Reupholstering a design classic: what the makers say
An Eames lounge chair, a Barcelona chair or Arne Jacobsen’s Egg isn’t reupholstered like any other armchair. Its upholstery, with its proportions, its buttons and its stitching, is part of what makes it genuine. What the makers say sets an original apart from a copy, what they offer for repairs, and what to ask before anyone touches it.
By Royal Stitch · Published
Illustrative imageWhat makes a piece genuine
Vitra’s magazine visited Stefan Thoma, who restores Eames furniture in his workshop in Breisach, Germany. Thoma explains that he spots a fake Lounge Chair by the proportions of its cushions, among other signs such as the shell wood or where the buttons sit. And he admits some copies are so good that he can only tell them apart by counting the stitches.
In other words, on these pieces the upholstery details are part of their identity. Knoll, for its part, stamps its logo and the designer’s signature on the Barcelona chair’s frame as a guarantee of authenticity. Before reupholstering, it is worth finding and keeping those marks and labels.
Proportions
Every square and button in its place and to size.
Stitches
Even their count tells an original apart.
The mark
The maker’s stamp or label, which is kept.
How they are made
Each classic has its own construction, and reupholstering it well means reproducing it. According to Knoll, the Barcelona chair’s cushions are held to the frame by belting-leather straps with edges dyed to match. And each cushion, the company says, is made of forty squares of leather, suede or fabric, hand-welted and hand-tufted with buttons.
On Arne Jacobsen’s Egg, Design Within Reach, which sells it as a Fritz Hansen dealer, explains that a moulded piece of foam sits beneath the upholstery and that the upholstery is hand-sewn onto the shell.
What the maker offers
Some makers have their own service. Vitra explains that its products can be brought to its Vitra Circle stores for repair, where staff advise on cleaning and care and replace worn parts directly. It also sells original spare parts, such as the glides for the Lounge Chair and its ottoman.
For businesses, according to a trade publication, Vitra restores furniture in its Circle for Contract programme with original spare parts. Vitra’s magazine tells of one case: in 2023 the University of Bern had ninety-two Eames Fiberglass Chairs restored through a dealer and a Vitra service partner, rather than buying new ones.
What to ask before it is reupholstered
With these answered, the piece keeps what makes it valuable:
- Provenance
- Is it genuine? Does it carry the maker’s stamp, label or signature?
- The maker
- Does it offer a repair service, or sell original parts and cushions for that model?
- Construction
- Will the proportions, buttons, welting and stitch count be kept as they were?
- Material
- Leather, cloth or suede to match the original model?
- What comes off
- Will the labels and the original parts that are removed be kept?
The service
A piece that deserves another life?
Sofas, armchairs and headboards upholstered to measure for villas on the Costa del Sol, commissioned by the owner or their interior design studio. The service page explains how the work is done.
Sources
What each piece is made of comes from its makers and dealer (Vitra, Knoll and Design Within Reach); the contract programme, from a trade publication. Each source was found by searching the publisher’s own site.
- Vitra — “The Chair Whisperer”, a visit to a restorer
- Vitra — Vitra Circle stores
- Vitra — original Lounge Chair glide set
- Vitra — “A second life”, the University of Bern chairs
- Interior Daily — Vitra’s Circle programme
- Knoll — Barcelona Chair
- Knoll — a guide to the Barcelona Chair
- Design Within Reach — Fritz Hansen Egg Chair