Early 1800’s Australian Blackwood chair

A client asked me to refurbish an inherited chair that had been sitting outdoors on their porch for years. To say it was in a state of disrepair is an understatement. But she was committed to restoring the chair as a piece of family history regardless of the cost (some things are priceless). I set about restoring and reinforcing the frame, I needed to source new Blackwood timber to match the old grain as one of the side struts was missing. Once this piece was cut I worked my way around the chair addressing all of the various areas that needed attention. We decided to replace the original sprung seat for a deep flat foam cushion on webbing base, the thick vintage upholstery velvet selected was a previous op shop find I had in stock.

I affectionately refer to this project as ‘The Tale of Two Cities’, the client was based in KI and I in Adelaide, but more so for the drastic difference made to this much neglected family link.