Although our main line of endeavour is the retailing of 18th century English and continental European antiques, we do, from time to time, undertake special, selective projects for clients. Possibly you know that we do all our own restorations, and that includes upholstery. We use a variety of fabrics, but since it is the period furniture frame we are selling and are obliged then to match an appropriate fabric somewhat subordinate in presence to the appearance of the frame, we must then shop an array of fabric lines.
We were pleased then, at the behest of a younger client to have the opportunity to use an exquisite Fortuny print on a pair of Louis XVI fauteuils with original blanc vernis finish. Mind you, this upholstery job was hardly a dawdle, and required the personal attention of the best upholsterer we use- at 84 years old, what he doesn’t know isn’t worth knowing, and what he can’t do is probably otherwise impossible.
The pairing of handmade with handmade presents some challenges that in the modern age we’ve mostly forgotten about. The neoclassical beauty of the fauteuils is enhanced by inherent features- patination and irregularity, for instance- that can only be the result of 230 years of use. Match this with the handblocked beauty of the Fortuny fabric, and, well- the result is wrought not without some difficulty. While we considered using nailheads to trim, we opted for gimping as it provided a more subtle visual segue between fabric and frame. Nailheads, we thought, might provide too strong a focal point- it is the fabric and the frame that are important- not the trim.
This project took our upholsterer two solid weeks of work to complete, and possibly a little extra aquavit in the evening to unwind. Aquavit must have kept him nimble, too, as his labours yielded an exquisite result. Mind you, we didn’t perform this project gratis, but I must say we are thankful to our client for her desire to use Fortuny. The upshot of this for Chappell & McCullar? We’re not certain our client will run riot with fabrics, but let me say that for ourselves we look forward to our next opportunity to use Fortuny.