Modified Wingback Armchair in Bute wool

A 1930's armchair modified and reupholstered in Bute Esk wool

Just because you're getting on a bit and having trouble getting out of your armchair doesn't mean you have to have a dowdy, chintzy old-people's-home armchair. Having a chair reupholstered should be like having a suit made - you should choose a great fabric and have it made to measure - so if you need a huge cushion to replace the three you've had stacked up on your armchair to give you the height and firmness you need to be able to get out of it again, you can have that. You can have whatever you want, it's your chair.

We made other modifications to this chair: dense foam on the arms for good leverage and chopped-off scrolls on the wings because the customer had always hated these. It's all easy for an upholsterer to do, so if you want changes, tell your upholsterer.

I can't get enough of this huge cushion, something else isn't it?

This was a commission.

Rocking Chair in Welsh Wool

A 1930's (?) stained oak rocking chair reupholstered in Melin Tregwynt St. David's Cross Cassis 100% wool.

Amazing curves on this one - I saw it in the auction house and had to have it.

And this fabric is astonishing - goes great with the woodstain colour.

This chair is for sale - £350 buys you a unique piece of furniture. Not available at DFS but both cheaper and far better quality than any of the junk they have on sale. How do I do it? I know, I'm too generous, but hey, I like you.

How can you live without it?

Guerrilla Upholstery - Pump House Cushion, Bosherston, Pembrokeshire

Somewhere soft to sit down while sheltering from the rain in the old pump house at Bosherston lily ponds.

I'm not sure what this concrete structure is but it had a perfect recess for sitting in so I measured it up and made this cushion for it.

The cushion is made from strips of fabric offcuts - all sorts in there, brocade, silk damask, printed linen all different weights and textures.*

And all very traditional (and of course colour coordinated) to reflect the age of the building and to contrast with the graffiti.

The sort of place where you may want to sit and perhaps smoke a fag and have a can of Special Brew.

* All my guerrilla upholstery projects are made quickly without too much attention to detail and often, you know, after the pub. It's an antidote to the day job. This cushion is quite wonky, if I made you a proper one it would be much neater than this.

Victorian Prayer Chair

An 1860's (?) rosewood prayer chair with ornate woodwork covered in antique tapestry.

I didn't fully reupholster this, it was more a case of finishing off someone else's restoration project. It had a rotten skirt on the seat, no fabric in the picture-back and the braid had been stripped so it was just a case of finding a suitable fabric for the skirt (seat edge) and back and some suitable braid.

Looks alright now eh?

This was a commission.

Drop-Arm Sofa

Early 20th Century drop-arm sofa reupholstered in fabric supplied by the customer.

The sofa back is wider than the fabric width so I did what I often do and turned the fabric on its side allowing the width to be taken out of the length of the fabric. Of course this only works if there's no pattern or nap to the fabric. The alternative is to join the fabric, always a consideration on a project like this.

Anyway, nice sofa eh?

This was a commission.

Wingback Armchair in cut velvet

An early 20th Century wing-back armchair reupholstered in Designer's Guild Calaggio cut velvet.

This 'leaf and bud' cut velvet in such a bright colour seemed quite appropriate for the chair - somehow traditional and contemporary at the same time.

How can it possibly be traditional and contemporary at the same time?

I don't know, but somehow.

This was a commission.