This article taken from Habitat Magazine, written by Deirdre Coleman, highlights some of the key reasons it makes sense to recover your furniture rather than buy new when the furniture you own is of good quality and/or has sentimental value.
But choose your upholsterer wisely as many will not do the work that is necessary.
Below this article are before and after photos of a lounge suite Cover It Upholstery Sydney restored recently and will show the extent of the work that was required.
When it comes to furniture, it seems we’re
finally waking up to the insanity of buying
something only to toss it out the moment
it starts to look a bit shabby or outdated.
Retro and antique furniture, and even pieces
that are a couple of decades old, are finding
new favour with design-savvy homeowners
who see past the faded fabric and worn
springs to the treasure beneath.
“There’s a lot more interest now in
refurbishing existing furniture,” says Mark
Waters from Upholstery Craftsman. “Some
people have been burned by buying cheap
imported pieces, and are starting to see the
value in quality second-hand purchases.”
His Wellington-based boutique upholstery
business specialises in restoring older pieces,
repairing timber frames and replacing springs
and wadding, as well as re-upholstering and
alterations. Waters receives regular enquiries
from would-be bidders on online auctions,
asking for quotes to repair a couch, dresser
or other item of pre-loved furniture.
Classic furniture “like Parker Knoll, Cintique
and Don furniture is good quality and very
popular because it suits everything from
apartments to bungalows,” he says. “People
are realising that it doesn’t take a lot to redo
this ‘50s to ‘70s furniture, and that you
end up with something pretty groovy.”
So how do you know if the piece you have is
worth restoring? According to the experts,
quality, age, good design and sentimental
value are the key indicators. If you have
something that’s well made, unusual or has
sentimental value, then it makes sense to
have it reupholstered and restored.
“An old piece with a good frame that has
borer has far more integrity – when the borer
riddled wood is replaced – than some of the
modern imported furniture we see today,”
says Waters. “Anything can be repaired.”
For Garth Clarke from Dunbar Furniture
Restorations in Auckland, restoring retro
‘60s and ‘70s pieces is an everyday job. He
sees a lot of empty-nesters who’ve had their
dining suite for 30 years and now want
to make it presentable again. With items
like this, he says, it’s generally cheaper to
refurbish something than to replace it with
something of the same quality.
“A good rimu dining suite will cost you
around $6000, but having one refurbished
might only cost $2000,” explains Clarke.
“If it’s 20-plus years old and still structurally
sound, it’s worth doing. You get what you
pay for, so if it was expensive when it was first
bought, it’s worth keeping. And anything
made from native timber would definitely
be worth holding onto and restoring.”
Clarke recently worked on a 150-year-old
Welsh dresser for a client. Water spilt on
the top had bleached out the colour and
removed the old French polish. Rather than
stripping the entire top, he was able to
carefully sand and stain the damaged area,
retaining the original surrounding patina
and enhancing the dresser’s value.
However, like all good craftspeople, Clarke
isn’t afraid to give advice when required.
While something as simple as changing the
upholstery on a chair can visually transform
it, much more can be achieved. A good
upholsterer or furniture restorer can update
the style of a piece of furniture, or customise
it to suit your needs.
They can change the feet, remove a skirt on a
sofa or chair, raise or lower the legs and back,
re-web chair bases and adjust the composition
of cushion filling to provide added comfort
and support, and even shrink or extend
couches. Details such as piping, buttoning
and diamond pleating can also be added, and
timber lacquered, stained or polished.
With collectible and antique pieces, it pays to
invest in traditional restoration by someone
who knows what they’re doing, advises
Mark Waters. “A 1920s settee that’s in
original condition will take around 40 hours
to rebuild, as it’s all hand done,” he says.
“We rebuild pieces the way they were, using
things like horse hair and reed stuffing, and
where possible, we try to use environmentally
friendly products like recycled cotton, spun
flax and hessian cloth.”
Irrespective of the value and heritage of
your furniture, it’s important to have good
rapport with your craftsperson and to clearly
communicate your needs and expectations.
The end result will be obvious each time you
admire your ‘new’ treasure.
