Bridge Chairs – Restore - Parker Interiors

Bridge Chairs were originally designed and made in the late 1930’s originating from Europe. Bridge Chairs are compact in size allowing them to be used in most rooms, suiting bedrooms, to accompany dining tables and even offices. It was said they were for “ladies of leisure for games of Bridge, afternoon tea and gossiping”. The popularity and manufacturing of this design spread throughout the western world with the chairs being made until the late 1950’s. The frames were usually constructed from Beech or Oak but in Australia native hardwoods were extensively used then stained to client requirements.

We had undertaken previous work for a client who again approached us with a Bridge Chair having belonged to her parents. She rescued the chair from a trailer heading for the tip. This chair was originally in a set of four having been purchased by her parents for their farm house in the wheatbelt town of Karlgarin.

We removed the existing upholstery then repaired the frame joints with two-pack resin and screwed the chair rails. The arms and legs were sanded back having been constructed from Jarrah which was still structurally sound but had been bleached due to decades on a veranda. The show-wood Jarrah was stained and three coats of lacquer applied being sanded between coats.

The upholstery foundation was kept original with jute webbing fitted to the seat, coil springs laced then tied-down then a hessian overlay fitted and the back also having jute webbing fitted then just a hessian overlay. We then step into the present and laminate premium foam padding with bonded polyester overlays which provides superior comfort to the original flock and fibre stuffing. Our client with her sister had selected and abstract floral design fabric for the upholstery which reminded them of “gum trees on the farm”. The result speaks for its self and is best summed up by our client’s comments. “Thanks to Parker Interiors for restoring it so beautifully so it will last for the next generations to come”.

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Chaise Lounge Restoration

ByFrank Parker

French Style Chaise Lounge Origins

Today we commonly use the term ‘chaise lounge’ to describe a chair, sofa or part of a sectional modular lounge featuring a deep seat to which one can lay. However, this is a derivative of the original French term ‘chaise longue’ describing a long upholstered chair to support the legs of the sitter. Chaise longues sofas originated in France, produced by craftsman in the 1700’s using the most expensive materials for construction being for the wealthy to lay upon without having to retire to the boudoir. This style of furniture was first imported into England in the late 1700’s and over time the chaise longue sofa evolved through the various design eras to become part of the standard home décor.

The Restoration of a Chaise Lounge Perth

Our Client’s Special Chaise Lounge

Our client was shifting house and decided to have her beloved chaise lounge restored for her new residence. She explained that it was purchased from a second hand furniture dealer in Perth during the early 70’s. This antique chaise lounge reminded her of a similar piece they sat on as children at their grandparent’s home in England. This chaise lounge was constructed in Jarrah so most likely locally made with the design suggesting it was most probably constructed in the 1920’s -30’s.

How We Refurbished the Chaise Lounge

The client wanted a full refurbishment, so the existing upholstery was first removed. The frame joints were then repaired and an additional timber rail added during a previous re-upholstery was removed. Then it was sanded back with the indentations filled with resin and then again finely sanded. The Jarrah had bleached over time obviously having been exposed to prolonged periods of direct sunlight so the frame was stained Mahogany. Three coats of 50% gloss clear lacquer were then applied, gently rubbed down between coats.

Our client was given various options regarding the reupholstery methods and selected for us to use modern methods to acquire a traditional finish. We used heavy-grade elastic webbing and then fitted upholstery edge moulding around the seat top and arm/back perimeters. Premium foam was then fabricated for the seat and double ends and glued into place. Bonded polyester fibre overlays were also used for the outside arm/back panels lined and padded for a superior finish.

The upholstery fabric selected by our client was a high quality plain crimson chenille which looked plush against the mahogany coloured show-wood. As most of the original upholstery was absent when we received this piece we had to take some liberty during the re-upholstery process including the finishing trim which we used self-covered banding then space studded. However, the result spoke for itself displaying that a high-quality traditional finish can indeed be achieved using modern upholstery methods.

We’re sure this preloved chaise lounge will now stay in the family and be enjoyed for many years into the future.

I am extremely happy with my dealings with Parker Interiors

I am extremely happy with my dealings with Parker Interiors. My precious sofa that has been abused by children, dogs, and all manner of ill treatment for the last 55 years, has been given a new lease of life. Profound gratitude to all concerned. Thankyou.

Linda

Mosman Park 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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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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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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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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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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