Upholstery
All elements from initial architectural detail and design, spacial planning, kitchens, bathrooms and joinery through to an eclectic selection of new, antique and bespoke furniture will always be carefully considered to ensure a beautiful, cohesive and high quality finish throughout. When considering the finishing touches Miranda can source or create unusual and sometimes quirky designs that will make your home feel unique, in surroundings that are made for living.
Stitching Textiles
Every so often there is time to work on some pieces that are not commissions or projects. In these moments I try to develop ideas, my latest is create fabric using a felted crochet canvas to my own design and then using chain stitch to create pattern or depth. At the moment the panels are cushion sized but the experiments continue.
Stitching Textiles
Completed Textile.
Cut-Out Corner Headboard
Very simple headboard design with cut out corners. Finished with a raspberry coloured jacquard fabric and an attractive nailing detail around the edge instead of piping.
Cut-Out Corner Headboard
Close up of nailing detail and the bespoke extra large bed cushions made in velvet with contrast piping, picking up the colours of the textile hanging.
Wing Chair
Aside from the very poor state of affairs this chair held a lot of charm and was very delicate in its form.
Wing Chair
A quick refill in all the right places and some Celia Birtwell Jacobean fabric and it is a completely different piece.
Dining Chairs
These dining chairs were looking a bit dated and tired. Their new home was an ultra modern building, perfect time to blend the electic aesthetic.
Dining Chairs
Traditional horse hair from John Boyd Textiles was a great pairing but lending that modern twist in a beautiful bright yellow ochre colour with a bold Greek key braid.
Throne Chair
This throne chair was destined for the same room but definitely needed a bit of updating. Off with the Jesteresque fabric with dark wood and hello paired back light oak with a fun machine embroidered sketch fabric of houses on Berkeley Square. Not forgetting the yellow twist!
Unmatched Pairs
Fabrics can highlight the difference between two chairs even if they look similar, however cover them in the same fabric in a similar style....
Unmatched Pairs
....and there you have a pair of chairs in a lovely conversation corner.
Romanian Antique Textile
This lovely antique textile was a find in a little corner of an antique shop. It had no purpose at the time but it was clear it could be used for something. Ultimately that something was a very unusual headboard.
Romanian Antique Textile
It was decided that the textile should be used for a super king size headboard that was extra tall so that it would be the focal point of the room. Unfortunately the textile wasn't quite big enough so a border design was dreamed up. Sometimes it can be difficult to translate an idea in the head to another person so on this occasion a couple of options were sketched up. Option one was the final choice.
Romanian Antique Textile
The finished piece, not too dissimilar from the original sketch.
Romanian Antique Textile
The finished piece in situ.
Ottoman with Bobbin Legs
This ottoman was another magazine photograph: "I want that!". The fabric was easy to source from Christopher Farr the bobbin legs were then sourced and stained to match the image. This ottoman has a hard foam top so that trays can be placed safely on top and the ottoman can be used as a coffee table.
Red Ottoman
A small ottoman for a smaller room, the brief was to make it as plain as possible so that it wouldn't distract from the rest of the room.
Knole Sofa
Another sofa confined to the garage! The sofa had lost its tie backs, an acorn and the seat cushions comprised of several pieces of random foam, very uncomfortable.
Knole Sofa
New tie backs were sourced. Often these can be a very expensive form of Passmenteri but the client didn't want to spend a fortune so we sourced a much cheaper option made of sisal, re-stained the tops to tie in with the new acorns on the sofa and added some beading detail to make them look a little more elegant.
Knole Sofa
The new tassels fitted perfectly and added some nice detailing to the back of the sofa.
Knole Sofa
New seat cushions were made and the extra fabric colour matched to the existing sofa fabric as we were not recovering the whole sofa.
Linen Loose Cover
On this occasion the fabric to this white chair had got very grubby but once agin instead of recovering we decided to make a white linen loose cover.
Linen Loose Cover
A kick pleat skirt this time, a neutral cushion and this chair is transformed, ready for any setting.
Linen Loose Covers
This pair of deep seated Bridgewater armchairs were in no need of repair or upholstering, they just no longer suited their new environment. The client wanted to keep the lovely chintz fabric but wanted something plainer so we opted for very simple off white linen loose covers, the simplest of details can make a huge impact.
Linen Loose Covers
Self piped with a flat skirt added to the simplicity.
Linen Loose Covers
The chairs no longer clash with the recently purchased antique Kilim which we sourced, a little vibrant colour added with the plain woollen herringbone cushions.
Green Buttoned Sofa
This original Howard buttoned sofa had been relegated to the garage, nobody was interested in just restoring it. This client was desperate to keep the existing fabric which she loved, she also rather liked the lived in look too but the stretchers beneath the sofa had disintegrated and the sofa was no longer safe to sit on. So we went ahead and repaired...
Green Buttoned Sofa
Comfortable and safe for many more years to come. Some jobs are complex but others are just very simple requests.
Rounded Corner Headboard
Bespoke headboards can be very useful as they are built to fit. The client wanted to make a statement but it was up in an attic room with low sloping eaves, therefore this vibrant Carnival fabric was chosen for impact and the dimensions made to fit.
From Beast To Beauty!
Sometimes clients want something different but they don't have the time to wait for lengthy bespoke lead times. Enter the ugly sofa from a furniture cave, it met all the correct dimensions just not the style but there was a vision.
From Beast To Beauty!
The frame was completely stripped exposing the woodwork, the clumsy large roll toped arms were dispensed with and a new shape created.
From Beast To Beauty!
Another stretcher was added along the front edge to compensate for other elements removed and the new slim roll shape to the arms began to form.
From Beast To Beauty!
Next came the upholstery, a new single seat lightly buttoned with a fabric that was in stock, ie no lead time...
From Beast To Beauty!
An attractive modern nailing detail was added to the front edge and side panels to accentuate the new arms.
From Beast To Beauty!
The beauty in situ, in her newly panelled room. From start to finish this sofa took 4 weeks as opposed to the less desirable 8-10 weeks and another piece of furniture rescued from landfill. This was a very challenging and enjoyable project.
Gilt Sofa
Gilt furniture is not everyone's first choice and sometimes they can be upholstered in the most inappropriate fabric in an effort to make them look more modern but sometimes sticking to the original vision is the best. A very dull drab chenille was replaced with this beautiful raspberry damask. Glory reinstated!
Chair Updates
Quite often we are asked to reinvigorate tired looking furniture. Sometimes that brief is to match as closely as possible to the existing and sometimes its a completely different look.
Chair Updates
New comfortable seat required and something nicer to look at.
Chair Updates
The end result can be very satisfying.
Hard Top Ottoman
On this occasion the client wanted an ottoman that was flat topped that could also be used as a coffee table. There are attractive details with the wooden trim and carved bun feet on castors making this a a very adaptable piece.
Nina's Chair
This was a chair copied from a magazine article for Nina. Quite often clients will see images and want copies made of bespoke items. Having good contacts in the industry is really important when you want to make bespoke items.
Nina's Chair
After the pattern was made for the chair construction began, the final piece had specially made brass cone tipped legs and was upholstered in a raspberry mohair velvet.
Jacob's Chair
Another reject about to end its life in the skip but we had other plans.
Jacob's Chair
With a little imagination its easy to see beyond dated fabric choices and dark wood. The existing wood was stripped back to its natural colour and then waxed so that it could age naturally. This lovely scrap piece of embroidered textile was just the right size for the back adding interest and complimenting the teal velvet.
Jacobs Chair
Pretty details and mellow oak.
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