Danish Chair in Melin Tregwynt Wool

1970's teak chair covered in Melin Tregwynt Mondo Sage wool. I think it's Danish but really can't be sure.

I've just secured a trade account with Melin Tregwynt and have invested in quite a bit of this pattern, so expect to see a few chairs in this in the coming months. The mill is one of very few still producing double-cloth in Wales.

This chair has been made for sale at Tregaron craft centre and is pretty expensive, but if you're fashionable enough to commission a chair in this outstanding fabric I can do one for you at a very reasonable price.

Parker Knoll Armchair in Bute Tweed

I'm always trying to persuade customers to go for good quality fabric, particularly wool. Quite often they go for it as with this armchair. It's the best fabric to use - very warm and comfortable, which, unsurprisingly, is a useful characteristic for an armchair.

But they will nearly always go for the muted, neutral colours.
'Doing up the house' programmes have a lot to answer for.

Really nice though, eh?

Bus Stop Chair - Nantgaredig, Carmarthenshire

During some extensive hedge trimming along the A40, the council recently uncovered this bus stop that had been more or less claimed by Mother Nature. It was as though they had done it just for me so I had to make a chair for it.

As the bus stop isn't watertight I used some old vinyl from another chair and painted the whole thing in waterproof acrylic - a camouflage pattern was the obvious choice.

I added a suitable soldier just to, you know, bring the whole thing together.

Small Armchair in Bute Wool

A 1980's armchair of no real quality that a customer told me she really loved. Now covered in Bute tweed and looking comparatively fantastic.

Fabric of this quality makes everything look good. It's great how it moulds around the arms and edges.

Many customers who come to my workshop are discouraged  by the cost of re-upholstery and often I advise against it if the item is not high quality to begin with. But when something is really loved or has other sentimental value, it's well worthwhile. How else would you get a small armchair covered in such great fabric for under £200?

This was a commission.

Llanspyddid, Powys - Bus Stop Chair

Here's a chair I fished out of a skip, now available for travellers at a bus stop on the A40 half way between Llanspyddid and the Cwm Camlais turnoff.

I painted the chair and covered it in a nylon offcut from a 1970's curtain.

I added this grotesque character to offset the rather 'Auntie Norah' upholstery.

Organic Wool Wales Project

I was asked to contribute to the Organic Wool Wales Project and decided to re-upholster a 1960's mini-chair. Here's a daft little film of the chair from start to finish:

 

The woolen fabric is not strictly upholstery weight, but worked very well on this little chair.

The chair will be on show at the Wonder Wool Wales show in Builth Wells later this month.

1930's recliner chair

A 1930's recliner chair (or steamer chair as they're also called) re-upholstered in an Ercol fabric.

Well smart.

This was a commission.

Victorian Armchair

A Victorian armchair re-upholstered in silver velvet.

A traditional horse-hair and hessian restoration of a Victorian chair that a customer rescued from a skip. It was in a sorry state but not any more.

Traditional upholstery takes ages but I love doing it so I always price low to get these type of jobs - I could do one of these for you for under £400, can't be bad.

This was a commission.

Bird Hide Benches

A local bird hide with very rough-topped benches is now considerably more comfortable by these deep-buttoned pads covered in a 1970's floral linen.

So bird enthusiasts in Talyllychau won't get sore backsides when looking out over the lake for smew or whooper swans (you'd have to wait a long time to see either).

I made the pads up before installing.

And fixed them with screws.

I was accompanied by a photographer for Pretty Nostalgic magazine who were doing an article on my exploits that you can buy here. Thanks to Rae Edwards and Pretty Nostalgic for use of these photos.

Bus Stop Bench

When do two chairs become a bench? When you bolt them together of course.

This bench is now available to bus travellers on the A40 at Trecastell, Powys.

I extricated these two chairs from a skip and connected them with a couple of pieces from a broken easel. I re-upholstered the ruined seats with waste stuffings and covered them in a 1970's fabric offcut.

I added a plastic Cowboy and Indian in conflict because that's the sort of person I am.

Oh, and I've taken to dressing as a gorilla for my exploits because that's also the sort of person I am.

Bus Stop Chair

Here's another chair from the rubbish tip that's now available for weary travellers to take a seat.

It's now on the A476 near Carmel, Carmarthenshire.

The chair is now covered in a garish print and hosts a chubby plastic Churchill/Admiral thing on the leg.

And why not?

Mahogany Carver Chair

A mahogany dining chair covered in William Morris fabric by Liberty.

This chair is actually covered in one of the customer's old curtains. The fabric is far from upholstery weight but I really don't think it matters on an over-stuffed chair because after re-upholstery it's drum-tight and nothing's going to give. By the time the fabric wears out (10-15 years?) they'll be looking forward to something new anyway, and the upholstery should last 50 years so the next job will be cheap.

I 'm not sure how old the chair is, it's hard to identify (if anyone knows, please leave a comment), but it really suits this fabric don't you think?

This was a commission.

Edwardian Armchair

An Edwardian (or possibly late Victorian) open armchair covered in Stuart Renaissance Textiles ‘Rose & Pansy’ design wool, adapted from a Turkey-work chair cover, circa 1610.

 A couple came in with their own fabric which is an astonishing re-make of a 1600's design. I thought it might be too busy for this chair (that has been in the family over a hundred years) but it is such high quality I was keen to work with it. I was wrong, it sits extremely well.

It's not a geometric pattern so nothing lines up accurately, but I didn't realise this for ages. I got quite stressed with it until the penny dropped that it isn't supposed to line up. Now I'm very happy with it and so is the customer.

This was a full restoration with traditional horse-hair and hessian. It takes ages but I love doing it.

Gingham Check Chair

Here's a slender little chair in a proud gingham check.

A customer brought this in with two broken side stretchers and asked if I thought there was any chance to save it - some glue, some dowels and a few screws later and, although delicate, this family heirloom is in full working order. She determined not to let any 'big blokes' near it. I think this is for the best.

I did really enjoy how the upholstery nails fitted exactly into the white squares.

Stripes

Six dining chairs for a customer who certainly likes stripes.

I've now done ten chairs and two cushions for her in this fabric and we both agree that's probably enough.

1960's Tub Armchair

I've been waiting to get my hands on this 1960's tub armchair from a friend for some time. It was in a fairly sorry state sitting at the top of her stairs and I knew it would look terrific re-upholstered in Bute wool.

So I twisted her arm to let me at it.

Now covered in a superb orange tweed, handmade on the Isle of Bute. Even if I say so myself, it is an absolute peach.

This was a commission.

Hand Printed Dining Chairs

A set of four Danish dining chairs covered in hand-printed fabrics by Rhian McLaren

Rhian is a recent fashion/design graduate and this is her first range of hand-printed fabrics. I liked the prints enough to work for nothing on these and help her build a portfolio.

Although mainly for her portfolio, these chairs are for sale. Contact me for details or further info on Rhian's designs.

Armchair in Silk Damask

A very laid-back Edwardian armchair that came to me in very wobbly condition, now covered in a very expensive Sanderson silk damask. This was a commission.