I attended yesterday's discussion & booksigning (info above) by Amanda Brown, owner of Spruce Upholstery, held at ADAC. Amanda provided a great lecture on refinishing furniture from the upholsterer's perspective. Some key points I took from listening include:
- Mold, Water Damage, and/or a Broken Frame can be a deal breaker when it comes to determining whether or not a a piece of furniture should be reupholstered.
- Amanda provided the specific terms used by the trade when describing certain finished elements to the design of the piece -- Tight Back, Apron, Loose Seat, Welt Cord, etc....
- A good upholstery job should include pucker free fabric, consistent tightness, and well executed pattern detail match-up.
- When working with an upholsterer, some info to acquire up front is the turnaround completion time and yards of fabric needed to cover the item. Depending on budget, the fabric can in some cases cost more than the labor.
- If you opt to have the fabric treated for stain proofing (Scotchgard, etc...), Amanda suggests treating the fabric before being applied to the piece, in an effort to not damage other parts of the overall frame.
- When picking out a fabric to use for reupholstering based on durability, Amanda recommends sticking to the Wyzenbeek Method, and selecting a fabric that meets 30,000 "double rubs".
Amanda notes that most pieces that come through their workroom are vintage, antique, and/or heirlooms with sentimental value, crafted during a time when solid and "real" materials were used. She encourages her clients to look at these items with a fresh eye and provided fantastic "before & after" examples of her team's work (photo below). Additionally, Amanda highlighted a chair, that was beyond repair, but the base was usable and recycled into a chic ottoman. A tip to keep in mind as well, upholsterers can also provide custom bedding, pillows, drapery, and lamp shades.
*Many thanks to Amanda and the team at Spruce for including my recommended "must-hit" spots in Atlanta on their blog post....
