Category Archives: Reupholstery

Knole Sofa

Knole Sofas

A pair of classic Knoll Sofa in Italian Velvet.

We had a little debate recently on how to spell ‘Knole’ when referring to a Knole Sofa. With a little help from the Internet, we confirmed the correct spelling and decided to share some history – you can view the original Knole sofa in Knole in Kent.

The Knole sofa was made in the 17th century. Originally used not as a comfortable sofa but as a formal throne on which the monarch would have sat to receive visitors. It is housed at Knole in Kent, a house owned by the Sackville-Wests since 1605 but now in the care of the National Trust.

To identify a Knole sofa it usually has exposed wooden finials at the rear corner tops. The arms are sides and are of the same height as the back. The side arms are tied to the sofa back by means of heavy decorative braid, often with an elaborate tassel.

See another Knole sofa we reupholstered.

Knole Sofa
Knole Sofa

In addition to this I have a theory that the arms could be lowered to make a tempory bed. All said and done they always look regal.

1930s Chair in houndstooth by Linwood-wing

1930​s Chair

The strong shape and sturdy lines of this chair made me fall in love with it. Our customer chose a beautiful Linwood houndstooth fabric with a gentle stone and lichen colourway. The build quality of this era of furniture manufacturer is impeccable – again, sturdy and strong quality. The equivalent, if you could buy one new, would be over £5000. And it’s great to restore rather than make new – a delight. Matching sofa below.

1930s Chair in houndstooth by Linwood
1930s Chair in houndstooth by Linwood - matching sofa
Football Shirt Chair

Football Shirt Chair

Our customer wanted to present the football shirts he had collected over the 30 years working with world-class footballers. Rather than frame the shirts or keep them in boxes in the loft, his idea was to upholster a chair using the gifted and signed shirts. We now refer to this bespoke upholstered chair as the Football Shirt Chair.

We provided a traditional Parker Knoll-style chair, changed the legs, restored the internals and followed his exact instructions as to where each shirt should show. The chair was to tell a story of his professional life.

It will sit in Grant’s office at his new home in the Scottish highlands next to the picture window that looks onto a mountain. It will be a great talking point and a reflection piece of art for the proud owner.

Grant kindly outlined the story behind the Football Shirt Chair below:

I can’t tell you how delighted I am with the work you were able to do with the ‘football chair’ we designed. It will have a special place in our new home on the Isle of Arran when we move in the summer.
 
I have spent the last 32 years working in elite professional football & worked for The Football Association, Glasgow Rangers FC, Middlesbrough FC & Manchester City FC. I am a physiotherapist by profession & have worked for a number of years as a performance lead in professional football. I have collected many shirts from players, who are just ordinary people but special performers, who I have worked with over this time & I wanted to create a piece of ‘artwork’ that depicted my journey & the impact in a positive way they have had on me.
I now deliver leadership talks on my journey globally & I will reference the chair from what I learned on my journey & the lessons I learned from working with some great people. It also allows me time to look at it & reflect on key decisions moving forward inspired by the people I have worked with.
 
Grant Downie OBE
Consultant in medical & performance solutions
www.grantdownie.co.uk

https://www.facebook.com/BJUpholsteryDarlington/videos/301684320487944/
Leather sofa with Linwood seat and back

Updating Leather Chair and Sofa using Linwood Fabric

A clever idea this; our customer has a wonderful set of leather chair and sofa. The seat and back cushions were remade in a beautiful Linwood weave fabric to transform a dated leather set to a modern contemporary and stylish sofa and chair.

 Linwood Fabric is a very high-quality fabric at a great cost. All our fabrics are first quality and always upholstery grade. These fabrics are superior to the mass-produced fabric used for retail outlets. Therefore when you upgrade and reupholster you are creating a top line piece of furniture that will last for a long time.

We made the new scatter cushions too – also in Linwood Fabric.

Leather chair with Linwood seat and back
Fireside Chairs-Linwood tartan

A Pair of Fireside Chairs

We are delighted to reupholster this pair of fireside chairs. Our customer selected a Linwood fabric in a tartan check.

Linwood is a high-quality fabric supplier we have worked with for 30 years. The line has proved very popular in the last 12 months as they are on-trend and good value for a high-end fabric. In fact, we have sold more Linwood fabric in 2018 than our past 30 years.

Fireside chairs originally designed to sit next to the fire – the wings to exclude draughts to your ears in old draughty houses.

Fireside Chairs
Fireside Chairs-Linwood tartan

You are not restricted to buy from the retail shops. We can create a bespoke chair, sofa, footstool etc. Furniture can be bespoke restored from old quality furniture, like this pair of chairs.

20's Drop Arm Sofa

1920’s Drop Arm Sofa

These were extremely popular in the early 1900’s, therefore, we see a lot of them. A sofa that can turn into a chaise long and an occasional bed. The arm has a substantial metal mechanism to ‘drop’ the arm.

The quality of build is extremely robust, I know this from experience as I have owned one for over twenty years.  Mine has moved house at least three times and has lived in the lounge, hall, bedroom, holiday cottage and now sits in the kitchen.  Kids have used it as a climbing frame and I sat on it last night – it’s in perfect condition.  A 100-year-old sofa – Truly amazing.