Stories

  • Boans Furniture – reupholster

    ByFrank Parker

    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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  • Le Cornu Furniture – reupholster

    ByFrank Parker

    Le Cornu was an iconic South Australian furniture manufacturing and retailing business. Operations commenced in 1861 when Phillip Le Cornu started a wholesale cabinet making business in Adelaide. In 1885 the factory was largely destroyed by fire and recommenced operations at a former church in North Adelaide. In 1921 the founder died and his son Phillip took over the business expanding operations and by 1924 employed 25 people.

    In 1954 the business went factory direct with a diversified range of furniture and over the next two decades expanded retail stores in S.A and Darwin. In 1989 the North Adelaide store was closed and then the business was sold to Fantastic Holdings in 2008.

    Our client approached us wanting to re-upholster a settee purchased by his parents from Le Cornu in 1959. This settee was the surviving piece of the lounge suite which he grew up with and lounged upon as a teenager. It was still upholstered in the original fabric being a ribbed velvet which would have been the latest trend at the time of purchase.

    We removed all the existing upholstery from the settee frame and it was well constructed with little structural work required. The frame was re-sprung with heavier gauge no-sag springs on the seat and the back springs were replaced with the same gauge. The springs were linked, outside arms and back were lined with hessian and high density body work padding applied. The original cushion inserts were latex and these were replaced with polyester encased premium cushions. The two seater settee was then upholstered to its original finish in a ribbed Zepel gold velvet.

    Our client was gobsmacked upon delivery of the settee saying it was just as he remembered it as a child growing up in Adelaide.

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  • Mechanical rocker/glider chair – reupholster

    ByFrank Parker

    Mechanical rocker/glider chairs or platform rocker chairs are a type of rocking chair which moves as a swing seat, where the entire frame of the seat is attached to the base by means of a double rocker four bar linkage. The non-parallel suspension arms of the linkage cause the chair to simulate the motion of a rocking chair. The mechanical rocker/glider chairs were first manufactured in the United States and Canada during the 1930’s.

    Our client in her late 80’s approached us to rejuvenate her rocker glider chair and we just loved her story. As a young child in the pre-war years she travelled from her home in Rugby England with her father by train to Edinburgh Scotland to visit her grandmother. Apparently her grandmother had very strict house rules however when she had the chance she would love to rock in her grandmother’s chair. A few years later after the passing of her grandmother her aunty asked if she would like any of her grandmother’s possessions with the obvious response, “the rocking chair”. Then some eighty years later we were given the task of reupholstering her special chair.

    Our client had selected an olive cut pile cotton velvet for the upholstery which suited the chair and reflected the era. All the upholstery was removed from the chair then the timber frame was cleaned and polished. Jute webbing was fitted over the seat and then a hessian overlay and premium padding with a polyester overlay. After the outside back was fitted the same process as the seat occurred then the arms pads were built up with premium padding and polyester overlays. The inside back, seat and arm pads were then upholstered and unlike the original chair which was trimmed with gimp we used self-covered banding which was then space studded.

    When the chair was delivered our client had tears of joy saying this was something she had wanted to do all her life.

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