Sprucing up tired design classics with the latest fabrics is what these skilled craftspeople do best. Here, they explain how reupholstery is always the smart, sustainable option and how you can make the most of their expertise to give pieces new life…
Charles of Lloyd
Realising she was ‘a spreadsheet monkey’ in her previous career in fashion licensing, Charlotte Lloyd started looking for a creative alternative that would solve a problem and make a viable business. Upholstery hit the sweet spot between textiles, furniture and making, so she took what she calls a ‘bonkers punt’ and enrolled on the Association of Master Upholsterers and Soft Furnishers’ diploma course, opening the Charles of Lloyd workshop in Leyton in 2013.
The studio now has a reputation in the specialised area of restoring mid-century designer furniture, with an Instagram feed rich in ‘Togos’, as well as pieces by Pierre Paulin and Gio Ponti.
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‘It’s a funny period, mid-century,’ she muses, adding: ‘It was a time of change, when experimental techniques were coming into play.’ That means Lloyd often has to replicate materials that are no longer in use or copy a machine-produced technique with her own artisan version. ‘Often you’re like, “how the hell did they do this?!”’ she says. Surprisingly, she loves stripping down furniture. ‘You’d think it would be boring, but it’s exciting,’ she insists. ‘Revealing what you’re up against, finding the clues and history. Sometimes you find a little treasure – a marble or a toy car.’
A pair of Olivier Mourgue’s modernist ‘Djinn’ chairs and a matching sofa recently came into Lloyd’s workshop from a dealer. ‘These sculptural pieces are from the later end of the mid-century aesthetic and were produced at a time when foam was still a new product,’ she says.
Each piece had to be completely rebuilt, as she explains. ‘The frame is metal, so the structure is built up using webbing, which is wrapped in hessian, before foam is sculpted over the top.’ The foam had broken down badly and required a lot of fabrication to get the proper rounded edges to the profile. Once the foam was secured it could be used as a canvas for the top fabric. ‘This is quite a demanding design, because its shape means it needs a lot of play in the fabric,’ says Lloyd. She used a stretchy, knitted one called ‘Gentle 2’ from Kvadrat’s ‘Febrik’ collection: ‘It is engineered to go round those crazy shapes, which means you get the cleanest possible finish.’ Lloyd has an aversion to superfluous zips so engineered out several on the cover, before hand-stitching it closed, admitting that was ‘the most challenging bit’.
As much as she wants to please her clients, for Lloyd job satisfaction comes from those challenges. ‘The simplest looking chairs can be the most technical. People don’t see that somebody spent up to a year engineering it, and we don’t have the same amount of time. We just have the pattern as a basis. Often we look at something and go “come on, we can do this better than that!”’ charlesoflloyd.com
Anthony Hossack
After studying for a Fine Art degree, Hossack opened his studio in 2002 and is the go-to name for some of the best interior designers in the industry. Although his skilled team specialises in reupholstery and restoration of furniture from the 18th to the 21st century, increasingly they are being called upon to manufacture custom pieces. ‘It’s on a very bespoke basis, so everything’s unique and it all comes with quirks,’ he says, adding: ‘Trying to get that right can be testing.’ He loves the challenge of manufacturing custom designs for Duncan Campbell and Luke Edward Hall, as well as restoring antiques for their projects. ‘They come up with interesting concepts, definitely off the spectrum compared to other people!’ he says, laughing. ‘It’s much more fun to work on something that has a bit of life.’
For Hossack, one of the best things about old furniture is what he can learn from its longevity; how long the materials have lasted and the perfect proportions of the frames. ‘You tend to find with modernist designers they’ve gone through a long process of prototyping,’ he explains. He applies the knowledge gained from stripping down and rebuilding these beautifully designed objects to the new pieces he fabricates. They in turn go on to have lives of their own, perhaps becoming future heirlooms. ‘We did a few bars across America and they’ve been quite exciting,’ he reflects, ‘especially when you see Snoop Dogg sitting on your sofa!’ hossackandco.com
Sit Collective
Formed in 2017 by Francesca Stephenson, Sophie Timson, Therese Lane and Carolyn Upson, who trained together, the Leytonstone-based team works collaboratively, restoring modern and traditional pieces of furniture. Most of their commissions are mid-century, but they pride themselves on transforming whatever their clients bring to them into something better suited to modern living. Working as a collective allows them to scale to suit each project. ‘Our work encompasses domestic and commercial clients,’ explains Timson. ‘From retail, pubs and museums to single dining chairs and everything in between. No project is too big or too small!’
‘Upholstery can be like solving a puzzle,’ adds Lane. ‘While you may think a chair is a chair, they can be a little like people with their own quirks and issues. Each project is a process of discovery, applying what you know to find a solution that’s a custom-fit.’ One of the biggest, most exciting projects they collaborated on was a Jimmy Choo pop-up café in Harrods with set builders Cloud & Horse. Ultimately, they say, the best part of the job is ‘the joy it brings our clients to see their vision brought to life’. sitcollective.com
What you need to know
Got a piece of furniture you want to transform? Margate Design Collective explains how to work with an upholsterer...
Why is choosing to reupholster a piece a good idea?
It’s a process that is not only sustainable, but completely bespoke. You can work with your upholsterer to make a unique piece that works with your scheme. Want to add buttons? Sure! Contrasting piping? Why not! Multiple fabrics? You name it, we can do it!
What information will an upholsterer ask for?
Photographs, dimensions and any thoughts on fabric. If there is a rebuild to be done or a saggy seat, pictures of the underside of the furniture are helpful.
Can you pick your own fabric?
Most upholsterers have preferred suppliers. This usually gives you a guarantee that the fabric is fire-treated and has the right rub count (anything above 40k rubs is pretty good going). Most upholsterers will have fabric books that you can look through and order samples.
How much fabric do you need?
We’re pretty good at gauging how much fabric you require from a photo, however measurements mean we can order a more accurate amount. If you choose a large pattern, you might have to order more fabric to get the right pattern matching. Generally, footstools need about one or two metres, armchairs take four to six metres and a sofa is about 10 to 14 metres.
What are different fabrics good for?
Wool tends to be best for anything that has a deep curve on the inside back of a chair and looks great on mid-century furniture. Be aware that linens wear a bit like leather. They’ll ripple over time and become loose, giving a relaxed look, which you might love, but if you don’t, choose something with a tighter weave.
Are any particular periods or types of furniture best?
Reupholstering (which means stripping down the frame and rebuilding it) illustrates the difference between modern and traditional furniture. Antiques usually need to be totally rebuilt, which is labour-intensive but a beautiful craft. Once rebuilt, we say it will last at least 50 years. Modern furniture is often made with foam, which is quick to build with but more expensive than traditional materials and not as eco-friendly.
What about cost?
It all depends on the style, era, number of cushions, etc, but for recovering generally, sofas are £800 to £1,100, armchairs are £450 to £600 and footstools are £220 to £400. If the piece needs to be rebuilt, the cost will depend on the era of the furniture.
How do you find a good upholsterer?
Visit a few upholsterers, look at examples of their work, ask questions and get to know them. There are associations upholsterers can join, but we think it’s more important to find someone who understands what you want to create.
Anything else to bear in mind?
Vintage furniture and, perhaps surprisingly, some brands from the 1990s have lovely hardwood frames. With upholstery you can change the shape and style: you just need vision and a good frame to ensure it lasts. margatedesigncollective.co.uk
