I Completed the last 4 of 16 Conference room office chairs which were collected on Monday evening. A lot of unpicking, (top)stitching , deconstruction and reassembly.
My heartfelt thanks go out to @bowparryupholstery @abbielaurie_upholstery , @suzannemobbs_upholstery and Anna F for all their help and assistance.
#Reupholstery #Recover #Black #Vinyl #office #conference #chairs #BerkeleyHomes #London #Atelierrayclarke
Last 4 of 10 dining room chairs , With refurbished , recovered and ready to return to their home tomorrow. Looking very vivid in @camirafabrics #Aquarius colour: Amber
Many thanks to @the_upholstery_cabin for her help on an exhausting but successful Sunday two Sundays ago.
#Upholstery #Diningroom #Chairs #Refurb #recover #reupholstery #London
Happy Birthday Mum.. Loving you .. Rest in eternal peace Thank you for my life Rxxx
Is it just me or are some of you upholsterers also putting in a shift at the weekends? I’ve been alittle backed up over these past few weeks while i’ve been tackling a very big job, finally due to be delivered and fitted this Tuesday. When you’re mainly a one-man band it can get tricky when some projects stall and you’ve got to keep going while you work details out. You may tackle one or two smaller jobs while you work out the details in the bigger one, only sometimes if you do that you run the risk of going down an ever deepening hole as the details begin to mount up and you risk overwhelm and burnout falsely thinking or feeling there’s no one available to help.
This isn’t the truth at all. When you reach out you’ll be surprised and grateful to see who’s got your back and is willing to assist.
Anyways, Here’s said one of the little ones which which is on its way also to be delivered next week.
Whatever you’re up to I hope you still find some joy from the little things on your way to achieving your “big one”!
Fabric: @butefabrics #kerrycroy
Trimming: Antique on steel decorative nailing
#upholstery #Bespoke #antique #reupholstery #London #craftedwithlove
#TBT :Another deceptively simple job I completed last month was deconstructing a pair of headboard bolsters and rebuilding them 20cm taller for my clients master bedroom near whitechapel, East London, also stitching together New velvet covers which fit snuggly over the remade fillings. Producing a smooth “transition”from the remade woodensubframes to the dense foam fillings was tricky but I got there in the end. My thanks to @haynes.interiors for their custom and support.
#Bespoke #remade #headboard #Bolsters #atelierrayclarke #Upholstery
This ottoman stool completely deceived me. I thought reducing its overall length was going to be straightforward: Strip back to the frame Reduce the frame size (involving partially deconstructing it/cutting it back and then rebuilding the frame. But no.. it also involved cutting back the serpentine springs and hidden in the foam layers above was a pocket spring unit, which also had to be reduced in size before embedding it back within the composite foam cores surrounding it, before cutting, reshaping and restitching the original cover to fit the new shape, reducing the overall shape from 1 metre x 1 metre x 36cm to 60cm x 1 metre x 36cm.
Some jobs can totally send you sideways , thankfully I managed to complete it.
What sort of additional complexity have you come across in the middle of completing projects?
#Bespoke #resizing #Ottoman #stool #Reupholstery #London
Hope you have all enjoyed your weekend. I’m enjoying the green theme running through some of my diverse customers projects, having recently finished a large #MinottiTori #bench , recovered in @hollyhuntdesign #Jetset #mustique #leather with a seat pad recovered in @hollyhuntdesign #Mane #attraction #ponyskin in colour #oregano.
A second large rectangular bench has been recovered for my client in a gorgeous boucle called “Teddy”, again from @hollyhuntdesign.
Hoping you all are going to have a great week. I’ve got a few big projects to finally get done and dusted by the end of this week so I best get in gear.
Massive hugs and chat soon xx
Some of my customers have the most daring, eclectic, bold and vibrant tastes. Were it not for the fact this beast of a #Casamente #sofa was so super heavy to lift (and process on the bench) due to its south African hardwood Frame, I would have completely enjoyed this labour of love. The level of detailing involved was truly something of an experience in and of itself, to which end I give my heartfelt thanks to those lovely beings @nicolakilleentextiles for all their expertise and assistance in custom dying the outside arm panels, as well as the metres and metres of thick piping cord used to create the mattress stitching detail throughout the sofa, which by the way I deliberately stitched in a manor to make it look handmade.
I know the styling is not to everyone’s taste and that’s ok, I didn’t do it for you anyways
My heartfelt thanks to Vicky @the_upholstery_cabin for coming over to help me with the finishing touches.
now clad in an ensemble of #sustainable @linwood_fabric wool and #Tango Velvet in colour #pine. I am honoured to have been asked to work on such a rewarding commission.
#Atelierrayclarke #statement #Furniture #art #custom #bespoke #colourful #wool #velvet #Patchwork
#Tbt Earlier this month I created the frame, stretch and mounted this huge Wall hanging over a lightly padded base all for a local customer near Victoria Park, using flushmount fittings and a bit of know-how my customer and I finally managed to successfully install it in their living room space late yesterday evening.
Right, enough posting ..back on the big jobs. Geez there’s never enough hours in the day..Hoping you are having a great Thursday!Xx
#Wall #Hung #Bespoke #art #Modern #London #Upholstery #atelierrayclarke
Howdy people.
I`ve been shy of posting my work this past few weeks as in truth I’m working my way through a bottleneck of jobs and while I don`t wish to upset current customers and do my best to manage expectations I still needed to complete smaller jobs to keep cashflow/paying the bills while I overcome some snagging issues with the 2 big jobs Im soon to complete.
Among them I completely refurbished this dinky little backless chair/ kneeling stool thingy from #Stokkie, Covered in a smart and durable wool called #Kerrycroy from the David Irwin x Bute collaboration.
In terms of project management, what if any software or Ai do any of you full-time upholsterers use to manage your jobs? I`d be super grateful for any suggestions and/or advice in the comments.
Have a beautiful day all! Rxxx
#atelier #rayclarke #upholstery #bespoke #craft
#stokkie #stool #bute #fabrics #modern
Hope you’re enjoying your Sunday This Bank Holiday weekend.
For all those non-spotify listeners, You can catch our Podcast, available now on @applepodcasts. Hope you enjoy! We’ve got some awesome guests lined up for you so stay tuned!
Big Hugs 🤗 Ray & Vicky x
Hey lovely People of #Instagram & #Facebook .. I’ve been fairly quiet for a minute here on social media while I’m hard at it in the studio finishing some pretty big jobs while also enjoying sharing knowledge with my Friday morning leisure class students @shoreditchdesignrooms.
This is just letting you know that our (That’s @the_upholstery_cabin and @atelierrayclarke Collaboration’s first @sit_on_this_workshops Podcast episode is going live This Wednesday 1st May , available to listen on Spotify.
we’d love for you to tune in and leave us some comments and suggestions.
Have a great weekend - Big hugs Rxx
#SitonThis! #Podcast #atelierrayclarke #TheUpholsterycabin #Upholstery #Craft #Chat #collaboration
15 years ago (Facebook tells me) Those amazing people @Hybridlab created this stop motion animation with me. Where does the time go!?!
Ever been sacked from a job?..
Get ready for Ray and Vicky`s debut podcast dropping soon!
In our first episode, we`re spilling the beans on our upholstery journey, sharing the highs, the lows, and all the lessons we`ve picked up along the way. Stay tuned!
#PodcastDebut #UpholsteryJourney #sitonthis #rayclarke #vickygrubb #podcast
Having completed 6 morning sessions With this lovely group of students They are all beginning to hit their strides with some amazing upholstery projects. I look forward to seeing them all again after the Easter break.
It’s great fun to share some tips and tricks with them all and I’m finding it’s also helping me refine my own skills and processes on the tools.
Thank you all for coming. And if you are thinking maybe I should join a leisure class @shoreditchdesignrooms - Get right on one!!
#Upholstery #tuition #craft #sewing #London #ShoreditchDesignRooms #rayclarkeupholstery #AtelierRayClarke
#TBT : March Last year I think I worked on the most challenging chair I ever had the honour to work on: A design classic (still in production today)
The #EA208 , Designed by Charles & Ray Eames brought in by Super Antiques dealer Saxon @metroretroltd needed some serious structural repairs as well as a new upholstery.
I’ll be honest, completing the upholstery on this and refitting had me close to breaking point. These chairs although mass-produced , aren’t very “upholsterer-friendly” and were it not for some welcome expert help and my eternal thanks going out to Carl from @irvinginteriors
I think I would have really struggled to make the final cut.
As it happens I think it turned out ok. Covered in the Crocodile skin-embossed Cowhide supplied by those good folks down at @alma_leather_ , that episode is now available to watch on @discoveryplus , Season 6, Episode 19 of #salvagehunterstherestorers .
#AtelierRayClarke #ARC #EA208 #Officechair #bespoke #restoration #designicon #leather #Home #office
Afternoon peeps.
Hoping you’ve all had a great weekend.
I spent mine finishing this installation of 8 x seat pads covered in @camirafabrics #Mainline #Flax (colour #Hornchurch) for a reception/foyer area in a commercial space in Victoria Street, SW1. Not all my upholstery jobs are “instaworthy” but I post anyway so you can get an idea of the variety and scope of my abilities and in truth I need to use all my skills to pay off some hefty bills!
Highlight of my weekend was a trip down to Ringwood to record podcast content with the irrepressible Victoria G @the_upholstery_cabin for our @sit_on_this_workshops podcast.
Now to the edit..
Hoping your week brings you all some lovely moments!
@
#camira #fabrics #refurbish #seats #Atelierrayclarke
#TBT December ‘22: I Loved working on this Provincial Bench. It gave me the opportunity to play with colours and produce my very own stripe design which I had digitally printed onto plush Velvet, My sincere thanks go out to all @curvemediatv , Louise @shoreditchdesignrooms and @garethrees75 for their great advice and support and to @restorersteve For doing such a great job on repairs to the frame.
Check out episode 18 “Clowning Around” of Season 6 of #salvagehunterstherestorers, now available to stream on @discoveryplus (I’ll stick a link in my bio- does anyone look at those anymore?)
Anyways, Thank you all for your support.
#AtelierRayClarke #Traditional #Upholstery #Antique #contemporary #textiledesign #london🇬🇧 #Bespoke #Statement #provincial #bench
Afternoon peeps!
Hoping you’ve all had a great weekend.
This isn’t my “usual” upholstery post.
I’ve got this pair of @squint_studio Night stands
I don’t have space for so I’m selling the pair. They are a little brown beaten and pre-loved however I’d love them both to go to a good home. Price on enquiry. Message me for details .
Have a great week!
#Squint #daystands #craftedwithlove #Lovedforthecraft #upholstery #Softfurnishings #Homewares #Forsale #Patchwork #original #upcycledfurniture
For those that have recently started following me on here Thank you for following!
May I reintroduce myself.
I`m Ray Clarke. I love the craft, I love art. I love my family and friends and I particularly love upholstery, re-upholstery and bringing my own art to this craft through developing textile prints which I occasionally use to create statement one-off pieces.
I love learning. I love practicing it and recently, through @sit_on_this_workshops and now finding my way teaching a leisure class at the prestigious @shoreditchdesignrooms on Friday mornings. If you are about and want to come and say Hi you’ll find me there as well as in my Bow-based workshop.
Right now I`m rebuilding the seat in a living room of a Professor in Kennington while listening to some classical music on my @spotifyuk. Music is my constant companion, as I hope are you on this journey.
Much love to you all and have a great weekend! Rxxx
#AtelierRayClarke #Upholstery #craft #Skills #Learning #Tuition #classes #art #bespoke #furniture
