This couch was designed by a customer and he provided me with only a wood frame that he had built himself. I had to adjust some of his wood work to accomodate upholstery and no-sag springs in the deck. This piece was very fun to work on and is the most creative piece I have ever upholstered. It looks like it popped out of the pages of a Dr. Seuss book with all of the colours the customer had chosen. A bright red serpentine back with pot lights installed in the top to hold custom blown glass globes and curly que arms done on the left in a buttery yellow and lime green and the right in a rich burgundy and bright purple. The front rail is black but the seat cushion is done in shades of blue, one a nice indigo and the other a sky blue. All the edges of the pieces are outlined using black piping. This gives the piece a nice illustrated look, like it popped off the pages of a wonderfully whimsical book. Unfortunately I received a phone call on July 23rd 2014 that Andre Morin (the creator of this couch) had passed away. Andre’s whimsy and creativity will be greatly missed.
This gives you an idea of how you can update or change the look of a piece you currently have instead of throwing it out, especially if it has a solid wood frame. I have shown here a few different couches and love seats that have been transformed by changing the fabric to a more modern one, removing a skirt and changing the legs which updates the look of the sofa, or transforming a cloth sofa into a leather look vinyl that is easier to keep clean since you can wipe away spills with a damp cloth.
This antique Victorian style sofa has beautiful curved wood crestrail and seatrail with the arms and cabriole legs ending in small whorls.
This Chippendale style wingback chair was brought to me by a coworker of my husbands. This was his fathers chair that he wanted to fix up for his mom to use. It had previously been reupholstered by someone who didn’t retie the springs but shoddily tried to support with metal strapping. This piece as with all my complete upholstery pieces was stripped down to the bare frame and built back up correctly, using proper upholstery techniques. I am told that Jimmy’s mom really enjoys the new look and feel of this chair and sits in it everyday.
This pair of wingback chairs in the Queen Anne style has a curvey seat-rail and decorated cabriole legs ending in a pad foot. This is a more refined wingback chair done in a deep burgundy fabric with a small diamond pattern.
This chair was used quite a lot by a sweet little old gentleman. I had repaired the arms a coulple times due to wear as well as fixed a couple broken springs before his wife decided to get the whole thing upholstered from a burgundy leather to a beige velour fabric. She made sure to ask if I could make some arm covers so she could remove and wash regularly (not displayed in photo).
This Louis XV style arm chair also known as “Bergere” style has a wide upholstered back with an arched serpentine crestrail centered by a floral-carved crest and continuing down to form the shaped back frame, open padded arms on incurved arm supports above the wide upholstered seat, serpentine molded seatrail centered by a floral-carved reserve, cabriole front legs with floral-carved knees and ending in simple peg feet. I was careful when removing the needlepoint so the customer could save it and she chose a beautiful and expensive ultraleather for the look of this chair. Silver tacks were used to finish all the edges. The frame was sent out to a local wood refinisher before upholstery.
This chair was not that old when the customer wanted to change the fabric on this chair. High upholstered back and rolled padded arms with a removable cushion ending in short tapered legs. It went from a butter yellow velour to a diamond patterned chenile in a light cream.
This antique rocking chair in the Eastlake style was updated with a striped chenile fabric. Has a straight crestrail and padded open arms and an upholstered sprung seat.
This small arm chair is from a very good friend of ours and we were truly and deeply saddened by his passing in April of 2014. He had brought me the fabric which is a salmon coloured ultra suede. This chair has always been at his cottage and I changed a little bit of the look by pleating the front of the upholstered arms and creating an arm cap with piping. The back has a small serpentine crestrail and the legs are tapered. This chair has a tight sprung seat as well.
This Windsor style rocking chair has an arched crestrail with an upper upholstered insert with coordinating gimp in a small floral pattern and below is 4 turned spindles inbetween arched splats. This rocker doesn’t have arms per se but small bent pieces of wood to connect the seat and back (detail). The seat has an upholstered insert like the back and finished with coordinating gimp. This has baluster turned legs with a turned spindle front stretcher and plain double side stretchers and a plain single back stretcher attatched to platforms (curved wood pieces hence a rocking chair).
These little arm chairs have curved half backs and a tight sprung seat with tapered legs.
These metal framed chairs have simple upholstered backs and upholstered seats. Metal tacks around the back add some detail.
This chaise has a gorgeous yellow and grey Ikat patterned cotton fabric. Seperate upholstered cushion on top of a sprung deck . I have pattern-matched this fabric from top to bottom so it looks continuous. Has turned baluster feet.
This little antique spindle backed chair has curved center crestrail arching out to the balusters. No arms per se but curved wood pieces joining the back to the seat. Upholstered center of seat in a dark brown leather and antique brass tacks around the edges space an inch a part. Straight turned baluster legs with front double turned stretchers and double plain side and back stretchers.
This shows how you can update the look of an old footstool by just changing the details on how it is finished and the legs.
This pair of fluted chairs are similar in style but slightly different sizes. One has a wider back and seating area and the other is more flared at the crestrail and tapering slightly to the seating area which is a bit narrower. This was a bit of work since not only was the seating area sprung, which all had to be re-tied but the back had a bunch of individually wrapped coil springs which I had to redo as well.
This little antique desk chair was falling apart. The fabric on the upper back portion was torn and the horsehair and hard pack was falling out. I found a fabric that coordinated really well with the needlepoint that is on the seat bottom. I had to carefully remove the needlepoint so I could redo the entire seat bottom webbing and coil springs since they were falling out the bottom. This piece has a turned spindle crestrail detail with a center hand hold and a half back upholstered insert. Below the insert is 4 arches with 3 turn spindle supports with little carved 3 point “fleur de lis” detail at the top of the spindles as well as a carved line that follows the arches along the top. The spindles sit on a straight piece of wood that has semi circle reverse arches under each spindle with a carved dot in each section. The seatrail has a slightly sloping vee shape in the center with the same carved “fleur de lis” detail above. Turned spindle details on the legs with a center cross brace. Small castors are on the end of the front legs.
This faded blue fluted arm chair got a new look with a beautiful subdued fall leaf patterned fabric in browns, reds and yellows. Decorative nails add some detail on the front of the arms around the cap. Has tall cabriole legs ending in pad feet.
This pair of swivel arm chairs were in really bad shape. Complete 180 to shiny formal diamond pattern pieces. They have padded button detail semi attached back cushions and a removable fitted seat cushion and a full skirt around the bottom.
This pair of arm chairs went from worn and faded velour type fabric to a rich brown vinyl that looks like leather. One is short and stubby and the other a little more stylized with a wingback look.
Dated gold brocade fabric with a skirt to a nice soft cream with no skirt and button detail on the upper portion of the backrest.
A balloon back chair and a pair of Eastlake style side chairs.
Two different arm chairs. One with a curved crestrail and straigh arms and the other with a trapezoid shaped back with outward curving arms.
Occasional chairs with one being “bergere-esque” in style with a gorgeous chocolate brown silk with a botanical pattern and a simple arched crestrailed closed arm chair with button detail on the upper portion of the backrest.
This 50’s tub chair came in without its metal swivel base and was a complete wreck. Stained and poorly upholstered…..twice! Reupholstered in black leather with all new foam.
These dining chairs are my own and I scored them for FREE from a neighbour. The set is from the 30’s and I found a paper label with the company D. F. Co. I wish I could find more information on this company. Undulating arched crestrail with urn style center back splat. Turned spindle front legs with a straight center stretcher. Two arm chairs have outward “S” shaped curving arms. I did the padded seat insert in a crocodile patterned brown vinyl to add some texture.
This antique hall bench has an undulating serpentine crestrail with a center raised carved bow detail. Two seperate padded back inserts seperated with a carved oval wood detail in the middle. Padded coil spring seat with a center detail seatrail. Turned legs ending in glass knobs.
Eastlake rocking chair with coil spring tight seat done in a gorgeous paisley fabric in browns, reds and golds.
Eastlake chair done in a brown, gold and red plaid fabric.
This pair of swivel arm chairs went from a bright plaid fabric to a bright striped fabric. Semi-attached backrests with button tufting with a full skirt around the bottom and removable seat cushion.
This gold brocade arm chair was my parents and I reupholstered for my Mom a couple years ago for Christmas. She picked a beautiful burnt orange ultra suede with an embroidered swirl pattern. Has carved wood arm caps and short cabriole legs.
All I had to do was make cushions for this wood frame arm chair that a customer had saved from ending up in landfill by taking it and painting the frame black and leaving the wood on the arms. This chair is interesting in the fact that you can adjust the back by moving the rod into one of the 4 notches extending past the back on the armrest.
This Pressback rocking chair has an undulating scrolling crestrail with thin spindle supports in the center of the back. Outward curving arms and baluster turned arm supports and legs.
This oversized arm chair went from droopy and sad to bright and ultra suede. Has a seperate back cushion and removable seat cushion that is curved in at the front.