitching, the perished webbing and the long since springy springs spilling on to the floor. With its glorious faded dustiness and familiar attic smell I bet this chair has many a tale to tell. 

Shimmer Shimmer

The owner of this chair had stripped it down to the frame and taken off the dark polish finish on the show wood. The shimmery fabric looks great against the freshly waxed wood.

The Parker Knoll

The Parker Knoll is a familiar chair to us all. It comes in many different variations and are always comfortable. This pair of chairs are from 1980. 

Kubu Spa

This week I did these two little button back chairs for Kubu Spa in Henley. The chairs are used for the manicure and pedicure treatments. They look fantastic in this beautiful room. 

The fabric is in 'Apple' from the Makeda Plains range by Harlequin. 

Blue Velvet

This August I have had the pleasure of recovering these two armchairs. They are from the 1960s and were bought on ebay and shipped over from Germany. Now they are on their way to the owners seaside retreat in Hastings. 

The fabric is a blue velvet from Linwood. 

1960s Swivel Chair

This chair came to me in rather a sad state, with the original cover on it that had done a pretty good job considering its 50+ years of service! Its now been given a new lease of life covered in this gorgeous mustardy yellow velvet. I have to admit that this was not an easy undertaking as the shape of the chair is quite unforgiving and much of this is hand stitched. 

This chair is very much like the 1962 G-Plan swivel chair, its absolutely of this era but has no deep buttoning allowing this chair a beautiful sweep of taut fabric across the inside back. For the outside back I wanted to further enhance the sculptural qualities of this chair and have wrapped one cut of smooth velvet around the back, the back of the wings and creeping over the edge of the out side arms. 

Floral Fancy

This little chair has been recovered in Weybridge by Sanderson, it is a classic print and the chair looks fantastic.