Psychedelic Armchair

A wing-backed arm chair covered in an astonishing print I picked up in Ikea a few years ago. Certainly not for the faint-hearted.

Perfect for sitting in while listening to The Thrteenth Floor Elevators or The Count Five.

Yours for a fantastically cheap £350. Can't be bad.



One More Bus Stop Chair

Here's another of those Ercol chairs from the dump, this time left at the bus stop on the A40 at Dryslwyn, a busy bus stop with nowhere to sit.

I painted it bright pink with leftover paint from my daughter's bedroom. I had real trouble finding a fabric to match so asked my wife (artist Julie Ann Sheridan) what colours would match it, she reckoned grey or green. Hey Presto, in the scraps box I found this 1980's fluffy draylon and I think you'll agree she was right.

The pink is very similar to Wyndham Lewis's Blast Magazine so as a reference to his time as a bombardier I added a rather scared-looking Tommy figure.

As ever the tag reads 'Take the weight off your feet'.

Another chair, another bus stop

Here's a rather elegant dining chair I left in a tiny bus stop on the A483 at Ffairfach. I often see an elderly couple standing in this bus stop when I pass on Wednesday mornings, now at least one of them will be able to sit down.

Again, the chair is from a skip and is covered in a 1950's sunflower print that I found nestling beneath two other layers on some dining chairs I re-upholstered recently. I painted the chair to kill off the woodworm. The tag says 'Take the weight off your feet'.

The print felt vaguely Spanish or Mexican so I added a mexican bandit underneath. Why not eh?

Arthur's Seat

It's always nice when I get a brave commission. Re-upholstery of this chair was a birthday present from Mrs. Davies to her husband Arthur for his 90th birthday. It was in a sorry state but he wouldn't get a new one because he sits in it every morning to read the paper. This seemed very special to me so I convinced them to go for a hand-woven tweed that would do the occasion justice.

This fabric, handmade on the Isle of Bute is very expensive but I discounted my work quite a bit to bring it in on their budget. As the chair is a 1950's High Wycombe frame, it's pretty solid but I had to change it considerably with very different foam and stuffings and I was quite worried Arthur wouldn't find it comfortable.

But he loved it.
Happy Birthday Arthur.

Lime Green Open Armchair

Here's an early 20th Century open armchair re-upholstered in lime green fabric by Bute.

Quite nice I think.

This was a commission.

Bus Stop Cushion

I saw a lady perched on the undignified and rather stingy bench seat in a local bus stop and decided to make a cushion to ease things a little.

It needed a bespoke cushion so I measured up first - it is just over 3 metres long. I also measured up for some ties to stop it slipping.

I used only waste stuffing and fabrics from other stripped chairs and a few scraps from recent jobs. It's at the Square & Compass roundabout on the A40 near Llangadog - you can see the top of Llyn y Fan Fach in the background.

It rolled-up nicely for the 'quick while no-one's looking' guerilla install.

I added a quote that had been tickling me ever since Roberto Mancini said it on Match of the Day.

Another Bus Stop Chair

Here's another chair for weary passengers to rest upon. This one is now on the A483 at Cynghordy.

This is another Ercol chair painted grey and covered in some offcuts of a 1950's 'Festival' print.

And this time a nice little astronaut on the leg. The tag reads 'take the weight off your feet'.

Hepplewhite Chair

Here's a chair I've had hanging around the workshop for some time waiting for the right material. Last week I picked up a set of four large 1970's Marks & Spencer curtains that suit it perfectly. I hate Marks & Spencer now, they are the epitome of smugness, but back in the '70's they were really on to something.

(This chair appeared on this blog about a year back but I wasn't happy with it - I am now).



This chair is for sale - yours for sixty five quid, can't be bad.

Dining Chairs Everywhere

I've had 16 dining chairs in the workshop this week, here's some.

Set of six oak diners (2 arm chairs, 4 side chairs) now covered in hand woven Bute fabric.

Set of four, again in beautiful Bute fabric.

These were all commissions - I re-upholster dining chairs for between 30 and 50 pounds.

Bus Stop Chair

Here's another chair for the comfort of old ladies at bus stops. This one is now on the A482 Lampeter Road (near Pumpsaint).

I got four of these chairs free from the local tip, I painted this white and covered it with a skirt from a charity shop.

I really liked the pattern, I would call it 'Top Shop Vorticism' as it certainly has something of Percy Wyndham Lewis about it.

To keep up the Robert Thompson tribute I added another rubber mouse. The label is the same also.

1950's 'Festival' Armchair

This is a Parker Knoll wing-back chair from the 1950's appropriately covered in 1951 'Festival' fabric by Sanderson. The print was originally designed by the great Jacqueline Groag and now reissued by Sanderson to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Festival of Britain where this fabric was launched.

This chair is for sale at £375. John Lewis are selling a collapsed-looking chair in this fabric for £1100 no less.

Here's designer Jacqueline Groag, the Czech interloper looking the epitome of cool as if to somehow endorse this chair. I'm sure she'd like it more than the John Lewis one anyway.

Abandoned Chair

There are lots of seat-less bus stops in my area where old ladies have to stand up, I am making it my business to rectify this. Here's the first step. This chair currently sits in the lopsided shelter on the A40 past Llandeilo (on the Pen-y-banc turn-off), how long it stays there remains to be seen.

The chair was given to me and is re-upholstered using waste stuffings and covered in an old jumper.

In tribute to Robert Thompson (the mouseman furniture maker) I included an orange rubber mouse.

Look our for more Guerilla Upholstery in a bus stop nowhere near you.

Bath Chairs

Here's a couple of bath chairs I repainted and recovered in some offcuts for a lady down the road.

Now the backlog of commissions has been dealt with I'm looking forward to getting on with something a little more flamboyant.

'Winter' Bath Chair

A British 1980's paper-twist bath chair, repainted in '1990 Natural' paint. The seat is re-upholstered and covered in 1990's 'winter' print. So that's UK 80's, 90's - got that?

Actually, this used to be a commode but I removed the potty and added a hardboard base, so now when you lift the seat - Voila - a place to store your plastic soldiers.

This chair can be yours for a bargain seventy five quid.

Balloon-back Chairs

A pair of mid 19th Century balloon-back side chairs, re-upholstered and covered in vintage Welsh wool blanket.

Ninety quid for the pair. Can't be bad.

Horseshoe-back Ladies' Chair

Early 19th Century Ladies' Chair with horseshoe back in ornate mahogany, covered in Sanderson 'Ink' velvet.

When I opened this up the rails were so shot-through with the last upholsterer's staples that they pretty much fell apart so I had to 'do a job' on this chair and make modifications to the arms, legs and back to make it work.

This took me fifty hours to complete. Yes fifty. In future I may choose to leave these well alone.
This was a commission