Press Articles & Client Letters

Dear Mr. Williams,

I have recently inherited a few pieces of furniture and need to know whether or not I should use them for a new space in my home. I have a tuxedo-style sofa, two matching chairs, two small French-style pull-up chairs painted white with gold accents, an Oriental chest, 2 Oak Mission style tables and a pair of brass lamps in an Early American style. I also own pieces I would like to use and it's hard for me to imagine all this going in the same room. How do I start selecting what to keep? I also need to know what to do with the pieces I don't use for this new project.

Sincerely,
Maggie Drummond

Dear Ms. Drummond,

I am a firm believer in using pieces that worked before and can be reworked for today. I know it is difficult to decide what to keep, especially when some pieces come from other family members and there are memories attached. Be sure to assess your needs in the new room before trying to decide what to give up and what to keep. I would suggest you keep the sofa and matching chairs. The sofa, which at 78" is easy to place and move, should be recovered. I would suggest creating two cushions instead of three. This will help create the illusion of length for the piece and at the same time eliminate the cluttered look three-seat cushions and backs can sometimes create. The two matching chairs should be recovered in a complimentary pattern to the sofa.

For each, I would also suggest you restyle the cushions to include self-welting. Welting is the small cording found on many cushions and pillows on upholstered furniture. The two French-style Bergere chairs should be stripped of their paint and re-stained a warm Walnut color. For the seat, back and arms choose a wonderful woven fabric in a pattern, once again, to compliment the sofa and chairs. The Oriental chest might be just wonderful on the larger wall coming into the room from the entry. You should consider placing a piece of wall decor over the chest. It need not be oriental in style and you might find something in a more contemporary look or even Art Deco in feel. Faint the walls in the lighter shade from the background of the printed fabric on the pull-up chairs. You might also consider washing the walls, after painting, in a pale celadon finish. The washing technique adds a bit of luster without using paint in a gloss or semi-gloss finish. Rather than using hardwood on the floor in the room consider sisal carpet used wall to wall as a fresh and interesting change from hardwood. With a large and very colorful area rug in front of the sofa the room will spring to life and you will have saved a few of the inherited pieces you love.

I don't believe the tables and lamps should be used in this room.Finding a place to move along the other pieces isn't as difficult as you might think. If no one in the family wants what is left consider sending the pieces to a consignment shop. For more than twenty years now we in America have enjoyed the benefits of consignment shopping for furniture. Before then one either shopped for antiques or what you saw was just " old secondhand furniture ". I have made some of my best " finds " in consignment shops. Many consignment shops offer full room settings with lighting, wall decor and rugs all for one stop shopping. Most will take good quality furniture and furnishings in good repair. This is not junk and most consignment shops maintain rules about what they will take to sell. The share on the sale price will range from 1/3 to the seller all the way to 2/3 for the seller. Make your best deal. When I deliver a piece to consign, I often have trouble not buying something else before leaving. A good eye and knowledge about furniture will be very helpful here. Educate yourself about construction, upholstery and accessories. Don't be afraid to dicker about the price on larger pieces.

I once bought a painted love seat in a shop in Baltimore for less than the $ 250.00 asking price. What I was able to ascertain before I purchased the piece was its' maker; a well known New England company with whom I had dealt many times in the past. The frame alone, without upholstery, was worth over $ 2,000.00. Even after having the piece stripped and reupholstered I still had less invested than the price of the frame alone. Be willing to give pieces you find new finishes, fabrics and life. Although you will occasionally find a piece that is just right the way it is, you will usually have to change something to make the piece work. Like buying a home, look for good bones and the right proportions. I find this kind of shopping the most fun. You never know when you will run into that " find " of a lifetime. At the same time the frustration of not finding anything that works on a particular trip can be daunting. Most areas of the country have consignment shops and I find, when traveling, I will often look to see what is available in other parts of the country. One of the most interesting consignment shops I've seen recently was in London, England. Called The Curtain Exchange, they offered gently used drapery and fabric accessories at very competitive prices. As with most consignment shops, the goods were in great condition and ready to be used. Best wishes on you new room and I hope you have a great experience with consignment shop trading.

Dear Mr. Williams,

With the recent move to a new home in Carmel I realize the upholstered furniture I have either doesn't fit in the new space or needs to be recovered. Since a change is necessary I want to keep the fabrics and style of the furniture as easy care as possible. On the other hand I don't want to loose the opportunity to change the pieces into a more adult and sophisticated environment. How can I accomplish all this and still have a home that is inviting to my grandchildren who range in age from 2 to 12 years?

Sincerely, Daisy Butler

Dear Mrs. Butler,

You would be surprised at the wealth of fabrics that will meet all your needs and at the same time are affordable and attractive. One of the first things to do is create a space plan of the areas you want to have redone. Once you've decided on how to place the furniture you will want to decide if any of the existing pieces can be redesigned and rebuilt to meet the new use. Not only can upholstered pieces be changed in size they can be completely restyled. It is possible to change the back, arms, base, legs and cushions on any of the upholstered furniture you have. The decision will be predicated on the quality of the furniture you now own.

Working with a knowledgeable professional will help you achieve the results both in style and durability you desire. The plethora of fibers and content, both man-made and natural, require an understanding of the weaving techniques employed as well as the performance characteristics of fabrics. Too often I have seen decorators and upholsterers specify fabrics that are not appropriate for upholstery. The customer is disappointed in the performance of the fabric selected and becomes even more wary of all home furnishings professionals; not just those fly-by-nights that have no real training with fiber content and fabric construction.
Although many fabrics are described as " upholstery weight " almost any fabric can be used to recover a piece of furniture.

The problem is not all fabrics will stand the test of durability once they are put back into use. Some of the lightest weight fabrics are the cottons and cotton prints. Printed chintz can help create pattern and color and, depending on the scale of the design, is great for drapery and furniture. Silk is another option but for upholstery use it, and many light weight cottons, needs to be knit-backed to provide stability and durability. There are many other natural fibers that also work well for upholstery. Wool, linen, mohair, cotton velvet and horsehair to name a few. Generally you will be pleased with the performance of almost any quality woven natural fiber. Man-made fibers, on the other hand, are often designed specifically to withstand heavy use but have little style or luxury.

For years the downside to many of these fabrics was the lack of really good design. Many were designed for the hospitality trade and were created to be very affordable. That has all changed today and we have a wealth of quality design and style from which to choose. Nylon, polyester, rayon, viscose, acrylic and polypropylene are a few of the names you will encounter. These fibers are often mixed with natural fibers to create a luxurious and stylish fabric. The Wyzenbeek Abrasion Test is the American standard by which fabrics are graded on their ability to withstand wear and rubbing. A score of 15,000 double rubs is medium for residential upholstery and will be very serviceable. Anything at or over 30,000 rubs will give you many years of use. Mohair, the long and lustrous hair of the Angora goat woven in a plush construction, often achieves a test result of over 100,000 double rubs. Wool is also inherently flame retardant.

Please do not overlook leather as a viable choice in upholstery. The color choice is expansive and allows for every type of decor style. Once again, the quality of the product will change from manufacturer to manufacturer. Quality upholstery leather is generally from cattle which have been raised on open lands without barbed-wire fencing and other sources of scarring and damage to the hide. Because leather is sold by the hide you also want to find the greatest area, per hide, that can be cut for the furniture. Although many firms offer leather covered furniture be very careful of the type of leather you are being offered. Sorry, not all leather is the same. The tanning process is lengthy and expensive. An 84" leather sofa selling for under

$ 5,000.00 will not provide the durability and richness you desire. Spills that dampen the leather might permanently stain or give off offensive odors. A quality tanning process allows for the leather to grow old gracefully and maintain its' supple feel and appearance. Although expensive at the start leather, properly tanned, is extremely durable and will give many, many years of service. Once you have recovered or restyled your furniture the care of the fabrics is very important. No fabric will last forever and wear will be focused on those pieces used on a daily basis. There is nothing you can do to stop wear except not use the piece. You can, however, protect the fabric from stains and spots, which will also lengthen the life of the fabric. Name brand products such as Scotchguard and Teflon are topical applications and give protection for anywhere from 6 to 12 months before they must be re-applied. These sprays, which do not penetrate the fabric, must be re-applied every time the piece is cleaned. Another technique, which is more expensive on the outset but lasts for years and years is usually applied to the completed piece of furniture and is non-toxic. The same application can be used on rugs, drapery or any fiber used for the home. This application actually bonds to the fibers and becomes a part of the whole.

Dusting and vacuuming the pieces every 6 to 12 months will also help protect your investment. If possible keep furniture pieces out of direct sunlight for any length of time. Fading occurs naturally but sun and ultraviolet rays are particularly damaging to fabric. Sun reflected from snow or water is more destructive than normal summer sun. Fabrics and leather have been improved so much over the past few years that almost any style or color can be achieved in durable and affordable fabrics. Create the look you are after and hire the most knowledgeable person you know to fabricate your dream. Good luck with the re-do.