I’m willing to bet that you have NEVER spent as much time in your home as you have this past year. There’s literally been nowhere to hide from that long overdue DIY project, the furniture you secretly loathe and the spaces that desperately need an overhaul. The great thing though is that there’s never been [...]

January 2021 marks eight years since I started my business, Vintique Upholstery. Three years previously, in the depths of a recession, I’d begun re-training as an upholsterer. I had been made redundant when fashion and retail crashed in 2008, I was newly single, had just relocated to a new area and was feeling pretty miserable, [...]

When I was training, the selection of upholstery books on offer were boring, to say the least. Rudimentary, uninspiring (and mainly written by men); they were functional, technical and it stopped there. So, when I was recently sent The Upholstery Bible by Cherry Dobson to review, I could tell as soon as I saw it, this was [...]

When I first started in upholstery, I set up shop using my mum’s old kitchen table as a workbench in a beer shed behind a friend’s pub, freezing but happy! Things have changed a bit since then - but guess what - I still use that same tabletop. If you’re wondering about the key things [...]

Very rarely does an upholstery project come my way that I have to turn away. Usually, if someone brings me a piece of furniture, whatever state it’s in, I can see its future potential. And I’m flexible enough to work around even the strangest requests. But, every so often, there are things that are simply [...]

Let’s get it out there… I’m a fabric geek! But to be fair, in this line of work you have to be. It’s not enough to love the pattern of a fabric or the way it perfectly suits a certain piece of furniture. If it doesn’t do its job and stand up to technical scrutiny, [...]

As we head into the cosier months and cooler temperatures, there’s a whole new phase of trends destined to warm up the interior design world. Here’s my round-up if you’re looking for some inspiration for your next upholstery project… Colour The colour experts at Dulux have announced their shade of the year for 2021 and it’s a slightly controversial choice. [...]

Throughout my time of revamping pre-loved pieces of furniture, one thing I’m sure of is that investing in upholstery is ALWAYS worth it. As with any service that involves spending cash, there is always that question of value for money. But I’ve seen enough satisfied customers to know it’s an expense you’ll never regret. It’s [...]

One of the questions I’m asked the most is: “How can I get started in upholstery?” Just this week, I had three calls from people enquiring about an internship, and so many people seem intrigued about what the best training course is if you really want to make it. I can’t lie, it’s not cheap [...]