Very Old Antique Settee.

[Bill Cravener]

Thought some of you who can use your hands for things other then typing on a keyboard might find this interesting. As I've stated in other posts one of the various ways I make a buck is in the upholstery trade taught to me by my father. What's so interesting about this antique settee is the very involved floral inlay. Note that there are twin strips that also run down the length of the arms and down the legs. Imagine when this very old piece was newer, the entire floral inlay would be near white in color. Very expensive antique and I made a pretty good buck putting new upholstery on this one. It was a dirty job though because the original padding was made up of old dried up straw and horse hair which was commonly used in those days and it did a real job on my sinuses. :bg

[FORTRANS]

Hi,

   Looking good!

Cheers,

Steve N.

[dedndave]

that looks great, Bill   :U

we have some old duncan-phyfe mahogany chairs that could use re-finishing - similar to this



ours have navy blue pattern cushions - the cloth is in fair condition   :P

[Bill Cravener]

Thanks guys.

Dave, I can't tell you how many Duncan Phyfe chairs I've recovered over the years. Really good piece of furniture to have. Many that my brother and I have recovered were redone in needlepoint (supplied by the customer) as the one in your attached photo shows. Upholstery is a dying trade in America and brother Gary and I at times have to turn work away because the demand is so great. I've been at it for over 40 years, my brother some 35 years. You will never get rich as an upholsterer but if you're good at it there's more work then one can handle.

[dedndave]

my mom has reupholstered many pieces over the years
you know - raised in the depression - they learned how to do stuff   :P
i don't have any photos off-hand, but she has had some nice results

i always liked mahogany
problem is - hard to do an entire room with it
we also have a nice little "accent" table - perfect for a chess-board   :bg



it looks really nice with the gold-inlaid leather top

[hutch--]

Bill,

Very classy result but GEE its a nice piece to start with.  :U

[Bill Cravener]

Steve,

I don't often see furniture of this quality anymore and I'm always fascinated by the craftsmanship and the intricate work that was involved in making up a piece like that one. That settee was redone for a local antique dealer. Appears to be a very profitable business to be in these days. Folks with money like collecting very old things.