CHAIR UPDATES--(Addiction Updates)

This is Bob, a master upholsterer. I just picked up my Cockfighting/Reading Chair from Bob. And true to form, the workmanship is exquisite. If I want my antique chairs done right, I always take them to Bob. Yes, he is pricey, but I never have to worry, as Bob is always in top form.

I chose to upholster this chair in Edelman leather and "hammered" brass nail heads. Bob's seams, as well as his nail applications are always perfect. There are many, many nail heads and each one is perfectly positioned.

This Cockfighting chair dates to c. 1820-25 and is a wonderful example of this form, although  simple in style.

NEXT UP:

My pair of late 19th/early 20th c. French Chauffeuse. This charming pair of little chairs was a sleeper at the auction because they looked like this...... 

     

Very bedraggled, with damage to the caned back of one chair, etc. But Bob did a wonderful job on bringing them back to their original glory. To create perfect cushions, Bob makes a new pattern and stitches a dummy cushion to ensure that the curves perfectly match the shape of the chair. I chose a Beacon Hill green with gold silk strie and trimmed them in a 19th c. French green and gold metallic ribbon instead of gimp. Don't they look fantastic with the early 20th c. Fortuny pillows which are also trimmed in 19th c. gold and silver fringe?  (Roberto is coming next week to complete work on the finish) NOW:  to find a buyer.

Move Update:

Nothing much has happened this week--looks like next week the paneling will get installed and things will get crackin'.

Jones' leg is better, but he still can't exercise for another week or so......will my shoes survive? Jones is the master stealth shoe destroyer if he doesn't get enough exercise and he always picks the newest pair to work on.

Thanks for stopping by.

Mary and Jones (& Cole)

TIME PASSES

I went to see my former upholsterer on Monday. I still take him my most complicated/demanding projects. As I glanced in the window I noticed that Bob was looking older and my heart skipped a beat. I hadn't seen Bob in over a year and hadn't expected these changes in him.

(Side note: Bob was a respected attorney affiliated with the US Embassy in Vietnam and escaped to the US just as Saigon was falling. Of course, upon arrival Bob had to learn another avenue to support his growing family and he became a very well-respected upholsterer. Bob and his wife, Cam, had three children here. All three have become very successful--two are doctors and the third is the director of a British international bank located in Singapore. Bob and Cam supported all three of their children throughout  college and graduate school. Bob and Cam represent a true American success story and the value that many immigrants bring to our country.)

I brought Bob my Period Regency (c.1820)cock  fighting/library chair and the pair of Louis XV style Chauffeuses (fireside or boudoir chairs). 

When Roberto and I examined the chauffeuses up close, we noticed that one of the rear legs had been braced with a late 19th/early 20th c. hand forged iron brace and the screws used to fix the brace were old offset notched. I think that the chauffeuses are older than I had originally thought--at the very latest they are late 19th c. or very early 20th c. 

I bought an exquisite Beacon Hill woven peuter/green and gold silk for the chauffeuses and will use a 19th c. French army green & metallic trim as gimp (Bob is ordering new feather cushions). The cock fighting chair is being upholstered in a soft black Edelman leather and patinated nail head detailing. Bob is the absolute best for dealing with antique pieces that need an artist's hand.

But I'm saddened. These might be the last pieces that Bob does for me--he and Cam are retiring next month. Bob says that he will continue to take occasional pieces and work from home and I'm honored that he will keep me as a client. We have been friends for over 16 years (he has supported me through thick and thin) and I will miss him.

I'll post photos of Bob and Cam when I pick up the chairs in a couple of weeks.

Be well.

Mary and Jones (and Cole)

P.S. Jones and I are staying with Cole and Ethan (No.1 grandson) this week-end--it's my turn to pick the movie. Ethan chose "Transformers Whatever" last time and my ears still haven't recovered.