Sentimental Furniture For Years

By Frank Parker

Restoring Sentimental Furniture in Perth
Restoring Sentimental Furniture in Perth

Passing Down Furniture or Inheriting Furniture

It is always difficult to place a monetary value on something that is of high sentimental value however when the furniture has been restored the value is evident. Furniture that is of high sentimental value is usually inherited but may also have been from an era of perceived sentimental interest or have been previously possessed by an individual of interest. However regardless of the reason a high proportion of furniture we restore is due to sentimental value.

Reupholstering Library Chairs From the 1920’s

Our client approached us wanting to rejuvenate two library chairs with a matching chaise initially purchased new by his wife’s grandparents in the 1920’s being made in Australia. When we inspected this furniture it was in a completely dilapidated condition due to years of storage in a damp basement.

How We Renewed the Library Chairs

  • We completely striped the upholstery to the frame noting that it had also been re-upholstered shabbily
  • It was not until we had completely stripped the existing upholstery that we became aware that some of the carved timber rails were rotten due to prolonged storage in damp conditions
  • We approached the client with this information as restoration was going to be a major task.

A Collaborative Restoration

Our client still insisted the furniture be restored and this was now going to be a collaborative operation. Our friend from Eachells Fine Furniture was engaged to replace the rotten carved timber rails. He ascertained the species of Eastern States Eucalypt used in construction so replacements would look identical. The resurrected timber frames were then polished looking like original.

Our client still insisted the furniture be restored and this was now going to be a collaborative operation. Our friend from Eachells Fine Furniture was engaged to replace the rotten carved timber rails. He ascertained the species of Eastern States Eucalypt used in construction so replacements would look identical. The resurrected timber frames were then polished looking like original.

We then set about the task of re-upholstering this furniture using original methods and materials. They were webbed with heavy weight jute webbing then coiled springs were laced in, tied down then hessian overlays. We then however use laminated layers of premium padding encased in polyester. The result is fundamentally original methods but finishing with some new materials to enhance the comfort.

This furniture was upholstered to original finish and trimmed with a matching gimp. Our clients were ecstatic with tears of sentiment!

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  • Vince’s Upholstery – Reupholster

    We had previously reupholstered a Parker-Knoll 60’s wing back chair for a client who then requested us to reupholster two 2 ½ seater settees purchased in the early 80’s made by Vince’s Upholstery.

    Vince’s Upholstery was founded by Vince and Pina Scalisi who originally started the business from their home in East Perth making budget priced furniture. They progressed over time and became renowned for manufacturing top end custom-made lounge furniture from a purpose built factory in Morley.

    Our clients presented us with two identical looking 2 ½ seater settees however when we removed the fabric it became obvious they were purchased at different times as one settee featured a traditional sprung edge and the other a fabricated foam edge with different springs. The challenge was to reupholster the two settees so they both felt identical for comfort.

    We re-webbed the seats and fitted new coil springs of the same height and gauge then fabricated a foam edge on one settee to replicate the sprung edge of the other. We also replaced all existing hessian and body padding however the down and feather cushion inners were still in good condition so we encased these in 200g boned polyester fibre. The settees were reupholstered to the original finish in a cotton velvet then delivered to very happy clients!

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  • Boans Furniture – reupholster

    The Boan brothers opened their first department store at Wellington Street Perth in 1895 then moved into selling furniture in 1912. After the First World War demand for furniture was strong so Boans commenced manufacturing furniture from a factory located corner Saunders and Glide Streets Perth. The range of furniture made was extensive from cabinetry to upholstered furniture, mattresses and cane furniture.

    With the anti -Asian sentiment dominate during this period the Factories Act of 1904 forced Asian furniture manufacturing companies to stamp on their products “Asiatic Labour” and so Boans like many other local furniture manufacturers of time took advantage of this situation advertising that their furniture was made with “European Labour Only”.

    During the late 1960’s Boans started retailing furniture from other specialist manufactures and also started importing furniture. Boans remained dominate and indeed an iconic retailing business in WA for almost a century and was sold to Myer in 1986.

    We were approached by a mother and daughter who had fond memories of their lounge furniture purchased from Boans in the early 1960’s which was made under licence to Parker Knoll in the UK. The lounge suite had served the family well for almost 60 years however it was certainly due for re-upholstery.

    They selected a Warwick linen to replace the original Sanderson linen so the furniture would retain an elegant appearance in their sitting room. We completely removed all existing upholstery then rectified a few minor structural issues with the timber frames. The tension springs were replaced and the bodywork padding was replaced with high density polyurethane foam and the cushions were fabricated from premium foam and encased with bonded polyester. The linen was pattern matched, cut and sewn then upholstered to its original splendour.

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  • Why do modern sprung cushions have problems?

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    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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  • Reupholstery of Jarvi Furniture Lounge

    A Special Wedding Gift

    A couple were getting married and had requested of their wedding guests to contribute to the re-upholstery of their ‘Jarvi’ lounge suite. This lounge furniture with a matching table and cabinetry was purchased by the Groom in NSW some time ago and the fabric for the re-upholstery selected by the Bride.

    The History of Jarvi Furniture

    Jarvi Furniture was founded by Len Jarvi, who was born in Finland in 1910. Len migrated to Australia learning his trade at Chesterfield Furniture in Botany NSW. He then established Jarvi Furniture in Sydney after the war. They were focused on manufacturing high quality lounge and dining furniture influenced on the Jacobean style of furniture. Len Jarvi died in an accident on his farm in 1959 however his quality furniture still lives on today.

    The Lounge Suite Restoration Process

    We worked on restoring the frame of the lounge through the following process:

    • Stripped this lounge suite down to the bare frame
    • Repaired several minor structural defects
    • cleaned and polished the show-wood frame
    • re-webbed the bases with jute webbing
    • coil springs were laced into place and then overlayed with hessian
    • Several modern materials were used to finish of the sprung edge (whilst maintaining quality)
    • Placed a synthetic thumb-roll on the front edge and
    • Then finished with a high density foam overlay

    Finally, the front edge and borders were hand sewn to give the traditional finish.

    The Final Part of the Lounge Reupholstery

    The seat and back cushions were box piped using cotton piping cord. We also incorporated zip borders so the cushions are removable. The cushion inserts we used were laminated premium quality polyurethane foams encased in bonded polyester fibre. The result being firm resilient cushioning that will last for decades.

    Such a special gift for this newly married couple.

    Call us Today to Get Your Furniture Reupholstered
  • Reupholstery of Late 19th to Mid 20th Century Classic Australian Furniture

    mid century chair upholstery

    This classic mid century three seater couch was manufactured in 1948 by Hicks Furniture in Kalgoorlie Western Australia. Some classic furniture was made in major WA regional centres from the late-19th century through to the mid-20th century. This was due to the problems associated with long distance transport of bulky fragile items and the fact that many skilled trades people from all walks of life migrated to these areas during the preceding gold rushes. However the other important factor is that the demand existed during this time frame for quality upholstered furniture.

    This midcentury couch was purchased by its current owner who is now 93 years of age when he was married at the age of 24, as a present for his wife. It is interesting to note that it was re-upholstered in the 1970’s. The original sprung edge was replaced with timber rails. The initial upholstery fabric was a tapestry and it was re-upholstered in an olive velvet. Unfortunately the furniture repair of this piece wasn’t detailed. It was limited to only replacing a sprung edge with timber and placing the new fabric over the old sandwiched with a layer of foam.

    We stripped the existing upholstery back to the frame then carefully knocked the joints apart, glued then clamped and screwed the frame where necessary. Our client wanted to retain the history of this mid century sofa so we simply cleaned up the show-wood timber. We also touched up the chips with an oak stain and then used a quality furniture polish to bring back the shine. The frame was then webbed and re-sprung mainly using traditional upholstery methods with an art-deco upholstery fabric. The result is that a classic Australian made couch has been given a new lease of life for future generations to enjoy.

    Call us Today to Have Your Mid Century Furniture Beautifully Restored
  • Leather Furniture Repair

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    This leather is an exceptionally high quality semi-aniline leather used to upholster a beautiful contemporary settee. The client thought that the scarring was excessive and considered them as leather imperfections. With this type of rustic look natural leather defects are acceptable and indeed considered a feature. However scarring where the surface is broken can be seen as a type of leather damage and should be confined to inconspicuous areas of the upholstery.

    This was a case in which the client complained with possible good reason. The manufacture should have been more prudent with the leather cutting process and the furniture retailer should have better explained the natural features of rustic semi-aniline leather to the client. Fortunately this settee was made in Australia and both the manufacturer and retailer acted quickly  to rectify the problem resulting in a happy ending!

    Call us Today to Have Your Timeless Furniture Restored