Stories

  • 1960’s American Sofa-Bed

    ByFrank Parker
    Sofa Bed Reupholstery Perth

    1960’s American Sofa Bed Restoration

    It started with a home consultation for our client

    A couple contacted us saying that they had just retired and had shifted into an inner city town house in Perth and they were wondering whether to rejuvenate or dispose of their sofa-bed. We immediately organised a home consultation to see the condition of their sofa-bed.

    This is the sofa-bed’s history

    Upon inspection of this sofa-bed it became apparent that it was made in the U.S in 1968. The frame was constructed from solid American Oak. The sofa-bed action was manufactured by Windsor of Canada who are renowned for their high quality mechanical componentry which tended to be over engineered and will subsequently last the decades. The result was with such a robust frame and action the sofa-bed was to be re-upholstered.

    The restoration process

     We removed the sofa-bed action and stripped the existing upholstery to the frame. The upholstery fabric selected by our client was similar to the original cover so it was guaranteed suitable. The cushion inserts were down and feather so we encased these in a bonded polyester fibre and replaced all the body padding with high density foam. We basically used the same upholstery techniques but tidied up the finish including doing the skirt in three sections to match the back cushions.

    Happy clients of Parker Interiors

    The final result is fine and yet functional sofa-bed superbly rejuvenated for our clients to enjoy for many years into the future.

    Call us Today for Sofa-Bed Reupholstery

  • Reupholstery of Jarvi Furniture Lounge

    ByFrank Parker

    A Special Wedding Gift

    A couple were getting married and had requested of their wedding guests to contribute to the re-upholstery of their ‘Jarvi’ lounge suite. This lounge furniture with a matching table and cabinetry was purchased by the Groom in NSW some time ago and the fabric for the re-upholstery selected by the Bride.

    The History of Jarvi Furniture

    Jarvi Furniture was founded by Len Jarvi, who was born in Finland in 1910. Len migrated to Australia learning his trade at Chesterfield Furniture in Botany NSW. He then established Jarvi Furniture in Sydney after the war. They were focused on manufacturing high quality lounge and dining furniture influenced on the Jacobean style of furniture. Len Jarvi died in an accident on his farm in 1959 however his quality furniture still lives on today.

    The Lounge Suite Restoration Process

    We worked on restoring the frame of the lounge through the following process:

    • Stripped this lounge suite down to the bare frame
    • Repaired several minor structural defects
    • cleaned and polished the show-wood frame
    • re-webbed the bases with jute webbing
    • coil springs were laced into place and then overlayed with hessian
    • Several modern materials were used to finish of the sprung edge (whilst maintaining quality)
    • Placed a synthetic thumb-roll on the front edge and
    • Then finished with a high density foam overlay

    Finally, the front edge and borders were hand sewn to give the traditional finish.

    The Final Part of the Lounge Reupholstery

    The seat and back cushions were box piped using cotton piping cord. We also incorporated zip borders so the cushions are removable. The cushion inserts we used were laminated premium quality polyurethane foams encased in bonded polyester fibre. The result being firm resilient cushioning that will last for decades.

    Such a special gift for this newly married couple.

    Call us Today to Get Your Furniture Reupholstered

  • Issues with reconstituted leather

    ByFrank Parker

    The background to these dining chairs

    Our client from Nedlands, W.A contacted us saying that they had purchased a new solid timber dining suite with eight chairs about ten years ago. They liked the solid structural design of their furniture however the “leather” was disintegrating. We inspected the dining chairs and asked a few more questions. The clients shared that the upholstery on the dining chairs was “reconstituted leather”.

    What is reconstituted leather?

    Reconstituted leather which is occasionally referred to as bonded or blended leather can only be described as a very poor substitute for real leather. The process starts with leather off-cuts and reject hides which are shredded and made into a pulp. This pulp is then mixed with bonding materials and rolled into a continuous layer and then coated with polyurethane. The polyurethane coating is available in various colours and embossed patterns, usually following market trends.

    What are the main issues with reconstituted leather?

    The main issues with reconstituted leather are as follows:

    As polyurethane fabrics act like a semi-permeable membrane, hydrolysis takes place over time with body oils and perspiration causing cracking then peeling of the polyurethane coating.

    • Contrary to most sales explanations reconstituted leather unlike real leather does not breathe and is no different to sitting on a vinyl
    • Reconstituted leather does not develop the patina effect over time like real leather
    • Reconstituted leather has a comparatively short life span (when compared with real leather)

    Happy clients with long lasting leather dining chairs

    Our clients decided to have their dining chairs re-upholstered in a high quality semi-aniline leather from Tasman (Matisse Black). They were exceptionally happy with the finish and no doubt will enjoy them into the future as they age beautifully.

    Call us about getting your furniture restored