Melissa sent us pictures of a pair of wing chairs. She liked their larger scale - they were to flank the hearth in her great room. But the existing botanical crewel clashed with the more modern look she was bringing to the room.
Design Inspiration
Shopping for new chairs, she found a Massoud chair from Horchow featuring a shimmery zebra print that fit her vision. It was paired with a complementary velvet and a leather seat cushion. She sent us a photo.
She hesitated buying them, since the scale seemed a little small for the setting. As they retailed for $8,698 for two (on sale for $6,524), she felt her larger chairs could be custom re-upholstered with similar fabrics at those rates.
We agreed.
The Fabric Collaboration
Right away we all knew that the zebra print would determine the coordinating velvet and leather. After a dozen samples, the right balance of color, shine and availability came from Fabricut.
Then came coordinating samples of leather for the seats and of velvet and chenille for the insides. We visited to discuss her final selections and enjoyed creating combinations from all the samples.
The final array survived a day/night lighting test (and spousal approval).
Fabricut Tichinor-Ash
Kravet 34191-1
Casper Hill Upholstery Leather
The Chairs She Wanted
A few weeks later we drove back to Haddonfield with her re-upholstered wing chairs. Already unique, now they expressed her idea.
The scale and the style worked very well against the fireplace and in the spacious room.
This beautiful pair came through their door in a few weeks for $3,496, complete.
A few days later we got a note from her:
“We wanted to thank you and Jim very much for your expert work reupholstering our two living room chairs, they look marvelous. We couldn’t be happier with them and always appreciate your finishing touches, such as the pillows. They really help bring everything together. Thank you for your professionalism and communication. It is always a great experience working with you. ”
