Salvotore's Salvation

A few months back I had a call from a friend who suggested I hot-foot it down to a nearby Salvos where she'd just seen a chair that she thought was right up my alley.
She was right - I found this poor old Grandfather chair (maybe an antique? not sure) in a very sad state of repair upholstery-wise, but perfect structurally.
He came home and after pondering for a while what his new image should be, I came up with this over-the-top, lush, mediaeval style. 
After refinishing the timber to a darker colour, and complete reupholstery - from the bare bones up - and even new shoes - he's finally finished.

Miss Snupeson finds it all a bit of a bore

Salvotore is now looking for his new forever home (i.e.: for sale).
Price $1,650.00
Contact The Chairy Godmother (Kate) for more info.
raptups(at)me.com

Alison's chair

Can't resist posting this series of pics of the transformation of this charming little chair owned by my lovely client Alison from the Australian Capital Territory. I just love the way the lustrous background of the fabric matches so beautifully with the rich glowing timber after its refurbishment. And isn't the blue-brown a winning combo?

A Flock of Featherstones

Well maybe "flock" is putting it a bit strong... but it sounds better than "pair".
Referring to 2 newly commissioned Featherstone reproductions just finished.

 This first one is a reproduction of the original Featherstone 51 Wingchair  (referring to year 1951 when it was created). 

The fabric design for this was done by a lovely Wollongong family expecting baby #2 any day now. This will be their nursery chair, because it is seriously comfy for holding a nursing baby in. Truly!

The outside back fabric is a hand-screen printed linen (called "Bird" - as in Bird of Paradise) made by Sydney boutique textile design house cloth fabric.
The inside back, including buttons and piping, are 100% wool. The legs are Victorian Ash - and the chair is designed and made by a small family business in Sydney, making this a wholly 100% Australian ensemble.

The 2nd chair was commissioned by a Canberra family - and the fabrics chosen are from Instyle (another Australian business).  This chair is a repro of the Featherstone R160 .  

It's more curvaceous in form, and has a more reclining design than the Wingchair.  This order included a matching footstool, which completes the whole design and makes for a most amazingly comfortable seating experience.

These 2 designs are available to bespoke order from Rapt!, in fabrics of your choice.  Bespoke prices start from $1,750.00 for the R160.

Rapt! currently has 1 of each pair available - 
$2,230.00 for the R160 chair and matching stool, 
and $2,330.00 for the Wingchair and matching stool.
Please ask for details and photos if interested. 
email: raptups(at)me.com

BEFORE & AFTER

Here's the latest transformation after the Magic Wand treatment.  
This charming little armchair was brought, from Oslo (Norway), to Australia by my client's parents in the mid-1950's. Can't beat that Scandinavian design, eh?

before...

AFTER

Fabric chosen is from Warwick's Aspire collection, this colour way is 'Marine'. 

OFF TO MARKET

Date for our next pop-up shop is Sunday 26th May @ OLD BUS DEPOT MARKETS, Kingston ACT.
We'll have our usual wide variety of chairs and stools available, including: 

• a brand-new design wingchair
• a fully-restored (and how!) vintage/antique Grandfather chair called 'Salvotore'
• a new tapestry rocker called 'Carmen'
• reproduction Featherstone chairs in 2 designs, available for sale and to order in your own fabric
• deep upholstered stool/bench
• numerous ottomans
• and lots more!

Hope to see you there!