News Archives - Page 5 of 7 - Atelier Ray Clarke

Many (Ottoman) Hands make light work…Working with my Brother Rodney

Written by Ray Clarke on 12/01/2015. Posted in Creative Collaborations, News. No Comments on Many (Ottoman) Hands make light work…Working with my Brother Rodney

This is my younger brother Rodney Clarke.
Like me and our father before us, He’s not afraid of a bit of hard graft and he’s also pretty handy (check out the Pioneer Skatepark he and his mates have built and rebuilt over the years)
Over Xmas and new year he, like me, worked his nuts off, as he was commissioned to design and build 6 cabinets (like the one he’s posing with below)with drawers, along with a load of other display stands, using reclaimed wood, for the “Ottoman Hands” Jewellery exhibition which took place from the 10th -12th January .

The cabinets were designed by Rod to be completely modular, breaking down into transportable flat packs to be reassembled at the exhibition.
It was my pleasure and honour working with my brother and being involved the construction of each drawer base.

75 in all had a padded bases, covered in calico for The Ottoman Hands jewellery stand at Earls Court.
Well done bruv! Great working with you. I look forward to our next collaboration!

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Stoke Newington Xmas indoor market..The Gift that just keeps on giving!

Written by Ray Clarke on 22/12/2014. Posted in News. No Comments on Stoke Newington Xmas indoor market..The Gift that just keeps on giving!

Having successfully debuted last year it was difficult to not come to this event without expectations, you never know with markets at Christmas.

To be honest, 2014’s event certainly wasn’t as busy as the first time around. There simply wasn’t as much footfall as the year before. Whether that was due to a number of simultaneous events happening around Stoke Newington Town Hall that weekend, the weather, or the public mood (preferring to shop online in advance rather than brave the wind, cold & rain), or our pitch positioning inside the hall, I “just” made my sales targets (Despite some stiff competition for the first time I wasn’t the only upholsterer in the village displaying upholstered furniture items) with the help of my mobile and through it ever-present social media, I was able to reach people from the event who were unable to make it down, or were simply unaware that the event was happening in the first place!

What this event always does for me is it gives me an opportunity to engage with the public at large as well as get feedback, chat about my work and upholstery in general as well as give out loads of business cards and flyers which resulted in a fair few follow-up enquiries which turned into customer sales

and the children that did turn up loved playing on the furniture!

(they’ve also really got to sort out that mulled wine though;)

My heartfelt thanks go out to Katy & Anna for helping me produce the stock during the runnup to what was a particularly busy xmas period, as well as all the great friends who bothered to come over and lend their support.

Will I take part next year if I’m offered a pitch again considering the potential setbacks? …Of course! An indoor xmas market can be the gift that just keeps on giving!

Which has got me thinking , 2015 would be great if I could find the time, energy and opportunity to take part in a few more weekend markets or even a trade fair?

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Come On You Irons!!

Written by Ray Clarke on 26/10/2014. Posted in modern upholstery projects, News. No Comments on Come On You Irons!!

Every so often my upholstery skills can take me away from upholstering beautiful chairs to working on seating whose use adds enjoyment of “the beautiful game” for the players, manager and potentially thousands of people inside the stadium every season.

It is an privilege to play my small part. I’ve always enjoyed watching Match of The Day (and loved playing the game in my youth). Now in my career it feels good that my skills can of service to a premiership football team (if not on the pitch!)

Congratulations to West Ham on their win against Manchester City this weekend. Best wishes for the rest of this season.

Special thanks to assistants Katie and Anna for coming off the bench and helping me put these projects in the back of the net!

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Double trouble ..

Written by Ray Clarke on 08/10/2014. Posted in Modern, modern upholstery projects, News. No Comments on Double trouble ..

I cannot deny that finishing these pieces of mid-century british furniture from G-plan was a tremendous relief for me (as well as the customer) It represented overcoming a real mental hurdle as for some reason I had got myself mentally “stuck”: I had previously upholstered a type 6250 in fabric for a friend before however this time I was asked to refurbish and recover these in a beautiful “Cowboy Burnt Tan” hide from Wildman & Bugby. So converting the fabric meterage to “hides” was a new lesson. I was recommended to the owners of these chairs, who are a lovely family living up In Chalfont St. Giles. They also gave me a matching footstool, a bent plywood G.A. Jenkins /Tecta chair and a children’s toy to re-upholster, recover and repair respectively) of these pieces by Photographer and friend Roulla Giorgio. They showed me great patience during the process of producing these I went for an “advanced buttoning tutorial from my old tutor through which I gained more confidence to tackle both pieces.

I didn’t do myself any favours by going for full deep buttoning whereas the “original” cover only had “floating” buttons through sewn seams and also choosing to create a custom suspension system; re-enforcing the base of each seat first to accommodate carefully positioned Serpentine (zig-zag) springs, lashed together between the original rocking mechanisms so that they provided optimum support without interfering with the rockers. This replaced the elastic green webbing which the seats bases had been previously fitted with.

..before

and after

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Presenting the final of the two chairs gave me an opportunity to invite Roulla to accompany me to the family home to finally shoot the chairs and that evening we were both treated to a Sushi dinner made by the family

My sincere thanks to Emilios & Julia , Roulla Giorgio and Wendy Shorter Interiors for the training.

Tent London/ Pure design event 2014 (18-21 September)

Written by Ray Clarke on 25/09/2014. Posted in News. No Comments on Tent London/ Pure design event 2014 (18-21 September)

Being Self-employed and spending the majority of my time working by myself, trips away from the workbench to see what the best of the rest are up to, and especially to trade shows like this feel like a mini-holiday. Tent London was “Just down the road” at the Truman Brewery in Brick Lane. This year’s show felt fantastic. It was wonderful to see Flock’s first appearance at the event. Congratulations on their show-stopping Cocktail chair pieces (This time created by Florrie & Bill- great work folks!)

Amongst all the great design talent on show the show that really got me all hot under the collar (It was baking hot in there!) was the Second Sitters stand which was literally like being in

Upholstery workshop-cum-laboratory where Hannah Stanton & Jude Dennis of Second Sitters presented the”20 Centimes Chair”,

which became an opportunity for visitors to get involved in a very special ongoing upholstery project…
I couldn’t help but leave a few written thoughts which by now I hope are secretly and securely stuffed (along with possibly hundreds of other contributions) into

Their memory chair .

Chatting to Hannah & Jude about the technical aspects of some of their wonderful furniture/art pieces was thoroughly inspirational!

Great stuff

A Sherbourne Satire?: Refurbished and recovered

Written by Ray Clarke on 10/09/2014. Posted in Modern, News. No Comments on A Sherbourne Satire?: Refurbished and recovered

I don’t know..sometimes my customers come up with strange and wonderful requests!

After discussing at length this Fabrics “suitability” (I.e; This “Tea-towel” Linen had to be backed with an F/R barrier cloth)

Adding my own touch of a “Lemonade” Piping from Todays Interiors Palermo range and delivering it back to the customer, we both found this refurbished and recovered Sherbourne footstool rather amusing.

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Back to school …Go and stand in the corner

Written by Ray Clarke on 09/09/2014. Posted in News. 1 Comment on Back to school …Go and stand in the corner

That “back to school” feeling always returns to me at this time of year..

One of the very first traditional upholstery exercises I was taught was a drop-in seat. This one inside this antique corner chair has a 1st stuffing layer of coir fibre (coconut hair)and a second stuffing layer of 80/20 animal hair. The show wood was cleaned up with wire wool and Beeswax bringing out the woods beautiful grain and colour, I hope the finish will bring even more smiles to cosmic couple Katie & Dominic Search who celebrated their 1st wedding anniversary during September.

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Returned to sender: A reproduction Louis XIV in vintage French Postal Sackcloth

Written by Ray Clarke on 07/09/2014. Posted in Modern, Modern techniques & Materials on traditional frames, modern upholstery projects, News. No Comments on Returned to sender: A reproduction Louis XIV in vintage French Postal Sackcloth

To meet my customers’ budget , this reproduction French Louis XIV was rewebbed and resprung traditionally. The old degraded foams were completely replaced with a combination of rubberised hair, composite foams and a linen scrim-covered tack roll which was tacked in place for a much improved feel to the seat. The reupholstered fillings and suspension were covered in an F/R barriercloth before an original French postal sackcloth was carefully cut and fitted. Finally trimming the piece with a lush Lemonade velvet piping from Today’s Interiors.
Many thanks to Katy Chaytor-Hill for the rip down

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A Queen Anne Style in a wonderful weave…

Written by Ray Clarke on 21/08/2014. Posted in Modern, modern upholstery projects, News, Recovering modern furniture. No Comments on A Queen Anne Style in a wonderful weave…

Before..

and After!..

Completely refurbished & recovered in Sandersons “Samarkand” (Colour Indigo).

For a very patient, kind & grateful couple near Crystal Palace (Thanks for that Beautiful bottle of Valpolicella (and that jar of homemade Chutney! )

My thanks to Katy Chaytor Hill for her assistance

Ligne Roset Petite Siestre Armchair in Yarwood Hammersmith Moss Leather

Written by Ray Clarke on 23/04/2014. Posted in modern upholstery projects, News. 2 Comments on Ligne Roset Petite Siestre Armchair in Yarwood Hammersmith Moss Leather

before…

..After

While getting over a rotten head cold/feeling run down.. this became my first reclining armchair, a 12-year old Ligne Roset “Petite Seistre” in Yarwood Hammersmith “moss” Leather with mustard top-stitching. Challenges (apart from top-stitching ) involved sourcing the right colour and sized eyelets for fitting the head rest struts, and sourcing a new feet to replace the plastic ones (especially the one odd shaped one that was fitted as a replacement).

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