If you follow Wood Quirking, you may or may not know that I (Zoe) spend most of my time managing our social media, photographing / filming projects, editing videos, and helping with all the behind-the-scenes jobs to try and grow the business.
However, I’ve decided it’s time to step out of my comfort zone and take on a challenge of my own.
I’ve always admired the incredible transformations Dan and Nick achieve in the workshop, bringing tired and forgotten pieces of furniture back to life. I have never considered that this was something I could get involved with until I started considering learning the challenging art of upholstery.
I knew that this learning journey had to start somewhere so I thought, why not start with a piece of furniture that had been all but given up on. Although I am admittedly overwhelmed by how much work this piece of furniture needs, I also see an opportunity to learn a completely new skill and challenge myself in a way I never have before.
So, Dan and Nick very kindly went to get it and bring it back to the workshop!
Behold! The Edwardian Window Seat! 🪑😍
And now comes the fun part!
My plan is to completely strip the settee back to its frame and rebuild it from the ground up. Every layer will need to come off so I can see exactly what’s hiding underneath and understand how it was originally constructed.
From there, I’ll be assessing what needs replacing, my thinking at this point is that it is likely to be everything that makes up the upholstery. The webbing, springs, stuffing, padding and, of course, a brand-new fabric!
I am aware that this sounds incredibly ambitious for someone who has never done upholstery before!
I won’t pretend I know exactly what I’m doing yet. There will almost certainly be mistakes along the way, plenty of moments where I’ll need to stop and figure things out, and probably a few occasions where I wonder what I’ve started.
Thankfully, I won’t be tackling it alone.
Dan and Nick will be on hand throughout the project to share their knowledge, offer advice, and help me when I inevitably get stuck. Having their support gives me the confidence to take on something that otherwise might have felt completely overwhelming.
One of the things I love most about Wood Quirking is that there’s always something new and interesting to try! Every day is different.
This Edwardian settee is definitely going to be a learning curve, but that’s exactly why I’m excited about it.
Over the coming weeks and months, I’ll be sharing the entire process, from stripping it down and discovering what’s underneath to rebuilding it layer by layer and choosing the final fabric.
I’m sure there will be successes, setbacks, and plenty of lessons learned along the way, but hopefully by the end of it all I’ll have transformed this neglected settee into something beautiful once again.
Wish me luck—I think I’m going to need it!
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