Restoring Fler Furniture

By Frank Parker

Fler Furniture Reupholstered Perth
Fler Furniture Reupholstered Perth

Background of Fler Furniture

Fler Furniture was founded by Fred Lowen and Earnest Rodeck in 1946 and ran through until 1968 producing iconic designs now referred to as ‘mid-century’ furniture. Featured in this article are the Fler D71 ‘Norsk Divan’ and the E71 chair purchased from a Perth furniture retail store in 1960.

Our Clients Furniture Request

Our client contacted us saying she had furniture purchased by her parents in 1960 from a Perth furniture retailer. This furniture was then given to her daughter by the grandparents when she set up home then her daughter had the furniture re-upholstered in the late 1980’s. When this furniture was re-upholstered the upholstery design was altered and finished to a very poor standard. Her mother recently took back this furniture and wanted it restored to original condition and finish.

The divan and chairs were completely disassembled including the timber frame components.

The timber components were sanded back with the oversized fixing holes and dents filled with two pack resin then reassembled using a crosslinking PVA.

The frames were then stained to the original timber tone and three coats of 30% gloss lacquer was applied then finished with a rub of superfine steel wool.

New cushion inserts fabricated from premium foam with polyester overlays now conformed to the original dimensions. The fabric selected by our client was a sage velvet having a semi-crushed effect with the upholstery also detailed to the original finish.

The Restored Mid-Century Furniture

The result spoke for itself and our client was absolutely delighted with her restored mid-century furniture taking her back to childhood days.

See more of our high quality furniture restorations.

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  • Don Rex Furniture – Restoration

    don rex chairs
    don rex furniture

    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 sought 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.

    Call us Today to Have Your Timeless Furniture Restored
  • Our Restoration of a Manhattan Lounge Chair

    Reupholster Manhattan Chair
    Reupholster Manhattan Chair

    The Origin of Guy Rodgers

     The ‘Manhattan’ lounge chair was manufactured by Guy Rodgers of Liverpool. They were the largest and most well known makers of contemporary upholstered furniture, in the U.K. during the 1960’s. Their designs were all named after prominent U.S destinations. The Manhattan was the most popular Guy Rodgers style designed by Eric Phamphilon and George Fejer.

    Our Clients Story

    We were contacted by a client who we had previously reupholstered a lounge suite for. She explained that she had a single lounge chair remaining from her parent’s divan suite, brought over from the U.K when the family emigrated. She now wanted 
    to have the chair completely restored for her son and his family.

    Transforming the Chair

    The Reupholstering Process

    1. We removed all the existing upholstery and dismantled the timber frame. – the stained and lacquered surfaces were carefully sanded back. It revealed that the chair was constructed from solid Afromosia, an African timber bearing similar characteristics to Teak. 
    2. After the preparations had been completed the timber frame was stained a mid-tone walnut and lacquered with a 30% gloss to the original finish. 
    3. Completely new cushioning was fabricated from laminated premium foams then wrapped with bonded polyester fibre to replicate the seating comfort.
    4. The upholstery fabric selected by our client was a plain blue chenille, Wortley ‘Domo Capri’. This was reupholstered differently to the previous upholstery but was tailored to replicate the original finish
    Stripping back the chair
    A before of the manhattan chair
    A manhattan chair ready to be restored

    The End Result

    Our client told us her daughter in-law was ecstatic when collecting the chair and that her son also treasured the chair. These jobs are more than a monetary undertaking, we are trusted with family heirlooms just like this chair everyday – which are more valuable. 


    • “Looks Absolutely Brand New”


      This chair was part of a three-piece suite bought by my mother at a furniture store in Watford, Hertfordshire in the 1950’s. My parents were just a normal working-class 
       family with not much cash left before the next pay day, but we needed a new three- piece. Mum and I in the exciting outing finished up in the hoop which I believe was Calle Grange. We both fell in love with this particular suite, which was quite pricey. We committed to paying for the suite on hire purchase, paying a deposit then paid a fixed amount on a regular basis until it was fully paid. It was a rather unusual suite, the settee could become a single bed simply by turning the back over. The back panel was hollow designed for storing the bedding. We brought this suite with us when we immigrated to Perth in 1981. Mum had 
       it re-covered at some stage then after several years she decided it wasn’t needed and only kept one chair. When she passed my son said he would like the chair which 
       now required serious attention. Having seen the excellent job Parker Interiors had done in re-covering my armchairs Christopher asked them to restore this chair. Everything was done to perfection including the timber parts being restored and polished. In fact, it looks absolutely brand new and strangely enough the original upholstery was blue. Thank you all the craftsmen that had a hand in the restoration of a much-loved family heirloom, one that holds many treasured memories.
       

       
      Valerie
      Morley W.A. 
    Call us Today to Get Your Precious Family Furniture Transformed

  • Danish Deluxe – Restoration

    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.
    Call us Today
  • Danish Lounge Suite Reupholstery

    Hans Wegner Lounge Chair Perth
    Hans Wegner Lounge Perth

    The Fascinating History of Hans Wegner

    reupholster hans wegner stool Perth
    Recover hans wegner couch Perth

    Restoring a Danish Hans Wegner Model 233

    We had over the years restored a considerable amount of upholstered mid-century furniture for these particular clients. The latest job we did for them was the restoration of a Hans Wegner ‘model 233’. A classic Danish lounge suite which was in very good condition.

    The Lounge Frame

    Given that the lounge was in such good condition the timber frame only required scuffing, a coating with a 30% gloss lacquer then a light rub down with polish and super fine steel wool. The frame had a seat springing system which remained in superb condition, so this just required new replacement quilted padding fitted with elastic tabs.

    The Lounge Cushions

    The seat and back cushions were interesting being internally sprung but were slightly firm and uncomfortable. So we replaced the cushion inserts with laminated premium foam encased with bonded polyester fibre. This provided firmer cushioning and was considerably more comfortable. The upholstery fabric selected was Zepel ‘Mingle-Mangle Spice’ which gave the lounge a more updated finish while keeping within the design. Finally, the cushions were slip-stitch closed eliminating the requirement for zips (maintaining the original clean lines) and then buttoned.

    Exceeding Our Clients Expectations

    Our clients had high expectations and the team at Parker Interiors ensured we exceeded them. This mid century piece of Danish furniture was modernised whilst maintaining its classic mid-century simplicity. We trust this furniture will stay in the family for future generations to enjoy.


    Call us Today to Get Your Quality Furniture Reupholstered

  • The Reupholstery of Van Treight Chairs

    Reupholster Van Treight Chair
    Reupholster Van Treight Chair

    The Story of Van Freight Furniture

    Van Treight Furniture was founded by John Van Treight in 1947. Operations commenced with only one assistant, making nursery furniture from a shed in Parramatta. The business grew rapidly moving into manufacturing quality colonial style bedroom, dining and lounge furniture. In 1959 they made the shift into their Homebush factory with about 50 staff. In the early 1960’s the company also started producing Scandinavian influenced design. Then in 1966 acquired the rights to import and manufacture under licence from Drexel Heritage. In 1972 Van Treight shifted to a new purpose-built factory at North Rocks NSW employing about 65 staff. By the mid 1980’s they were employing over 130 staff and supplying top-end furniture to the leading national department stores and specialist furniture retailers.  

    Flash forward twenty years and the renowned furniture manufacturers were toppling due to cheap imitation furniture flooding in from Asia. Van Treight Furniture officially closed in 2001 and Drexel Heritage filed for bankruptcy in 2014.

    Our Clients Story

    Our Fremantle based client contacted us saying she had two chairs which she purchased in 1978 for her husband’s home study. The chairs were in severe need of refurbishment. Upon inspection of these chairs, we instantly recognised them as Van Treight, one of the legendary local manufacturers from the golden age of Australian furniture manufacturing.   

    How We Transformed the Chairs

    Reupholstering the Chairs

    1. We completely removed all the existing upholstery from the chairs revealing a timber frame.
    2. The timber show-wood bases were cleaned then touched up with stain and polish.
    3. The original seats and back zig-zag springs were still in good condition so we just fitted additional spring edge wire links.
    4. The upholstery fabric was selected, it was the William Morris ‘Fruit Velvet – Midnight’ which suited the chair design.
    5. Cutting patterns were developed with the fabric being carefully pattern matched.
    6. High density foam was fabricated and laminated to the frames.
    7. The bodywork was then upholstered bringing the chairs slowly back to life.
    8. The outside arm and back panels were lined and padded then carefully upholstered with piped detail.
    9. The back cushioning was fabricated using polyester filled channelled and quilted inserts and the seat cushions were fabricated from premium foam encased with bonded polyester fibre. When filled the cushioning completed the rejuvenation.       

    The End Result

    Behind every re-upholstery job is a story and when the chairs were delivered the warm smile on our client’s face said it all.  

    Reupholster Manhattan Chair

    • “Restored the chairs to their former glory”


      Thank you for re-upholstering my two Van Treight chairs which I purchased in 1978 as a surprise for my husband, Professor Bob Reece’s study here in Fremantle. Along with purpose built Jarrah book shelves and a restored Jarrah desk from the Fremantle wool store building, they created a perfect space for his work. Your restoration with the exquisite William Morris fabric has restored the chairs to their former glory. Thank you. 
       

       
      Lesley   
      Fremantle W.A. 
    Call us Today to Get Your Van Treight Furniture Transformed

  • Tessa Furniture Restoration

    Second hand tessa furniture

    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.
    Call us Today to Have Your Timeless Furniture Restored