Artisanal Upholstery: Gilded Antique French Settee and Chair in the Traditional Manner
I had these antique pieces in their run-down state for a couple of years. When I acquired them, I knew they were the kind of thing that would not settle for ordinary. When they came to me, they looked like this:
You really couldn't sit on the settee because the springs were falling out of the bottom, but the seller had stripped the old fabric off and put this muslin on, I think to make them more attractive. She needn't have done that; it was pretty easy to see their potential no matter what. The gilding on these pieces was untouchable--shiny in many places, worn, dull in spots, greenish in others, glazed in some crevices, missing in some areas--and tells a story that no one will ever hear. They are very old, and obviously hand-carved, in mahogany. They needed a special fabric, and when I saw the Designers Guild Mattiazzo, there was no question about their future.
I don't use foam when I upholster antique pieces. I have invested in learning and practicing the traditional ways of upholstering that include hand-tied coil springs, excelsior foundation, burlap, stitching the integrated sculpted edge roll for structure, and stuffing with horsehair and cotton. It's labor intensive and expensive, but beautiful and long-lasting. When I'm done, it feels like I have created a piece of art, not just furniture. I call it "artisanal upholstery".
Come into my studio! Here are a few process shots to show just how intricately constructed the guts are in these pieces:
And, voila! Many steps later, we have the finished product!
Version 2
Here they are together, comparing notes on how far each one has come over the last 100 or more years. We'll never know where they started, but they aren't planning to quit anytime soon!