Number 10 Upholstery » Uncategorised

Decorex 2014

Chris Goodwin — Mon, 13 Oct 2014 13:16:23 +0000

It’s been all go in the upholstery workshop recently especially after
the summer holidays but we managed to have a little trip out to
Decorex 2014 at Syon Park in London.

We try to go each year as it’s an oppurtunity to see the new fabric
trends coming out in the new year and it also gives us the chance to
catch up with fabric manufacturers as well as collecting as many
goodies as possible..Pens, bags, tape measures, magazines, more pens,
more bags….

This year we noted that many manufacturers have got some fantastic
printed velvets and many upholstery chairs on show had a “raw” feel,
with the webbing and tacks being left uncovered. I’m not sure Dorset
is ready for such innovative design concepts just yet…evolution not
revolution!

Paisley Park

Chris Goodwin — Sun, 12 Oct 2014 13:12:03 +0000

Friday nights in Dorset do not get more rock ‘n’ roll than this. We escaped to the border…well the Wiltshire border…and found ourselves just outside Salisbury at the Netherhampton Auction house.

After a chip supper (no fish), we spied a rather interesting Victorian chair. Whilst the chair looked OK, on closer inspection it was very wobbly and would need a to be stripped back to repair the frame joints. After some tough bidding we managed to purchase the chair for thirty guineas.

It is now residing at our off site storage facility (my sisters outbuilding…) waiting to be loved. The paisley top fabric looks original but the design puts the age at Edwardian rather than Victorian, although the legs are definitely Victorian. Hopefully when we do get round to re-upholstering this chair we’ll uncover some more clues.

Cally’s magic pants

Chris Goodwin — Sat, 11 Oct 2014 13:05:54 +0000

This September has seen us take on a rather sorry looking Georgian style chair. It had probably been re-upholstered back in the 1980’s, in a green velvet but the client had discovered that a modern mid century designed day bed she had was covered in a Bute Turnberry herringbone check fabric and she wanted the chair covered in the same material.

We recommended a re-covering service rather than completely re-upholstering as the the chair was integrally sound. Like most jobs when we stripped back the chair we found it wasn’t going to be straight forward and the old flocking needed to be removed and replaced along with a new calico covering to keep everything in place.

Cally quipped that removing the existing top cover was akin to removing your magic pants and everything just goes “ahhhh” and spills over the edge.

Hopefully with the calico now in place the chair will be able to keep its new cover smooth and “muffin top” free.

A-MAZE-ING

Chris Goodwin — Fri, 26 Sep 2014 12:59:11 +0000

Its about time Dave had a little blog spot especially as he’s worked very hard the last
few weeks making us a wooden trough to hold all our rolls of upholstery fabric and hanging more hooks for our ever increasing supply of measuring tapes.

After perusing various books on patterns for different rush designs, he came across a “Maze” weave and promptly decided to try it out on a small stool.

It took 70m….yes that’s 70 metres….of continuous sea grass and anyone who has given weaving a go will appreciate how time consuming it is to complete. So much so that he had to have a lie down….in France…again….

The stool is available to buy for £45 so just contact us if you require further details.

Summer loving

Chris Goodwin — Mon, 01 Sep 2014 12:55:10 +0000

Before we all went on our summer holidays we had a beach themed re-upholstery recovering job to complete for a client. The two Parker Knoll type fireside chairs were originally covered in a patterned blue dralon material and as the client was making a chill out beach style room, complete with painted wooden cladding, they wanted the same vibe for the chairs.

Due to the holidays looming it meant working flat out in the heat. It was the hottest few weeks of the year and it wouldn’t have been a surprise if you caught us in our swimming costumes in the workshop, it was that hot. Funnily enough the beach themed chairs were making us want to down tools and get to the seaside.

The clients room wasn’t finished when we delivered the completed commission but the they kindly sent us some pictures of the chairs in situ when it was all done.

We think they look fab and hope that too many cocktails don’t get spilt on the fabric.

By Royal Appointment

Chris Goodwin — Tue, 15 Jul 2014 12:45:01 +0000

After a busy few months we finally allowed ourselves some down time with a trip to the local auction.

Now the nearest one to the upholstery workshop is very interesting with lots of areas selling at the same time and on our initial scout around we noted a couple of “egg” type chairs and some large wooden set squares perfect for cutting material. However, the chairs were not going to be under the hammer for a few hours which meant more time to look round and the trouble with that is the more you look, the more you find items that you really, really need. So a few hours in, we had purchased a sad looking stool, an original Parker Knoll chair, the set squares, a sled(!!?) and a cabinet.

Now the cabinet had been early on in the auction but had not been sold and was situated near the egg chairs and it seemed to be crying out to us. It wasn’t a particularly amazing item but it was glazed and would be perfect for our fabrics so after having a word with the auctioneer we negotiated the price of £20.

After getting it back to the workshop we discovered it was probably from a museum or school as a display cabinet for fossils but not only that, it had a stamp marking on the side – A crown over V.R. Any marking on an item is exciting, we often see them on chairs so to get a royal crest was great and we’re looking forward to researching more. Not a bad quality piece of furniture for £20.

Red chair story

Chris Goodwin — Wed, 02 Jul 2014 12:39:52 +0000

The pretty Victorian iron back armchair covered with the Emily Burningham red linen fabric has now been finished and is being enjoyed by the clients. I’m hoping their cheeky border terriers aren’t enjoying it though! We were really pleased with how this chair turned out with the contrast duck egg blue silk buttons and piping.

We really loved rebuilding and reupholstering this chair and cannot wait to get some more commissions like this.

Dave has been busy too with four chairs which he re-rushed. When he gets back from his latest break in France I’ll upload some pictures – but not of him in his Mankini… I only wish I was joking… Hopefully he’ll bring back something nice for myself and Cally otherwise we may just have to share the photo evidence!

Spot the difference

Chris Goodwin — Tue, 01 Jul 2014 12:34:24 +0000

We’ve all been busy in the workshop this month and one of the transformations has been this Georgian style armchair which was previously upholstered in a plain blue fabric but now has been covered in a rather funky Abraham Moon multi coloured wool. The material is the grey multi spot from the Dales Collection but reversed which makes the chair look rather fun, although all those lines and stripes certainly gave us a headache!

It’s not the only chair that is getting the spotty treatment as another client likes this fabric and has chosen to use the same material on their chair.

The third man

Chris Goodwin — Fri, 02 May 2014 12:29:12 +0000

It’s not just soft furnishings, pretty fabric and pictures of kittens in the workshop, we also have a macho man hiding in the eaves. His name is Dave and is a handy asset to have around. Not only is he a dab hand with the drill and screwdriver, putting up shelves and the odd disco ball, he is brilliant at repairing chairs which require new caning or rushing.

This means that we really have got all chairs covered and can help with reupholstering every form of seating.

When Dave isn’t busy with chairs or making bespoke coat hooks or pulling tacks out of his shoes, he can be found over the channel in France.

Myself and Cally are grateful to him for bringing his skills into the workshop… and the lovely bottles of wine too… Salut

An update on the Victorian iron back with buttons

Chris Goodwin — Mon, 24 Feb 2014 12:27:16 +0000

The Victorian Iron back armchair that was featured in a previous post is coming along nicely. The top fabric is an Emily Burningham linen and the buttons are covered in a contrast duck egg blue silk. Although the fabric is rather delicate for an upholstery covering, the chair is for occasional use which will be fine. It’s such a pretty linen that I fear the client may have to prise this chair from our hands!

We’ll definitely be using this again on other items.