Upholstery: The customer journey – an interview with Sarah-Jane

Many people get hooked on the buzz of salvaging stunning furniture and become upholstery regulars. Here, we find out more about one of my customer’s experience.

I’m fortunate to receive amazing feedback from so many of my satisfied customers. The joy of improving a piece of furniture that may have been handed down or sat on for generations is hard to beat. Equally, many of my customers come to me with charity shop treasures or chairs they’ve thrifted from vintage markets. Every single piece tells a story and no two projects are ever the same.

Many customers get hooked on the buzz of salvaging stunning furniture and become upholstery regulars. Sarah-Jane is an example of someone who has brought me some fabulous revamps. The latest was a Napoleon III antique chair for her sewing room, which we adorned with a vibrant floral fabric form Diane Hill. We’ve also worked on two sofas she found on Facebook Marketplace and Louis-style chairs for her living room. I caught up with her to tell us all about her customer experience with Vintique Upholstery and what it is about upholstery that has kept her coming back time and again…

How and where did you hear about Vintique Upholstery?

I’d seen Sharon on social media so when I did a search for upholsterers in my area and Vintique Upholstery came up, I recognised Sharon’s face and decided to give her a call.

Sarah Jane’s customer experience began with a pair of Louis-style chairs

Fabric from Romo – Sephora in Duck Egg.

Tell us a bit about why you chose to reinvent rather than replace

Sharon has recovered two balloon back Victorian chairs that we bought from the hotel where we went for our honeymoon many years ago, so the chairs are sentimental. They were in need of a good reupholster but we knew we had to save them.

I then had my nan’s bedroom chair recovered that I kept after selling my mum’s house. I loved the Designers Guild fabric I chose for this chair. I’d originally seen it on Instagram.

Next, a special project: reupholstering an antique Nursing chair that belonged to her Nan.

Fabric from Designer Guild in Manipur-Fuchsia

“It is so satisfying transforming a piece of furniture instead of buying new and you get to choose a fabric that you really love.”

My next pieces were good Multiyork sofas and I loved them but I didn’t love the fabric.

Sarah’s third project for me: two Multiyork sofas in need of a fabric refresh.

Sarah-Jane chose Prestigious Textiles‘, Botanist in colour Ebony.

I researched sofas of similar quality and they were all really expensive, so rather than get rid of my existing sofas, I decided to reupholster. It is so satisfying transforming a piece of furniture instead of buying new and you get to choose a fabric that you really love

Talk us through your experience of your latest upholstery piece

I am a sewing tutor and my sewing room at home is in the process of being changed. I wanted to find a really nice, stylish, comfortable chair for my room but after looking at new French-style chairs that were pricey and not what I really wanted, I went on the hunt for an old chair. I found a wrecked, French lumber back Napoleon III antique chair that I knew would look beautiful re-upholstered.

The fourth and latest project: a Napoleon III antique chair.

The finished piece reupholstered in Diane Hill, Marsha velvet – Aqua/Peony/Magenta.

I sent Sharon photos to check I wasn’t crazy and I already knew exactly the fabric I wanted, I had seen it on Sharon’s Instagram feed. It’s a beautiful floral from Diane Hill and I love it – the transformation is stunning.

How did you find the process and was there a favourite part?

For my sofas, I kind of knew what I wanted but hadn’t seen any fabric. Sharon understood what I had in mind exactly and it was very exciting to receive all the samples and look through them.

Did anything surprise you about the possibilities of upholstery?

The possibilities of reupholstery are amazing and how something so old or old fashioned can be completely changed and make a room look totally different.

Would you say that upholstery is worth the investment?

Yes, reupholstering is expensive, but my chairs are pieces that I know will be passed on to my children. Also, the fabric choice is vast and there are such beautiful options you can choose from. You end up with a piece that is totally unique to you in every way. I really feel the cost is worth it.

Has it inspired you to re-upholster more items?

I am totally hooked on reupholstery. The kitchen chairs might be next!

How did you find working with Sharon and Vintique Upholstery? Would you recommend them?

Working with Sharon was a delight. She totally got what I wanted, excellent service and brilliant work on my pieces, I would highly recommend Vintique Upholstery. Sharon keeps up with the trends too, which is important.

I hope you enjoyed reading this customer experience interview.
Do you have a piece of furniture that needs an update? Drop me a line for an initial, no-obligation quote by filling in the online contact form. Alternatively, you can email me directly at sharon@vintiqueupholstery.com or call me on 07764 182 783.