Do you know what it’s like to have a vision for what you want, or what you actually need, and you cannot find it anywhere? 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺 𝘂𝗽𝗵𝗼𝗹𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆. 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲, 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹, 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗮 𝗯𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴. That happens to be the story of my dining room chairs.

Like you, I had a vision for what I wanted but finding it was tricky. It didn't take long before I realized that what I wanted wasn't "out there" and I'd likely be making my own custom dreams come true.

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐉𝐞𝐚𝐧. She is a vintage 1966 LaZboy rocker recliner purchased for her namesake, Jean, on the occasion of a new baby, the youngest of five daughters. That baby is my client. This was the baby rocking, holding a child with a fever, story time, all purpose “comforting a kid” chair. It also was enjoyed by Dad, likely to kick back after a long day. The chair is named Jean after the client’s mom. This is Jean’s third re-upholstery.

Meet Louise - the chair. In the 1990s - 2000s big arm chairs, often called “a chair and a half,” were trendy. They were created for lounging to enjoy a good book and a beverage, a ballgame, or a favorite show. Louise is one of those chairs. A Louise Penny book requires a comfy Louise chair because you’ll be transported into the story for a LONG time. Plus, Louise (and Gilles), whose B and B we stayed at while on our Louise Penny tour, was the perfect hostess seeing to our every comfort. This chair had to be Louise as she is all about comfort and a good long sit. If this Louise is anything like THOSE Louises, it’s going to be good!

Every upholstery job begins with tearing it down to the bones (frame). This chair is an Ethan Allen wing chair originally built about 20 years ago. It has a terrific, rock hard frame. I’m so glad the owner decided to reupholster this chair rather than send it to the landfill! The fabric had worn through, and the foam inside was badly compressed. 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐮𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠.

Stella, Stella, Stella!!!

I don’t know when I bought Stella, but I got her used, and it was years before the pandemic. Stella was about 100 years old when we met, wearing plum stripes. I loved her and she lived happily in my home for years until one day her bottom just fell out. The foundation had rotted. We took her outside to strip her down and discovered the filthiest frame I have ever seen.

It’s been a while since I posted photos of projects. April and May were chock full of cushion projects and family travel. Cushions, cushions, cushions, travel, travel, travel!

Friends have asked how I learned upholstery. I was learning online a long time before the pandemic made online learning fashionable, or necessary. I found a great teacher in Kimberley Chagnon of Kim’s Upholstery. Kim has been my teacher for years, and has taught me just about everything I know about upholstery.

People reupholster furniture for lots of reasons. The reason I like best is that the piece carries emotional content, family ties, memories. If you know me, you’ve heard me say, “Not everything gets to be an heirloom.” That’s true. True heirlooms are more than old. They are pieces that are so deeply permeated with memories, and so evocative of people and place that they must be preserved. Clara is one of those.

You may remember Redstone? Redstone was the new-ish sofa uh... "remodeled" by these adorable family pooches, Fergus and Frannie.

Well, meet Buck. Buck is Redstone’s sidekick loveseat. After completing Redstone the family decided they’d like Buck to match. Backordered fabric (and my schedule) pushed Buck back six months, but we got it done.

Every now and again I do a project where I become so invested in the story, and the time spent that I don’t really want to give it back. Tillie, named after her original owner, Great Aunt Tillie, was one of those.

𝐇𝐚𝐳𝐞𝐥 is a relatively new, apartment sized La–Z-Boy sofa. While Hazel’s size, shape, and “sit” were perfect for the space, the original color and overall vibe just wasn’t right for the homeowner. From a decorative perspective, Hazel was a miss. Moving to a new home brought new opportunities, so Hazel’s owner decided the time was right to make a change. Custom reupholstery gave the homeowner exactly the sofa she wanted, and helped Hazel grow into herself.

This chair has been through a time warp. It entered the workshop screaming 1990!!! And it left ready for 2025!

This is a 𝐒𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐥 chair-and-a-half. 𝐒𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐥 is a great brand. Yes, a chair-and-a-half is a thing. It’s like a cross between a loveseat, a club chair, and an overstuffed recliner. The chair-and-a-half is perfect for sharing space between and adult and a child, adult and two children, two teens, or one very lounged teenager. Visualize throwing your legs over one well padded arm while your head is cradled on the other, the quintessential pose of TV viewing for teens.

This nearly new sofa came to me after an unfortunate encounter with an enthusiastic and determined family dog named 𝙁𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙞𝙚.

Redstone takes its name from its new fabric by Anna Elisabeth/Greenhouse, F2849, called Redstone. Redstone is the perfect name for this project. Redstone earned its name through the layered micro-stripes in the colors of sandstone, limestone, iron, gray, gold, khaki, burgundy, and sunset so reminiscent of the colorful layered stone you see in parts of the southern US.

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲. 𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐉𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝. Yes, this chair is named after the 𝐃𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐢𝐭 𝐋𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤, 𝙅𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙂𝙤𝙛𝙛. 🦁 So, isn’t revival what Jared Goff does? And who fronts Jared at every game? 𝙁𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙍𝙖𝙜𝙣𝙤𝙬. You don’t see one with out the other. So, I give you Jared, the chair, and Frank, the ottoman. They are a bonded pair.

Beiges, taupes, and browns are back, baby! Introducing Dr. Watson!

I would expect to find a piece like this classic sofa at 221 Baker Street, London. Who lives there? Why, Sherlock Holmes, of course! I called this sofa Dr. Watson because it is tasteful, smart, classic, and restrained. It’s upholstered in a khaki herringbone, F1532, by Greenhouse Fabrics.

Roy belonged to my husband's mom. She loved this chair, and she loved Roy, my husband's dad. And given this chair is wearing a beautiful royal blue, he's Roy. He just is.

Ronnie’s Chair was handmade. Though the name of the maker is lost to time, we can only assume it was someone who loved this child and this family very much. Linda remembers Ronnie’s Chair as light blue originally with white welt cord. At some point, in the 1960s, this cherished rocker was reupholstered by Ronnie’s dad in a durable white vinyl. It was time to refresh Ronnie’s Chair for the next generation, to carry forward Ronnie’s memory.

Introducing Edmund and Lucy, named after characters in The Chronicles of Narnia. Edmund was a bit of a pill starting out which is how he got his name. He was a touch willful and there was a bit of frame repair needed at the beginning; however, soon Edmund settled into his mature and elegant self. Lucy was just a pleasure to work from the beginning. Such an easy chair. (See what I did there?) Isn’t it interesting how two identical chairs can be so different? Those differences continued as time went on.

“Lois” was a well loved antique rocker previously belonging to my husband’s mom, “Lois.” Hence, this heirloom chair carries her name. A favorite perch at Grandma’s house, and purportedly “the most comfortable chair in the room” the heirloom Lois Rocker has been in the home of my husband’s sister for the last 20 years.

"I have a few friends who are fun through and through. Their names are Thing 1 and the other Thing 2."

Ok. Maybe reupholstering these twins was not quite

"fun through and through" as described by Dr. Seuss, but holy cow, these things were solid wood through and through! Introducing Thing 1 and Thing 2.

What is an elephant chair? An elephant chair is a mid-century modern chair that when viewed from the side evokes the shape of an elephant: You can see the thick legs and the round shape of the elephant. Can you see it?