An entry · Work · Life
Upholsterer
The person who takes a tired old chair down to the frame and gives it another fifty years.
Why the human is the point
A good chair is worth saving, and the upholsterer is who saves it: stripping it to the frame, re-tying the springs, and stretching new fabric taut over horsehair and foam by hand. It is craft and thrift together, the opposite of flat-pack and landfill, keeping a grandmother's armchair in the family for another generation. A factory makes a sofa to be thrown away. An upholsterer makes an old one last, and hides a hundred careful decisions under the calm of a smooth new seat.
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Show every city →Work it
Do the work.
Jobs, apprenticeships, and training that put a person in the room.
Ways in
- Course
Upholstery course
Frames, springs, stuffing, and covering, taught hands-on.
- Apprenticeship
Workshop apprenticeship
Traditional and antique workshops train by the chair.
- Route in
Reupholster and sell
Rescued chairs at markets are how many build a trade.
Ways in, gathered by hand.
Add yours to the atlasLive it
Live the hour.
Experiences, classes, and places where the presence is the whole point.
Ways in
- Class
Reupholster a chair class
Bring a tired seat and take it home transformed.
- Visit
Restore an heirloom
Hand a loved chair to a maker instead of the skip.
Ways in, gathered by hand.
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