Bespoke Upholstery - We work collaboratively with our clients to create unique furniture or to sensitively restore a much loved antique. From consultation to design and upholstery, we are focused on creating something that matches your requirements and reflects your individual style. The process takes roughly between three weeks and a month, depending on your participation and availability. We believe that furniture plays an important role in people’s lives therefore we allow you plenty of time to make any decisions.
How it works
- Email us a picture of the furniture with details of the measurements, its conditions and your requirements.
- if you don't have an existing chair in need of attention and you need a new piece of furniture for your home,
choose one of our frames from our online shop and e-mail us your requirements. - Meet us at our studio or at your house - this gives us a view of your space or provide us with picture of your living environment.
- We discuss your ideas like: colours, fabrics and styles, how often you use the furniture and when (to relax, to watch TV, to read a book etc)
- We show you samples of textiles and samples of previous project to get your feedback.
- We propose ideas on how the furniture will be revamped (shape, technique, materials).
We suggest to clients to choose natural materials, which are more environmentally friendly. However, clients can choose whatever materials they prefer. - We allow up to a week to prepare a proposal, and to research materials and textiles.
- We usually have a second meeting with you to propose the design and discuss further ideas. We take in consideration your suggestions and responses as we proceed. (If you are not available for a second meeting we can send you sketches and photographs when clients require a design consultation.
- At the studio we test the textile on the furniture and you are welcome to visit the studio at any stage and to follow the process. At this point if you are happy with with the test we proceed to completion. The piece is ready to be enjoyed.
Restored Frames - Start your inspiration from the 'frame up'
Choose from our selection of recycled frames and ready to use on the site. You can plan your next upholstery adventure from the inside out and give a new cycle of life to existing furniture that offer great potentials for
a new design!
a new design!
"What you say about us"
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Rebecca O' Brien “I’ve been living in my lovely Notting Hill basement flat for 20 years and ten years ago I bought the flat above ( which I let out) with the hope that one day I’d be able to knock the two together and make a really special home,. The time has come and architects and builders are all over the place and my dream will soon be realised. But I didn’t want to lose what I loved about the old flat – I didn’t want to impose a whole new place on myself without respecting and referencing the past. So I looked at my old kitchen curtains-which I have inherited them from my Gran-parents’ kitchen, were well past their use-by- date- and I looked at old playroom curtains from childhood home, which have wonderful rural scenes all over them, than I looked at some tatty old furniture and fabrics that had been with me for a long time and thought-perhaps if I can somehow put them together we can furnish the place and remind ourselves of the past at the same time. So I looked online for someone to help me achieve this aim. And I found Urban Upholstery _ their web-site showed old furniture being lovely restored and old and new fabrics working magic. I invited Andrea and Patrizia over to have look at my stuff and it was immediately apparent that they should take on the job. We looked at the old furniture – an uncomfortable settle made by maverick designer Andy the Furniture Maker, a tired old Louis XIVth chair, 4 plain old dining chairs inherited from my Dad, two over padded French armchairs in need of a new life – and the old curtain fabrics and some stuff I’d bought but never used. And we talked about how we could make something new – and off they went. I went to visit the workshop in Hackney and immediately felt confident in what this charming Italian couple were capable of. I loved their other things and I felt they were definitely in synch with what I wanted.
So they putted the playroom curtains on the settle, with a delicious duck-egg blue fabric which reflects the river that runs through the design. They reupholstered it so that, for the first time, it’s actually comfortable to sit on! It’s a lovely piece and will sit in my upstairs hall (with me on it quite a lot) reminding me of the time I spent inventing stories about the pictures within when I was little. They took the Louis XIVth chair and turned it into a ray sunshine with a lovely piece of blue floral fabric they found and some yellow wool – it’s just glorious! Then they took the four chairs and upholstered them partly with the kitchen curtains and partly with strong, contrasting green or purple velvets. Sounds mad and it is – they are just great and the architect said they look like jockeys lining up for a race. They made big cushions and bolsters out of the remains of the old bed cover and they restored a lovely old Victorian screen.
I think the results are spectacular – what Andrea and Patrizia have done is recycled perfectly good, yet neglected furniture and exploited my own family history which gives the pieces an added sentimental value – with a contemporary twist. At an extremely reasonable price too! Can’t wait to start my new life with all my reupholstered belongings… Thank you UU” |
Hadrian Thomas "I’d been given an old hand me down sofa with real sentimental value. The problem was that it was in a pretty run down state. After looking around to have it upholstered, I was lucky enough to find urban upholstery. Andrea & Patrizia spent loads of time with me helping with fabrics & talking about what could be done before deciding on a design. When I got the reupholstered sofa back & unwrapped it, I was really happy with how it looked. It was just as I imagined except better because the quality & workmanship was fantastic. It is far superior to a new sofa & the design is completely unique." 
Ivan Sebastian
"This place is a real find and the two owners are totally tuned in to making fresh looking, great quality furniture. I took an old chair to be recovered and was hoping for some ideas. They gave me loads of help and advice and put up with all my indecision with great patience. The final result looked brilliant, was completely original, and had old-school quality and craftsmanship. It’s the kind of shop you think doesn't exist in London anymore. I'd certainly use them again no hesitation. " |
Neil Ashman 'The brief was for a comfortable reading chair purpose built for my slouch. Andrea rebuilt an abandoned armchair (one of the first they'd emancipated from the streets of Hackney), and Patrizia had off-cuts of some fairly grand fabric to hand. The finished chair is a stand-out - exceptional craftsmanship, a good look, and a recycled East London pedigree to go with it.' 
Olivia Bernard "We took Andrea on what at first seems like an impossible road: re-upholster an old armchair with ..... African boubou fabric !!!! He was very sceptical at first and rightly so: African fabric is meant to be used for dresses not armchairs !!! But Andrea doesn’t give up and never says no to a challenge, we spent some very interesting hours together in the African shops in Hackney market and the result is absolutely amazing, not only our armchair has a totally new beautiful life ahead of him, but we made a friend in the process !!!" Oli & Ludovic |
Pauline Lafferty "Patrizia has terrific and lateral ideas. Her understanding of shape, texture and colour impressed me. Her ideas are original. Together with the hands on skills of her partner, Andrea, they make a very talented team" |
