The Happy Chair - from 70's brown to retro cool

Saying that this chair looked old-fashioned and worn is probably an under-statement... The previous owner had grown tired of it and decided to buy a new chair instead of re-upholstering it and kindly gave it to me to practise on - a decision she might regret when she sees these pictures... It has a lovely shape, both the top of the back and the wings are swung, and the wooden frame is in perfect condition. The old seat had to go (along with a lot of old dust...), but the springs were still good so I re-used them after putting in new webbing. A bit more cotton here and there to shape up the back and the arms, and new fabric from Osborne & Little and it's already looking very different. By the way, the fabric inspired it's name "The Happy Chair" - all those flowers and butterflies put you in a good mood and when you sit in it, the world looks very nice indeed. At least we thought so on the course at the Traditional Upholstery Workshop (see link on the right!). More pictures will follow when the chair is finished...

New colours for both chair and living room

This chair's owner was redecorating her living room and found that although the chair was still in good shape, the yellow fabric and the studs wouldn't fit in anymore. She found the right colour tones in this floral cotton fabric - the embroidered flowers made the task of making piping rather challenging, but it worked out. In my view piping looks far better than studs on this chair - especially in combination with the new, more feminine fabric.

Modern wingchair in stripes

Dark fabrics will make big furniture look even bigger - this modern wingchair looked very dull and worn and needed something lighter and more colourful. I removed most of the foam and replaced it with bonded hair - better quality lasts longer! It is now covered in Romo's "Postbox" fabric, the new box cushion is filled with feathers instead of the foam it came with - a lot more comfortable to sit on and a softer look. Now I'm thinking the feet would look better in white...