Re-upholstery of a Jason Recliner Chair

By Frank Parker

Transforming the Classic Jason Recliner

Jason recliner chairs are an iconic piece of Australian furniture valued for their quality craftsmanship and durability, making them sought after to this day. This restoration aimed to preserve the chair’s structure for future generations to come.

The Origin of Jason Recliners

Jason chairs were manufactured under license from Lazy Boy in Munro Michigan. The factory operated in Welshpool WA from the mid 1960s through to about 1990. These chairs were known for featuring a very robust and unique mechanism. The business was owned and managed by the Bridge family with the chairs distributed around Australia and at its peak they were also exported.

This is Our Restoration Process

The chair was completely stripped and the mechanism cleaned and lubricated
The show-wood rocker base and the turned wing sections were sanded and re-lacquered dark walnut
The back zig zag springs were linked
New hessian was layered over the seat springs
New high density padding was laminated onto the body
New polyester encased premium cushioning was fabricated and
The chair was then re-upholstered to the same finish in an English Heritage Linen

This chair was also of sentimental value as it previously belonged to our client’s father. We wish her many years of memorable moments in this special chair.

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Custom Upholstery
ByFrank Parker

This custom-made dining lounge was designed and manufactured by a cabinet making firm then upholstered by a local upholstery business. The frame was well designed and constructed however there were continual substantial issues with the upholstery. Unfortunately this is something that occurs to often in our industry.

A client approached us saying she had a custom-made dining lounge and there were substantial issues with the upholstery and she had given up trying to negotiate any solution with this upholstery business. The entire front edge of the seat had collapsed and buttons which she did not want but were initiated by the upholstery firm had ‘popped’. Our client engaged us to completely re-upholster this dining lounge.

We completely removed the existing upholstery and discovered the problems causing the clients concerns. The previous upholsterers had used high quality foam on the seat however they had used a water based contact adhesive to which there are still major application problems and is was simply just not effective. Also the reason they had to place buttons into the seat and back panels was that the patterns were not true to the frame sizes causing the cushions to distort.

We started from scratch making templates true to the frame then fabricated premium cushioning and laminated it with bonded polyester fibre. The cushion covers were then carefully marked with sewing indicators and sewn to shape as such large panels can either be stretched or gathered. The lounge was then upholstered with minimal effort as the fabric covers fitted perfectly.

The result was that our client was absolutely overwhelmed with the result and we have since received repeat work from her. This just goes to show that quality work is always the best form of advertising and everyone is a winner.

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Le Cornu Furniture – reupholster
ByFrank Parker

Le Cornu was an iconic South Australian furniture manufacturing and retailing business. Operations commenced in 1861 when Phillip Le Cornu started a wholesale cabinet making business in Adelaide. In 1885 the factory was largely destroyed by fire and recommenced operations at a former church in North Adelaide. In 1921 the founder died and his son Phillip took over the business expanding operations and by 1924 employed 25 people.

In 1954 the business went factory direct with a diversified range of furniture and over the next two decades expanded retail stores in S.A and Darwin. In 1989 the North Adelaide store was closed and then the business was sold to Fantastic Holdings in 2008.

Our client approached us wanting to re-upholster a settee purchased by his parents from Le Cornu in 1959. This settee was the surviving piece of the lounge suite which he grew up with and lounged upon as a teenager. It was still upholstered in the original fabric being a ribbed velvet which would have been the latest trend at the time of purchase.

We removed all the existing upholstery from the settee frame and it was well constructed with little structural work required. The frame was re-sprung with heavier gauge no-sag springs on the seat and the back springs were replaced with the same gauge. The springs were linked, outside arms and back were lined with hessian and high density body work padding applied. The original cushion inserts were latex and these were replaced with polyester encased premium cushions. The two seater settee was then upholstered to its original finish in a ribbed Zepel gold velvet.

Our client was gobsmacked upon delivery of the settee saying it was just as he remembered it as a child growing up in Adelaide.

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Restoration of Antique Chairs
ByFrank Parker

Genuine fine antique chairs become scarcer as time ticks on due to fatigue with function and unnecessary destruction. Poor and inappropriate furniture repairs due to operators not possessing the necessary skills also increase the scarcity. It is important to always use a reputable and skilled restorer.

Our client approached us with a dining chair from the 1880’s which was bequeathed to her by her maternal grandmother as one was for each granddaughter. After receiving the chair she had it repaired and re-upholstered however within a short time with only gentle use the lower back carved section again broke away. The chair remained in her lounge room as a decorative piece for several decades but constantly annoyed her until we were presented with the repair and re-upholstery task.

The lumbar carved section had broken away for two reasons; only an average quality PVA glue had been used for the repair and where the timber had fractured there was burl grain so it was originally flawed. We chipped away the remaining burl timber then stage by stage rebuilt the carved section in question using two-pack epoxy resin. Each section was masked-up and filled with resin then sanded into shape. After this was completed the re-built section was stained to match the remaining timber work.

The existing upholstery was then completely removed with new jute webbing being fitted, coil springs then laced in and tied down and a hessian overlay fitted. A synthetic thumb roll was then fitted to the seat edges and filled in with high density premium padding then a bonded polyester overlay. The chair was then upholstered in a black cut pile cotton velvet and finished with twin piping. This method reduces the cost for our client but also creates a usable and durable seat however not authentic of the period.

Our client was elated with the finished result especially because the chair would once again become a functional piece of furniture.

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Re-upholster antique chair in linen
ByFrank Parker

The use of different upholstery materials can totally transform the appearance of a chair. You may have inherited a chair or just have seen an antique chair where you admire the design but have to use your imagination regarding a suitable fabric for re-upholstery which would suit your décor. In this situation take your time to investigate the possibilities and possibly consult with an upholsterer experienced in this area of work.

A client came to see us from the South West farming town of Boyup Brook as they had inherited chair from the United Kingdom made in the 1880’s. This chair had sadly resided in their shed for many years and was in a dilapidated state having been previously in leather. They wanted this chair to be re-furbished for their bedroom so a Heritage Linen with a matching soft pink cotton velvet for piping.

The existing upholstery was completely stripped to the frame then structural repairs carried out and the legs re-polished. We then fitted jute webbing, laced and tied down coil springs with hessian overlays. The shapes were then developed utilising modern polyurethane furniture edging instead of fibre fill stitched edges and premium high density foam instead of the traditional flock and fibre. We feel that using this combination of traditional and modern methods of building the upholstery foundation gives an authentic finish with superior comfort.

The chair was then upholstered a high quality screen printed vat dyed linen with a matching pink cotton velvet piping. This gave a softer appearance to the chair which was required by our client. This chair having been constructed in the 1880’s was now rejuvenated by descendants of the original owners and functional in 2019!

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Woodmark Furniture – Reupholster
ByFrank Parker
Background of Woodmark Furniture

Woodmark was founded in Australia in 1986 by Arne Christiansen having departed Denmark for Australia in 1968. Initially the company was importing premium quality upholstered Danish furniture into Australia. In 1990 they commenced manufacturing high quality furniture in Australia. Christiansen, an upholsterer by trade, established their manufacturing operations by producing iconic Danish brand names under a licence. Woodmark Furniture then started collaborative work with local Australian furniture designer Charles Wilson and other notable designers. The Woodmark company won many prized contracts for suppling furniture including the new Parliament House and have furniture on display at the Powerhouse Museum.

Our Client’s Story

A Special Family Connection

Our Mandurah client approached us with their Woodmark sofa for reupholstery. Her late husband was an upholsterer working for Woodmark and had upholstered this sofa. It was made in 2008 and was upholstered in a high-quality knitted wool suiting the design but unfortunately also silverfish.

How Parker Interiors Restored This Settee

We removed the original fabric revealing a ply-wood frame and cold-cure molded foam, obviously designed for heavy commercial activity. The new premium fabric selected by our clients was a synthetic olive boucle being insect proof. With the two-way curves and twin-stitched detail we first made-up mock sections to ensure correct patterns. Fitting the sewn fabric covers was a two person task and lifting the sofa was a four person task

A Timeless Piece Of Furniture

The result spoke for itself with the twin-stitched fabric snugly fitting the contours of the couch. We’re sure this iconic piece of Australian made, Danish influenced furniture will continue to endure the rigors of time.
Exemplary Attention to Detail
Frank and his team transformed our mid-20^th century designer settee, whose condition had deteriorated substantially, with aplomb. His advice on choice of material and his determination to ensure that the restoration made the item of furniture more than just functional, is a testament to his exemplary attention to detail and client service.
At the same time, we also had eight dining chairs re-upholstered and again, the craftsmanship in their repair could not be faulted.
Nic & Kiki
Secret Harbour W.A
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Reupholstering Mid-Century Leather Furniture
ByFrank Parker
The History of Kill International Furniture

Kill International Furniture was a globally recognised German bespoke ‘mid-century’ furniture manufacturer named after the founder Alfred Kill. Kill developed a product range by collaborating with renowned Danish furniture designers such as Preben Fabricius and Jorgen Kastholm. However, the furniture refurbished was designed by Rudolf Glatzel (1911-1999) and produced at the Kill International factory in Stuttgart – Fellbach Germany as documented in the photograph above.

Reupholstery of a Kill International Lounge Suite

A gentleman contacted us after Parker Interiors was recommended to him. The person who recommended us was the mid-century furniture dealer who he had purchased this nostalgic and rare suite consisting of a Kill International 3-seater settee and 2 Kill International lounge chairs. We were invited to his mid-century styled home and inspected the furniture. Given that it had never been re upholstered and was almost 60 years old it was in good structural condition. Just one back leg had a large chip. We explained that the leg could be repaired and the upholstery completely replaced. Given that this was a prestigious mid-century piece, we suggested a similar high quality black semi-aniline leather be used to maintain the design integrity. The Futura ‘Lena Black’ upholstery leather was selected by our client.

The Transformation Process

We disassembled the lounge suite and the first task was to rebuild the chipped rear leg with a two-pack resin. This was to make sure the fault was difficult to notice when completed. The body padding was replaced with appropriate high-density foams and the seat and back cushions were fabricated by laminating premium foams of various firmness then encased with bonded polyester fibre.

The Finished Product

The reupholstery replicated the original finish with large panel cuts and twin-stitched detail. Using hides of exceptional quality allowed us to use single panels for the Kill International 3-seater body. This was in accordance with the original design and ensured design integrity. The detailed stitching is a credit to our sewing machinist as was the buttoning and upholstery finish a credit to our master upholsterer.

Seeing Our Clients Amazed

The most rewarding aspect of our job is delivering the completed upholstered furniture. Our client was amazed with the finish which excelled his expectations. We just hope that the skilled artisans will exist in sixty years to refurbish this suite for our client’s grandchildren.
“I can only say how delighted I am with the result”
Last year I purchased a mid 1960s lounge suite in black leather by a famous German designer. After almost 60 years of wear and tear the suite was in poor condition: cushions were sagging and some were split, there was little spring left in the couch and one chair leg had a large chip.

Frank Parker was recommended to me as someone who could complete the job of full restoration to a high standard. Frank visited my house to see the suite, provided options in Italian leather and arranged for pick-up and delivery of the finished project for a mutual agreed date, later in the year.

I admit to feeling some ambivalence having gone ahead: this was a lot of money and what would I be getting in return? I can only say how delighted I am with the result. The professionalism of Frank’s team shows through in the quality of the finished project which exceeded my expectations. I look forward to contacting Frank in relation to some future work and unreservedly recommend Parker Interiors.
Mark – Hamersley
W.A.
Call us Today For Mid-Century Chair or Sofa Reupholstery
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