Reupholstering Mid-Century Leather Furniture

By Frank 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

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 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

Read More ... Don Rex Furniture – Restoration
Refurbish G-Plan chairs
ByFrank Parker
The Interesting History Behind G-Plan

The company, which evolved into G-Plan was founded in 1898 by Ebenezer Gomme. They sold their furniture direct to the public establishing galleries around the United Kingdom. During the war years their business suffered until the lifting of trading conditions in 1952.

In 1953, their designer Donald Gomme embarked on a plan to produce modern furniture for the entire home based upon Danish styles. He also changed the name of the business to G-Plan. The various furniture designs were both coordinated and long running. This meant that people could purchase their furniture over many years to furnish their home.

In 1987 the Gnomme sold the company to the Christie Tyler Group. Then in 1996 the upholstery arm of the business was on sold to the Morris Furniture Group which continues to manufacture in the UK.

Restoring G-Plan Chairs

The Furniture Restoration Process We Undertook

Our clients trusted in us their precious set of four dining chairs for refurbishing. This is the process we followed: were completely stripped of the upholstery then the frames dismantled. The timber components were then sanded back and the frames reconstructed using a high quality resin. Three coats of lacquer were applied being sanded between coats. The frames were then lightly rubbed back with super-fine steel wool to produce the required finish.
Each of the four chairs were completely stripped of the their upholstery fabric

Then the frames of the chairs were dismantled

Our master upholsterers then sanded back the timber components

The frames were reconstructed using a high quality resin

We applied three coats of lacquer, with sanding between coats and

The frames were then lightly rubbed back with a super-fine steel wool to produce a high quality finish
The client selected a 1970’s period velvet for the upholstery. The padding was fabricated by laminating premium cushioning then encased in polyester fibre. The upholstery fabric suited these chairs enhancing the appearance of the era.

Our client was absolutely ecstatic with the result and is slowly filling her home with beautiful mid-century furniture.

Call us Today
Read More ... Refurbish G-Plan chairs
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.
Call us Today to Have Your Timeless Furniture Restored
Read More ... Tessa Furniture Restoration
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.
Call us Today to Have Your Timeless Furniture Restored
Read More ... T H Brown Chairs– Restoration
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
Call us Today For Sofa Reupholstery
Read More ... Woodmark Furniture – Reupholster
Restoring Fler Furniture
ByFrank Parker

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.

How We Reupholstered The Fler Furniture

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.

Call us Today

Read More ... Restoring Fler Furniture