Why do modern sprung cushions have problems?

What are contemporary sprung cushions?

Contemporary sprung cushions have been marketed over the last decade as a superior concept however there are major issues regarding the effectiveness of using ‘spring pockets’ in the fabrication of seat cushion inserts.

How are traditional spring cushions different to modern spring cushions?

Traditional sprung cushions were constructed using mid-gauge coil springs and hand sewn into a hessian case then encased with flock and fitted into a box piped seat cushion with sewing usually finished by hand stitching. Seat cushions constructed this way tend to stand the test of time as is evident by cushions still used in antique furniture.

However the fabrication of modern sprung cushion inserts utilise light-gauge coil springs encased in a series of thin polyester pockets which are normally referred to as ‘spring pockets’. These spring pockets are placed in the centre of the cushion inserts and sandwiched with polyurethane foam then usually encased with polyester fibre. With moderate to heavy use the spring pockets tend to distort with the springs often fracturing the casings. The result is a distorted and uncomfortable seat cushion and maybe a costly repair bill outside the warranty period.

What about the option of premium quality foam cushions?

The sales personnel promoting the “advantages” of sprung cushions usually infer by definition that the base is also sprung but most sprung cushions are on bases fitted with elastic webbing. The truth is that there is nothing wrong with a settee base correctly fitted with high quality elastic webbing. However a superior cushion insert can be effectively achieved by simply using premium quality polyurethane foam encased in polyester fibre and no spring pockets!

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Bedroom Chair (Slipper Chair) – Restoration

ByFrank Parker

Bedroom Chair (Slipper Chair) Restoration

Bedroom chairs, also known as a bedroom slipper chair, date back to 18^th Century Europe. The armless upholstered chair with short legs was designed for women’s dressing rooms out of necessity. Since Victorian women often wore restrictive layers of clothing, tight corsets with wide petticoats they tended to require assistance when slipping on their shoes. More modern versions of the slipper chairs evolved over time remaining in fashion until the 1950’s.

Our client approached us saying she had rescued an old chair from her grandmother’s house which had originally belonged to her great grandparents. Upon inspection of the chair it was a bedroom chair or more appropriately a ‘ vintage slipper chair’ and judging from the art-deco design most probably made in the 1930’s.

We understand that there is interest in how to upholster a slipper chair. This is the process that was followed. We removed the existing upholstery covering on the ladies slipper chair. A once superb abstract floral velvet with a flange cord trim. This revealed a Jarrah timber frame in good condition and like most locally made upholstered furniture of the era the main frame was dowelled with the cosmetic frame components nailed. The timber frame was carefully knocked apart, glued with a superior PVA then screwed together.

The upholstery started with fitting jute webbing then lacing coil springs, tying down the springs and fitting hessian overlays. Synthetic edge moulding was used to form the foundation of the upholstered edges then fabricated various layers of premium polyurethane that were laminated over the seat top and inside back to create the necessary upholstered structure including flute detail. Bonded polyester fibre was then used as a final layer to provide the necessary finish when upholstered.

A traditional chenille was selected for the upholstery covering with a contrast fabric from the same range for piping. The upholstery techniques combined traditional and contemporary methods with the foundation period authentic but with a modern touch to the finish. The back flutes were channelled into the foam/polyester with the upholstery laced to the hessian foundation providing greater comfort than the original. Likewise the seat was still firm but well-padded and even compared with the old flock and fibre techniques. The outside back panel was lined and padded with the contrast piping highlighting the art-deco detail.

The result spoke for its self with our client happy that her Nan’s upholstered slipper chair would now look in place at her home while retaining the family history.

We are delighted with the outcome

Cleaning out my Nan’s house recently after she passed away we found an old chair that was in pretty poor condition. Believing that it had potentially belonged to our Nan’s parents we decided to get it refurbished and keep it in the family.

We rang Frank at Parker Interiors to get his opinion. Dealing with Frank was a pleasure, he was very knowledgeable and very helpful when it came to choosing what materials to use. Frank explained what options would be best to keep the authenticity of the chair.

We are delighted with the outcome and love the look of the new chair. Frank was even able to tell us that it was originally made in Perth sometime in the 1930’s.

Ronni

Salter Point W.A.

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Tessa Furniture Restoration

ByFrank Parker

Tessa Furniture History

Tessa originally was known as Twen commencing operations in 1968 then the name changed to Tessa in 1970. Tessa was formed by Fred Lowen, his brother Howard Lindsey and design technician Sigi Danielzik. However Fred commenced furniture manufacturing with Earnest Rodeck in the mid 1950’s having formed Fler which was sold in 1967. Tessa expanded operations nationally during the 1970’s with international links becoming an iconic name during the heydays of local furniture manufacturing.

Restored mid-century furniture with a Scandinavian influence is a niche market although the interest not only resides with those who have witnessed this period. Some discerning members of younger generations are purchasing or have inherited this furniture and enjoy involvement in the restoration process.

Our client purchased this piece of Tessa furniture secondhand from Amber-Brown, a well-known and respected Perth mid-century furniture dealer who referred her onto Parker Interiors for professional restoration. This Tessa T9 chair design effectively represented the end of the mid-century era as it was produced in the early 1980’s however it was clearly inspired by similar Danish chairs produced in the 1950’s and 60’s.

We subsequently removed all the upholstery and initially carried out the frame restoration with the joints knocked apart and dowels re-glued. The legs and arms were constructed from laminated timber finished with a Tasmanian Blackwood timber veneer with the stuffing and seat rails being solid Tasmanian Blackwood. The veneer was carefully sanded and touched-up then polished with a 30% gloss lacquer containing a Baltic stain to match the veneer background. Three coats were applied with the frame ribbed down between coats with super fine steel wool.

The base was re-webbed with a heavy quality elastic webbing then quilt padding fitted. The cushion inserts were fabricated from firm premium foam and encased in bonded polyester fibre. The cushion covers were cut and sewn as original using a superior olive velvet with a semi-crushed look. The result was a chair which looked like it had been lifted from an early eighties high end furniture pamphlet.

Well done to Frank and the team

I had come across this Tessa T9 which required restoration. Being a rare piece of furniture, I needed an expert to complete the restoration. From the moment I met Frank I knew he would do a fantastic job, he is a rare gem that loves his job and appreciates mid-century furniture. Old school service was outstanding and the restoration far exceeded my expectations. Well done to Frank and the team, we will enjoy this chair for many years to come. As the old saying goes; we never really own these pieces, we merely look after them for the next generation.

Tiffany

Mt. Hawthorn W.A.

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Don Rex Furniture – Restoration

ByFrank Parker

Don Rex was a Brisbane based furniture manufacturer operating from the 1950’s to the 1970’s. They primarily manufactured Danish influenced designs now commonly referred to as mid-century furniture. Don Rex Furniture was renowned for utilising native hardwoods and high quality craftsmanship. Given this their refined designs are sort after by mid-century enthusiasts today.

Our business has always been focused on helping private clients with their upholstered furniture requirements and we value the constant stream of referrals. However as restored ‘mid-century’ furniture has gained popularity we have commenced working with several discerning furniture dealers. Working with these mid-century furniture dealers has introduced us to this brand of chairs, including Don Rex dining chairs and Don Rex armchairs. As they were only a medium sized manufacturer and based in Brisbane there is not a significant amount of this furniture brand circulating in W.A.

The Don Rex chairs we have restored have been soundly constructed and only occasionally requiring the frame joints to be re-glued. The frames are then sanded back then either lacquered or oiled depending upon client requirements. New cushion inserts are always fabricated from premium foam and wrapped with bonded polyester fibre. The chairs are always upholstered to the original finish which is not necessarily the way they arrive if they have been previously re-upholstered.

It is pleasing to see many younger clients purchasing this restored mid-century furniture. This displays the timeless quality of the designs but maybe more importantly young people turning away from a throw-away society.

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Upcycling Sofas Perth

ByFrank Parker

Upcycling furniture as with many other product lines has evolved from a trendy bohemian life gesture into a mainstream way of living. For Parker Interiors this is reflected in sales as when we commenced operations in 2006, 70% of our production was new furniture and 30% restoration. Now in 2024, these figures have completely reversed. The types of upholstered furniture being upcycled have also evolved which is interesting.

Several decades ago in the early stages of furniture upcycling upholstered antique furniture would be stripped, the show-wood frames would be brightly lacquered and the furniture re-upholstered in varied bright remnant fabrics. The next up-cycling stage was the refurbishing of 1930’s to 1950’s club lounges. These designs were almost unique to Australia and it became fashionable for the young professional class to have club lounges restored to their individual requirements. The following restoration phase is mid-century furniture which is presently huge and likely to continue for many years. Those having mid-century furniture restored are the inheriting grandchildren in their twenties setting up homes to the aged original purchases who still admire the beauty and practicality of this furniture.

The enquiry commenced with a phone call from our clients almost on the eve of Christmas requesting a quote on the re-upholstery of a pair of settees located at a Salvos furniture Perth. However, we understood our clients had serious intent as they had already selected a fabric so we met them at the charity shop with a sample of their selected upholstery fabric. The settees were inspected and quoted upon sight then we were asked to transport them back to our Canning Vale factory.

In the New Year we removed all the existing upholstery on this old furniture pieces and carried out minor structural adjustments to the timber frames. New turned legs were also acquired and stained to client requirements. The reupholstery commenced with heavy quality elastic webbing fitted to the seats and backs then high density foam laminated to the frame bodies. Premium foam was fabricated to form the shell backs as well as cylindrical arm and seat cushion inserts. The inside backs with the cushions were all then laminated with bonded polyester fibre.

The upholstery fabric was cut with great attention to pattern matching given the fabric concerned was a bold pattern. We worked through the upholstery process on the two settees simultaneously guaranteeing an identical finish with piped detail. This included lining and padding the outside back panels also trimmed with piping.

The reclaimed furniture looked more tailored than the original upholstery finish and the result was spectacular. The settees were brought back to life in a bold majestic way but still retained the essence of their reproduction art-deco design. This is upcycling in the truest sense and we trust this luxury furniture will be enjoyed for many years.

Thanks Frank for you and your team’s professional approach and investment in quality

What started out as a routine drop of some charity goods at our local Salvo’s, has ended up in a lifetime investment into beautiful unique furniture that we will treasure forever. We both found the unusually shaped twin settees quietly awaiting their new owner on a quiet weekday morning just before Christmas 2023 and fell in love with them, but they needed some help. “Who will you get to do it?” I asked. “Well”, she answered in response, “I’ve been following Parker Interiors who are really adept at performing restorations and who do a fantastic job of it” – she knew exactly who to call.

And she did, Frank Parker was phoned with a photo of the settees as we stood in the shop. We arranged to meet Frank on site (at Salvo’s) only a day later after we had secured the settees. Frank had told us before we met that Warwick Fabrics was where to look and when we saw Warwick Flower Bomb (Violet) there could be no other choice – to match the TV wall in our under construction home and to allow us to use other accent colours to complement. He was bang on time on the day, and showed us samples of fabrics and we quickly confirmed our choice, and he also went to great pains to explain exactly what restoration he would need to do and what it would cost, but no pressure. Frank promised to check over the frames, change the feet, bolster some of the foam padding and above all returned our newly found treasurers given a new life.

From December to late February our settees received their new start in life. Frank held them over in his factory a limited time after they were completed while we awaited our new home to be handed over, so we could deliver there. Nothing seemed to be a trouble. And it was well worth the wait, what a result – we are so happy with them and they will be a family treasure!

Thanks Frank for you and your team’s professional approach and investment in quality. We value the great experience we had and thoroughly recommend your service, with its accompanying care and artisanship to others in a similar situation as we were in. We are convinced that Parker Interiors will apply these values restoring anyone else’s furniture and once again granting them renewed and enhanced lives.

Graeme and Liesl

Guildford W.A

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T H Brown Chairs– Restoration

ByFrank Parker

Thomas Howard Brown in 1911 formed Brown Brothers Wholesale Chair Manufacturers based in Adelaide. They grew rapidly supplying furniture and department stores, then in 1942 became T.H. Brown & Sons. The business continued to grow and became one of Australia’s largest furniture manufacturers. With the death of Thomas in 1964 his sons Napier and Peter continued to expand the business with interstate manufacturing. In 1987 with the retirement of Peter the business was sold to Work Space Commercial Furniture. Thomas’s grandson Simon joined the business in 2015 forming a joint operation to re-launch some of T H Brown’s signature mid-century furniture.

These classic T H Brown occasional chairs were supplied to us for restoration through a well known mid-century furniture retailer. The chairs had previously been poorly repaired so they were stripped to the bare frames. The frame joints were repaired then all surfaces sanded back, stained and three coats of low sheen lacquer applied. The chairs were fitted with quality elastic webbing and premium foam cushioning profiled then polyester fibre laminated. The small pattern textured upholstery fabric selected was carefully matched during cutting and sewing.

The overall effect with the timber stain tone and upholstery fabric selected gave a slightly modern touch to the restored mid-century chair. However the most important point is that this furniture restoration bought joy to our client.

Parker’s restored these pieces so perfectly

I am very blessed . . . Brendan suggested buying these two chairs for my office from Benskys Vintage. Naomi Baron chose some fabulous fabric and Parker’s restored these pieces so perfectly. Customer (me) extremely happy thank you.

Vivienne

Dianella W.A.

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Danish Deluxe – Restoration

ByFrank Parker

Danish Deluxe commenced operations in 1958 and was located at a series of factories in Huntingdale Victoria. The business was founded by Neville Ashkanasy, John Westacott and Borg Gjorstvang with most of the designing done in house however they also manufactured under licence. Danish Deluxe utilised moulded polystyrene frames to which they had an exclusive licence in Australia. The business grew rapidly reaching national distribution by 1968 and ceased operations in the early 1980’s.

Our client who has had a long term involvement and is well known in the local furniture manufacturing industry approached us regarding restoring a Danish Deluxe ‘Trina’ lounge suite. He had been going to restore the furniture for years however it only reached the dismantled stage. He had noticed another ‘Trina’ lounge suite displayed on our social media which we had also recently restored for another well-known Perth furniture family.

This job was to be given the works so the timber base frames were first sanded then glued using two-pack resin and clamped overnight. The frames were then given another light sand and stained a blended Oak/Walnut returning the timber to its original colour. Then three coats of lacquer were applied with a light sand between coats then a final rub down with super fine steel wool returning bringing the frame back to the original mid-century finish.

The arms were upholstered using a beautiful full-aniline leather which was top-stitched and moulded well to the polystyrene arms. The internal frames were knocked apart, glued and screwed then linked zig-zag springs fitted to the bases and quality elastic webbing fitted to the back frames. The back and seat carcases were also then upholstered in leather. Replacement seat and back cushion inserts were fabricated using premium foam and then encasing with bonded polyester fibre. The head-rest cushions featured quilted polyester filled inserts providing a more rounded and soft finish. The cushions were upholstered in a similar colour wool but the variation in covering textures displayed a classic mid-century finish.

This suite restored about five and a half decades after manufacturing now resides in a mid-century Fremantle home. We trust it will now endure another five decades.

We are thrilled with the contrast and finish

Hi Frank – Alicia and I would like to thank you and your staff for the fantastic craftsmanship that you have done to revive our 1966 Danish Deluxe 3-seater and chairs.
I was given the furniture 15 years ago and never had the heart to throw it away. This has been restored to new with the Aniline leather on the base and wool cushions from Kvadrat Maharam on the seat cushion. Both the leather and fabric I have also had for several years, and we are thrilled with the contrast and finish.

Once again, we greatly appreciate the great service and quality of work and comfortable lounge suite now to enjoy.

Shaun & Alicia

Fremantle W.A.

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