Do you struggle sometimes to see past the old exterior of a chair? To help myself visualise, I often mock up chairs in photoshop to show the desired shape. I also do this when I’m helping clients choose second hand furniture for their home and last year I started doing it for students too. I […]

French Brocantes and My Finds
The summer holidays seem a distant memory but the excitement of travelling to a plethora of French Brocantes in August still remains. Every summer I make the trip across to Cherbourg from Poole and then onwards to Bordeaux to stay in my Mum’s house in the Charentes. On route, I pick up a copy of Antiquites […]

Frederick Parker To Parker Knoll
Last year when visiting the Second Sitters Exhibition at The Cass, I was lucky enough to get access into their archive of chairs on loan by the Federick Parker Foundation. At the time I thought I would save the pictures for a future post, and then – of course – I forgot…only to be reminded […]

One Day Upholstery Classes
They’re finally here! My one day upholstery classes. They will be held monthly from Saturday 8th February 2014. What’s included in the price? *All tools and materials (stuffing, wadding, calico) will be provided as part of the fee. You will need to bring along the piece of furniture you wish to upholster and some yummy […]
MY FIRST UPHOLSTERY WORKSHOP
I am still on a high from a lovely weekend with friends – or should I say ‘guinea pigs’ – at my very first upholstery workshop in the upholstery studio. Four of my closest descended from London armed with a tatty piece of furniture and a metre of fabric of their choice to spend the […]
HOW TO CHOOSE AN UPHOLSTERY FABRIC
Gosh, there are sooo many GORGEOUS textiles out there now that sometimes it’s impossible to know where to start. I’ve recently been perusing the internet and found some fantastic independent designers bringing out fabrics suitable for upholstery. Back when I started my night class in Upholstery I used to bring in old 70’s twill curtains […]
UPHOLSTERY CLASSES COMING SOON!
Please leave a comment if you are interested in my craft mornings starting in October, every Wednesday from 9.30am until 12.00pm in Winton Banks, Bournemouth. Bring your own craft or let me teach you a bit of upholstery. Limited spaces so please contact me if you would like to book. Follow my blog with […]
SO HIGH SOCIETY
I’ve sort of slipped into this mildly annoying habit recently. Whatever I am watching, I’m not really fully watching because my internal dialogue is giving a little critique of the upholstery. When I took a trip to my Mums house in France last week we watched High Society on the five and a half hour […]
A BIT BONKERS: CHAIRS IN THE AIR
1. Chair Arch in High Wycombe used to commemorate Queen Victoria’s Jubilee (no health and safety back then!) widdess.com 2. Final Scene in the film Les Miserables. Quite breath taking. i.telegraph.co.uk
EXHIBITION: SECOND SITTERS
Every now and again I like to take a trip to London to see an exhibit for inspiration, sometimes its beautiful vintage fabric, sometimes an interiors exhibit or design show, but this time it was all about the Upholstery. Not just any old upholstery. Upholstery created by really really talented young designers. Boudoir Chair by […]