Reupholstered Catherine Martin Designs by Mokum Fabrics

By Frank Parker

Antique Chair Recover in Panthera Fabric Perth

The Popularity of Catherine Martin Designs

Over the last few years, we have had several clients specify that they wanted stunning Catherine Martin Designs by Mokum Fabrics for their furniture. These include such fabric designs as ‘Leopardo’, ‘Panthera’ and ‘Beverly Hills’.

Apparently, these fabric designs were inspired by Elvis’s iconic stage costumes and jewellery.

Our First Client’s Story

A Carved Antique Chair

A client approached us with a carved antique chair that required considerable frame work with re-polishing and complete period re-upholstery. Our client specified that they wanted Mokum Fabrics ‘Panthera Olive’ with a space studded finish.

Clients That Come Back to Us Again and Again

We had previously done work for this client restoring their farm furniture for their Perth, city apartment. They presented us with four antique ‘Bridge Chairs’, covered in decades of dust in severe need of restoration.

In addition we had previously restored a 1930’s ‘Club Lounge’ for them in a plain green velvet so they required a fabric tone that would work with this. The fabric they selected was Mokum Fabrics ‘Beverly Hills Olive’ with a plain black velvet for trim.

How We Restored The Antique Chair

Antique Bridge Chair Before Reupholster Perth

Antique Bridge Chair Beverley Hills Mokum Fabric Perth

The Jarrah frames were stripped back and re-polished revealing the beauty of the timber
Traditional re-upholstery was used with modern twin-piping trim
The chairs beautifully complemented the existing restored farm furniture

The refurbished chair spoke for itself, and our clients were absolutely elated.

Our Second Client’s Story

Reupholstering a Queen Size Bed

This second client contacted us as they had several upholstery tasks to be undertaken including re-upholstering their queen size bed.

They wanted a classy, patterned fabric. As we have lots of experience with recovering a bed we were able to advise them about their fabric selection.

We suggested that as bed frame was sectional a small overall design maybe most appropriate. The fabric our client selected was Mokum Fabrics ‘Leopardo Palm Leaf’ which was a perfect selection for this purpose.

We were able to exceed our client’s had high expectations.

Repholstered Bed After in Mokum Fabric Leopardo Palm Leaf Perth

Our professional team of upholsterers would love to help you with choosing the best upholstery fabric for your chairs or upholstered bed.

How We Recovered This Antique Lounge Chair
ByFrank Parker
Thank You Parker Interiors, you excelled!
Our Grandfather Chair. This story is about a special Grandfather Chair circa 1920’s that came into our lives in the early 1960’s. A Grandfather Chair is one that entices you to sit in it, to lean back against the raised back and side arms, to gain full support for your legs, arms and body in total comfort, to then, relax, or read your favourite novel or to enjoy a refreshing nap.

In the early 1960’s after moving to a flat in Applecross, which I had sparsely furnished with items donated by family members, I felt the need for a comfortable lounge chair to relax in after dinner, to read, or listen to my favourite records. The need led me to a downstairs used furniture shop on the north side of Hay Street near to King Street in the city. There in the corner half hidden behind other items of furniture was a grandfather chair, which attracted my attention and more so after I sat in it. My offer of ten pounds was duly accepted. It was then I realised it would not fit into my small car for transport to Applecross. A bright idea came and led my return to the office where I told my boss of the problem and asked whether I could borrow his Valliant station wagon to which he agreed. The Valiant station wagon has a forward bottom hinged tailgate door with a wind down window. I then returned to the furniture shop with the wagon, loaded the chair into the rear, leaving the back to protrude out and above the roof of the wagon. A right royal position for transporting of a VIP I thought.

Following our wedding my wife and I moved into a 1900’s built two-bedroom house with a large central lounge room complete with a wood fireplace. The chair took pride of place in the lounge room near the window where one could sit and read or just relax. With the birth of our family, it became the sitting area with a child resting on each arm snuggled into my body. A place for reading and bed time stories and in later years for watching cartoons on our 20-inch B & W cabinet TV. With time the aged patent leather covering wore and started to tear in several locations resulting in the need for a refurbishment. Sadly, the outcome from going to a local furniture repair shop did not bring the chair back to its previous comfort or looks. So much so that we moved it to a semi-storage area at our current residence where it sat, rarely used for many years.

Late in 2024 an advert in the newspaper caught our attention with a pictorial advert by furniture rejuvenators, Parker Interiors which showed a refurbished chair like our grandfather chair. A phone call to gain information, followed by a lengthy visit from their principal Frank Parker late in November 2024 resulted in an acceptable quotation and selection of fabric from the infinite number of samples provided. With the pending Christmas break the chair was delivered to Parker Interiors in Canning Vale mid-February 2025 and the finished product was returned by Frank Parker in early-April 2025. The refurbished Grandfather Chair on return was a mind-blowing sight, beautifully restored of luxurious comfort, outdoing any new show-room product.

To ensure the 100-year-old chair would be dearly loved and appreciated for many years to come we gifted it to our daughter at Easter in 2025 to place in her unit alongside a window wall to allow her or others to sit in extreme comfort and to relax while taking in the scenic view and sunsets from her living room. As said by a legendary Bard, A THING OF BEAUTY IS A JOY FOREVER. Thank You Parker Interiors, you excelled!
Charles
Swanbourne, WA
Evidence for Buying Australian Made Furniture

We can be complacent with where we choose to buy our furniture. Especially as the vast majority of furniture sold in Australia is mass produced from overseas. This is supported with statistics showing that 85% of furniture sold in Australia is imported with locally produced furniture accounting for 15%. In bygone years purchasers seemed more discerning regarding their furniture selection. People placed a greater emphasis on furniture quality rather than price. This story above of the restoration of this Grandfather Chair is both rewarding for the owners and for the master upholsterers at Parker Interiors alike.

Our Client’s Background

A gentleman (Charles) contacted us saying he had a 1920’s lounge chair that he purchased from a second-hand furniture store in the 1960’s which had previously been re-covered but was now in desperate need of repair. Upon inspection of this chair, it was obvious that it had seen better days and was overdue for major reconstruction and re-upholstery.

How We Restored This Grandfather Chair

The Jarrah Frame Repair

The chair was totally stripped down to the frame which revealed that it was obviously locally made as Jarrah was extensively used in the construction. However, due to a century of heavy use and sitting on the arms much of the structural timber was severely fractured. So we replaced the components than repair in this circumstance as it was covered by upholstery. The frame was repaired with replacement componentry which was glued with crosslinking PVA and screwed. The turned front and rear legs were carefully sanded back to bare timber, stained to the original Walnut finish and lacquered.

The Fabric Reupholstery

The frame was re-upholstered starting with the traditional foundation of coil springs laced to jute webbing then the spring-edge created and the springs tied-down and a hessian overlay fitted. Premium foam was then fabricated to shape and laminated with bonded polyester overlays. The outside arm and back panels were lined and padded creating the foundation for first class re-upholstery.

A flat woven Warwick Fabric was selected by the client for the re-upholstery. Since the chair was hacked with the previous re-cover, we had to use our knowledge and intuition in restoring the chair to its original condition. Given this we used the upholstery methods of the day with the chair gradually taking shape.

The End Result

The result spoke for its self and we trust our client’s daughter will intime be able to pass this chair onto the following generation.

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Our Transformation of Reproduction Antique Furniture
ByFrank Parker

The Origins of Reproduction Antique Furniture in Western Australia

Reproduction antique furniture sold in Perth, Western Australia during the 1960’ s and 70’s was mainly produced in Italy and Portugal. This tended to be well constructed although the upholstery was sometimes compromised. After this period antique re-production furniture tended to be sourced from South-East Asia which was competitively priced however there tended to be a substantial reduction in quality.

Request to Reupholster Antique Style Lounge Suite

Our local Perth client contacted us explaining she had two chairs and a chaise antique style lounge suite that was purchased in the mid 1970’s by her parents. She wanted to have the lounge suite reupholstered. She also said that she wanted it slightly modernised in a contemporary velvet to compliment her lounge room.

Transforming an Antique Lounge Suite

The Furniture Recovery Process

Step 1.

The chaise and chairs were completely stripped to the bare frames. The frames were soundly constructed requiring no structural repairs.

Step 2.

However, to be expected the show-wood had accumulated a few scratches over time, these were touched-up with stain and polished over to restore the original lustre.

Step 3.

Heavy grade elastic webbing was fitted for the upholstery seat and back suspension. the show-wood had accumulated a few scratches over time, these were touched-up with stain and polished over to restore the original lustre.

Step 4.

Then the foundation shapes were reconstructed using rebounded foam as a foundation then laminated layers of premium foam.

Step 5.

The deep buttoning formation was marked out with cylindrical holes then bonded polyester fibre overlays were applied recreating the original contours.

Step 6.

Our client had selected Warwick Fabrics ‘Lovely Atlantic’ being a flocked velvet with a semi-crushed pile. We initially upholstered the seats then slowly and methodically worked through the deep buttoning process. The outside arm and back panels were lined and padded with twin-piping trim fitted resulting in a fine tailored and slightly modernised appearance.

The End Result

The result was everything our client had hoped for, and we are confident that this re-upholstered chaise and lounge chairs are good for another fifty years.

Call us Today to Get Your Antique Furniture Beautifully Restored

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Turn of The Century Decorative Chaise Lounge
ByFrank Parker
A Background to the Art Deco Period of Britain

This decorative chaise was made in England during the first decade of the 20^th Century. It is generally thought that the Art Deco period was from 1920 – 1940. However preceding this period from about 1880 there were the Aesthetic and Arts and Crafts Movements in Britain. The ethos of the design was to borrow concepts from the past and modernise them. As a result this time frame in furniture design is generally referred to as the start of the Modernist Design era.

The History of the Chaise Lounge

This decorative chaise lounge was constructed from mahogany with decorative brass inlays. However it had been poorly restored. Under instruction from our clients we stripped the upholstery back to the frame and properly repaired the fractured shaped timber rail using two-pack resin.

The Reupholstery Process

The process we undertook for the reupholstery was:

to strip the existing polish which had previously been stained Jarrah with a gloss finish

relacquer the show-wood with a natural finish in a low sheen and

reupholstered the chaise fitting it with new jute webbing, lacing coil springs then a hessian overlay

Our clients had a restricted budget so we then laminated firm premium cushioning over the tied hessian which gave an authentic finish and we are sure would be approved by the Modernists during its original construction. The fabric and gimp we selected were in keeping with the era. It gave a Modernist touch to the furniture keeping it reasonably authentic.

Our Clients Loved It!

Our clients loved the finished piece in their turn of the century home and we trust they will enjoy living with this furniture for many years into the future.

Click here to see more of our reupholstery projects
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Bridge Chairs – Restore
ByFrank Parker

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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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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Refurbished Bridge Chairs: Restoring a Family Treasure in WA
ByFrank Parker
The Origins of Bridge Chairs

Bridge chairs originated in France in the early 1900’s for playing cards with the fashionable game at the time being bridge. The chairs were designed for comfortable but compact seating at the gaming table. Which was super important for playing bridge. These chairs were popular in Australia from the 1920’s through to the 1950’s. They were mainly constructed from local native hardwoods with the better chairs having mortise and tenon arm joints and coil sprung seating. There were many design variations however most bridge chairs featured bullnosed round arms as displayed.

A Family’s Bridge Chairs Return for Restoration

Our clients had previously been to our factory in Canning Vale, dropping off an old family club lounge to be refurbished for their daughter, however now it was their turn. They had four bridge chairs constructed in Jarrah and re-upholstered in the 1980’s but for the last few decades they were located on the farmhouse veranda.

How We Restored These Jarrah Bridge Chairs

The Frame Refurbishment
1. We started stripping the upholstery cover and materials from the chairs.
2. Then the arms were given a basic sanding with the frame and arm joints knocked apart.
3. The internal frame joints were glued with a cross linking PVA and screwed with a two-pack resin used on the arm mortise and tenon joints.
4. As the Jarrah had bleached due to enduring years of direct sunlight we stained the show-wood components a mid-tone Jarrah before applying three coats of lacquer.
Our Reupholstery Steps
1. We started the re-upholstery with fitting jute webbing to the seats and backs
2. Then laced coil springs into the seats which were tied down.
3. Synthetic edge trim was then fixed onto the seat front whilst hessian was fitted to the seat and back.
4. We fabricate high density foam padding with polyester fibre overlays which provides more comfortable seating while equally durable. This is instead of the traditional flock and fibre
5. Finally the bridge chairs were then upholstered in Wortley ‘Lexington Springtime’ to the original finish and also featured padded and piped outside back panels.
Newly Restored Bridge Chairs Return to Geraldton

The furniture we have re-furbished for this family has served three generations, from farm houses in the mid-west to retirement in Geraldton. We understand there is more furniture to yet refurbish, we feel privileged to undertake this work.
“THEY LOOK BEAUTIFUL”

Hi Frank, sorry but this email should have been sent some days ago, but . . . . . .

My apologies please. I just want to let you know they arrived safely, all in one piece and look beautiful.
Well done to you all.

Pam
Geraldton WA
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Read More ... Refurbished Bridge Chairs: Restoring a Family Treasure in WA