Greetings From The Bench!

First, we would like to welcome the many new designers, and residential clients that we have met this past year. Our sincere thanks to all of you, and to our time honored friends for your patronage and support!

One of our new clients obtained vintage, hand-woven linens (only 24” wide), for the reupholstery of a pair of Bergere chairs, and a long bench – all pieces originally from Sweden. She wrote a wonderful blog about her project, and graciously included details and pictures of the work we did for her, including one of the master himself at work...

To all of our perspective new clients, we are ready and eager to share our wealth of expertise and skill with you on any new projects you may have in 2010. Please give us a call regarding absolutely any project you might have, no matter how simple or complex.

Best Wishes to all for a “Comfortable” New Year!

Heller Furniture, LLC

Eco Salvage

There's an excellent article in this month's Design New England magazine by Jill Connors on the growing trend she's calling "Eco Salvage". Certainly, this isn't "new", we've all heard of architectural salvage yards. But, there are now companies that specialize in the field of "Deconstruction" where materials are carefully removed from a building slated for renovation or demolition. Companies such as ReStore in Springfield, MA might go in and do a full 'whole-house' deconstruction or only a partial 'soft-strip' where they might remove only the kitchen, for instance. Even Habitat For Humanity is getting into the act and is just beginning to offer deconstruction services. Again, this isn't a new concept. The Shakers where known for deconstructing their unused buildings and salvaging all the materials. This is why there are so few original Shaker structures still standing.

Heller Furniture has also worked hard to make use of original materials - salvaged from older pieces - in our work. From horse hair to cotton batting - these all natural materials are hard to come by today and can be reused - once they have been sterilized. An Eco-Friendly alternative to expensive, and sometimes unhealthy, newer materials.

Here's a great example of a salvage project that we just completed:

Our client had this sofa with a handsome wood base including curved wooden arm fronts and arms. They wanted more seating in their room, but still loved the shape of this sofa. They came to Heller Furniture to seek a solution.

After an initial site visit, Walter presented the clients with his vision of a sectional sofa that could be created from their original piece.

We were able to carefully strip and disassemble the sofa, saving (or should we say salvaging) the arms and frame.

And here is this wonderful sectional sofa - providing our clients with plenty of seating for the entire family, all the while retaining the feel - and materials - of their original sofa.

And, this from the clients: "Thank you, thank you, thank you! We just wanted to let you know how happy we are sitting and lounging on our new sofa. Everyone in the family thinks this is the most comfortable sofa we have ever sat on. Thank you so much. Regards, K.B."

Heller Furniture is uniquely positioned to provide this type of extraordinary service. Call us now for your special upholstery project.

Designers are only as good as their workroom

Here is an excellent blog post by Renee Fineberg, an interior designer based in Florida about the value of a great workroom.

For Sale: Antique Side Chair

We have in our showroom this gorgeous antique side chair that we just upholstered in an embroidered Chinese silk. Colors are pink, gold and green on a cream ground.

Outside dimensions are: 25-1/2"W x 29"D x 33-1/2"h.
Inside dimensions are: 19"W x 20"D

Price: $2,400.00

Shipping is available. Call for details.

Matchy Matchy

Sometimes, matchy-matchy is a good thing. Case in point: The Calvin Tub Chair (no longer listed in their catalogue) at Pottery Barn. I was wandering through the mall this weekend with a friend and we passed by Pottery Barn and this chair prominently displayed in the window. Nice looking chair with a very nice looking print on the cushions - but the mismatched pattern was fairly screaming out at me!

The pattern on the box cushion should be matched so that the front face of the cushion is a continuation of the seat pattern. As you can see, in this case, the circular medallion is simply lopped off. Nothing makes upholstery (or window treatments) look cheaper than a mismatched fabric pattern. And, this chair is upwards of $1,000!

And, this isn't the only example of this in the PB catalogue:

This is the Pottery Barn Brooks Slipcovered chair. The pattern on the top seat doesn't extend down the sides, nor does the skirt match up to the drop it's attached too. And, again, this is a pretty expensive chair, rendered cheap looking by bad matching.



Here is a similar looking slipcovered slipper chair that we did recently. Notice that the pattern on the seat extends down the sides of the seat cushion in the front. While it's not always possible to match up every pattern, at least the front of the piece should match.
Here is another example. The client selected a very graphic, yet fairly regular overall pattern. It was important that the front facing pieces match and as you will see - the fern like scrolls extend from the seat to the front face to the skirting - thus creating a harmonious and beautiful piece.
Here is an example of a very unusual block print fabric applied to a traditional wing chair. Clearly, the fabrics had to be very carefully matched, not only vertically, but also horizontally.


Some retail stores do get it right - such as Anthropologie's Antwerp Chair below. They do a beautiful job of matching the pattern from the seat down the face and onto the upholstered front of the chair. Of course, this chair is significantly more expensive than the PB pieces, at $1,400.00.

Matching patterns is more expensive, there is no question. It takes more skill and time on the upholsterers part and it takes more fabric. However, if you are going to spend real money on a piece of furniture - and at $1,000 for the Pottern Barn Calvin Chair, we are talking real money - then shouldn't it look as good as it can?

When shopping for upholstered furniture - always pay attention to how the pattern is placed on the piece. If you are having an existing piece of furniture recovered, or are selecting your fabric for a new piece - be very careful with the fabric you choose. A qualified upholster will be able to advise you on how to best lay out the fabric. And don't hesitate to ask to meet with the upholsterer (where available) in order to go over these issues and to make sure that they are going to lay out the fabric appropriately. Saving 20% on the cost of a job might leave you with a piece of furniture that looks 50% less appealing. And, if corners are being cut with the layout, what other corners are being cut?

Heller Furniture Showroom Makeover

We wanted to share our showroom makeover project that we tackled just before the holidays. Everyone can use a makeover and we were no exception! Our business has expanded to include The Classic Collection our new line of fine casegood furniture and we needed to make room!

Our large selection of fabric hanging samples and books needed to be moved and while we were at it, we stripped the walls of the dark maroon fabric and painted them a much lighter and brighter cream color.

before

After

before

After

We also re-arranged one of our back rooms and we now have this wonderful new fabric room with a large tabletop workspace for our residential and designer clients use as they make fabric selections.

Our new fabric room - all set up for our recent Holiday Open House!

If you are in the neighborhood, please stop by for a visit - we'd love to show off our new space and more importantly, our beautiful new furniture line.

Heller on the Big Screen!

Last year, we blogged about the move "The Women" that was then filming here in Boston. The set decorators had ordered a custom headboard for the movie from Heller Furniture. This remake of the 1939 classic stars Eva Mendes and Meg Ryan reprising the Joan Crawford and Norma Shearer roles, respectively.

It's been a long year waiting to see how this satin, fullsize, headboard would be used.




And here it is! Complete with Meg Ryan, a little girl, and a dog! What do they say about never playing a scene with children or animals??



A big thanks to the production design and decoration team for selecting Heller Furniture to make this piece!

Production Designe: Jane Musky
Art Direction: Mario Ventenilla
Set Decoration: Debbie Cutler and Mimi Watstein

With the movie industry heating up here in Massachusetts - Plymouth Rock Studios is just down the highway - we are looking forward to "playing out parts" in movie sets to come!

Happy Holidays

~ Walter, Cathy, Nancy, Linda, Jim and Carlos ~

Image from the Shirley Eustis House Restoration Project. Click here for details.

Heller Holiday Open House

Casegoods shown are from The Classic Collection - NEW at Heller Furniture!

Take a break from the mayhem of holiday shopping and stop by for some holiday cheer at our newly redecorated showroom!

Come in and pick up your complimentary copy of our holiday how-to guide "Holidays By Design" where you'll find cost saving decorating tips, recipes and other goodies to make your holidays merry and bright!
Fridays and Saturdays in December.

The Classic Collection: Inlaid Sidetable views

We are very excited about our new line of casegood furniture - The Classic Collection. We have a beautiful assortment of side tables, bureaus and occasional pieces that are made by hand using traditional methods and environmentally friendly finishes.

One of the most interesting aspects about all of these pieces is their design flexibility. Whether your style is traditional, transitional or modern - these pieces can work in many interiors. I thought it would be fun to create room vignettes around a few of the pieces to showcase their flexibility.

This snazzy inlaid marquetry side table has a strong geometric pattern that is softened by the cabriole legs.

Transitional Style

Modern Style

This beautiful demilune sideboard has a lovely inlay pattern and strong textural graining.

Glossary: Antimacassar

An antimacassar is a small cloth placed over the backs or arms of chairs, or the head or cushions of a sofa, to prevent soiling of the permanent fabric.

Macassar oil was a very popular grooming product for men in the early 19th century (much like Jheri Curl in the 1970's and '80's) but was not popular among housewives who had to deal with the resulting soiled seat backs and arm covers. To combat the problem, doilies and fabric covers were fashioned to protect the permanent upholstery from permanent damage.

Antimacassars are still used today on upholstered furniture and commercial vehicles such as plane and train seats.

And there's your word of the day!

Extreme Makeover - Sofa Edition

Green products are all the rage today and it's all good for the environment. One of the best things we can do is to stop filling up the landfill with old furniture that's perhaps faded or no longer in style. If the general shape and size still work, then reupholstery is an option to consider.

One of our clients brought in this beaten up looking old sofa. While many would have discarded this piece, she had the foresight to see that this little love seat was a good candidate for an extreme makeover, especially as the size was right for their needs.

before

Sketches of different configurations were made to update the look. The biggest structural change was to the arms from thin to a nice rolled style with pleats. The back cushions on the original love seat were attached and we re-designed them to be taller and loose. The two seat cushions would be replaced with a single bench cushion for a cleaner look. And finally, the skirt was changed to a waterfall style - also adding to the fresher, cleaner look. Of course, we also rehabbed the frame and tightened up the seat springs for maximum comfort and longevity.




And here we have the finished piece! Fresh, clean and like-new!

After

While the price was ultimately comparable to buying something new, there is one less old sofa making its way into the landfill.

The mantra of the day is "Reduce, Reuse & Recyle", to which we can add "Reupholster"!

Take a seat

We've been busy restoring and recovering many beautiful chairs recently and wanted to share some before and after shots. From family heirlooms to new purchases - our clients have been bringing us some great pieces to bring back to life.

before

These carved chairs were made by a family relative of the client. The woodwork was dull and cracked in places and the fabric worn and faded.

after

The natural beauty of the wood was brought back to life in our wood shop and an unexpected fabric was added to the seat creating a restored and one of a kind piece that's good to go for many years to come.

before

This country French cane back arm chair was updated in a beautiful silk mini-plaid with corded trim.

after

chair detail - after

This designer wanted to create a coordinated mix 'n match look. She used two different styles of chair - cane back and upholstered straight back - and had them covered in the same fabric.

before

after

before

after

before

New cane back chairs were covered in a snappy blue check with contrast fabric on the reverse side of the seat back. In this case, the design called for us to remove the existing cane insert and add upholstery in its place. Changes to the original design on an existing piece of furniture can almost always be accommodated - just ask your upholsterer!

after

detail of back of chair - after

before

This particular client likes to mix it up with traditional fabrics on contemporary forms and, as with this chair, more modern fabrics on traditional style furniture.

after

after

before

This was quite a unique set of two chairs and a sofa. Made in Europe - these pieces had wooden backs and tufted seat backs. The new gray fabric really shows off the detailing of the tufting.

after

detail of back of sofa and chairs - after

We are all becoming more aware of our environment and giving consideration to the effect that piles of discarded furniture has on the planet. Reupholstery is environmentally friendly and offers so many custom choices to design and style. So, before you run out and buy a new chair, take a look in your attic or your local second hand store and see what you can find. You never know - grandma's old rocking chair could be the perfect fun - and funky - addition to your space!