Refurbish G-Plan chairs

By Frank 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.

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Danish Lounge Suite Reupholstery
ByFrank Parker
The Fascinating History of Hans Wegner
Hans Wegner was born in Tonder, Denmark in 1914 and often worked from early years at his father’s shoe making business. He obtained an apprenticeship as a wood carver when he was 16. After completing this he then studied cabinet making and attended the School of Arts and Crafts in Copenhagen.

Hans was self employed with a small factory employing about six staff. They manufactured fine modern furniture of the day however delivery could be several years. Which is hard to imagine in these current times.

From here he convened Salesco AS – a group of five large Danish furniture manufacturers to make his furniture designs under licence. They included:
With the number of designs and the volume of furniture produced under licence Hans Wegner became known as the “Father of Modern Danish Furniture”. Hans died in Copenhagen in 2007.

Carl Hansen – timber chairs

Getama – timber framed chairs with lose cushions

A.P Stolen – fully upholstered chairs

RY Mobler – wooden storage units and

Tuck Barde – wooden tables.

With the number of designs and the volume of furniture produced under licence Hans Wegner became known as the “Father of Modern Danish Furniture”. Hans died in Copenhagen in 2007.
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.

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The Reupholstery of Van Treight Chairs
ByFrank Parker
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.
“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.
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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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Danish Deluxe – Restoration
ByFrank Parker
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.
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Our Restoration of a Manhattan Lounge Chair
ByFrank Parker
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
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.
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Read More ... Our Restoration of a Manhattan Lounge Chair
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
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Read More ... Woodmark Furniture – Reupholster