Custom Pieces
I work closely with an upholstered furniture maker in Sydney who offers a ten year warranty on their work. For soft furnishings like cushions and bench seats I work with a local sewing professional who has many years in the industry and exceptional sewing skills.
Ordering custom from me could not be easier. Its fundamentally a matter of:
- Choosing a style
- Getting the sizing right
- Choosing a fabric
- Thinking about the details
Playing around in my fabric library is a lot of fun. I understand which fabrics are suitable and can offer advice on colour and pattern. It’s a matter of combining function and style to create the perfect piece.
Once a quote has been accepted, I take care of everything. Lead times are typically 4-6 weeks and delivery is included in the quote.
Seating
One misconception about custom sofas is that they are prohibitively expensive but a custom sofa or chair costs the same as a mid-priced mass-produced piece of furniture.
There is nothing more comfortable that a custom sofa. Choose from more traditional styles with rounded armrests to more contemporary styles with cleaner lines and/or removeable slipcovers.
I can tailor the overall length, the height and the seat depth. You can also choose the type of foam and cushion wrap to suit, as well as the style and colour of legs. Of course you can then choose any upholstery fabric from my library. This applies to sofa beds, armchairs and dining chairs too.
Within 6 weeks you have your own special piece, made just for your body and your home!
Bedheads
Let’s face it- store bought bedheads are fairly generic these days. They are usually rectangular in white, beige or grey plain upholstery. Which doesn’t make sense to me because our bedrooms are our own personal sanctuaries.
When it comes to bedrooms, a custom bedhead is the foundation to bringing your style to life. They anchor the bed and add comfort too.
I have 16 standard bedhead shapes but can pretty much create anything. You can add width or extra height to the standard templates and include embellishments like diamond buttoning, contrast borders, piping and trims
Our manufacturers can work around skirting, powerpoints and light switches.
From elaborately curved bedheads in big, blousy florals to simple slipcover in coastal linens, consider a custom bedhead for your sanctuary.
Ottomans & footstools
Ottomans are a versatile and hardworking piece of furniture.
- A small, upholstered cube or cylinder can tuck under a console and be brought out for extra seating
- A hinged ottoman at the end of the bed can store blankets but double up as seating
- An ottoman makes a glorious coffee table- softer and therefore safer, it is an opportunity to add colour and pattern and can layered with trays and stacks of books.
- We do a fantastic slipcover ottoman.
- Like our other custom pieces, ottomans can be custom sized. You can add turned timber feet, castors, diamond buttoning and trims.
Benchseats
Upholstered bench seats are an increasingly popular addition to family homes. They blur the lines between built-in joinery and free-standing furniture.
- In a dining space a bench seat works well combined with conventional dining chairs, solving the problem of “too many legs”. The resulting space has more visual interest and feels cosy and inviting.
- In a living or bedroom space a bench seat provides lay off seating and is particularly appealing in a window where you can really settle in and enjoy the outlook.
- Upholstered bench seats are most comfortable when they are the dimensionally correct- soft, while providing proper support. I am happy to come and measure and provide advice, at no charge.
- Backrests can shaped, tapered, fluted or buttoned- loose or fixed to the wall.
- I offer a choice of 4 different thicknesses, 2 foam densities and 2 different foam wraps. All our covers are made with wrap around zips so they can be easily removed and washed.
- Stain resistant fabrics are great for covers as are wipeable, leather look vinyls. Outdoor fabrics are popular too- they are completely fade resistant.
Cushions
Scatter cushions are the last layer of softness in a room.
They can be overdone and I always advocate for a select number of high quality cushions. Quality comes in the uniqueness of the fabric (I love working with hand blockprinted linen but mixing up the fabrics and texture is important too), the insert (you can’t beat feather) and the details (whether it has piping, hidden zips or trims).
Getting the mix just right is somewhat of an artform- there are rules about using different scale patterns and adding stripes or plains but it’s also true that cushions can look contrived if they are over-thought. Adding in an antique textile can work wonders and sometimes a space just needs nothing more than a couple of paired back cushions in natural wool boucle.
Wallpaper
Wallpaper is such a genius way to add interest to your home. It elevates a flat white wall to a whole new level and has the magical ability to tell a story and create an immersive atmosphere.
I am of the belief that the most appealing homes don’t take themselves too seriously and wallpaper is a great way to add irreverence.
I have a small collection of wallpaper sample books but, because the market is flooded with thousands of beautiful designs, I typically source samples as I need them.
If you are keen to use wallpaper in your home, get in touch and together we can clarify what kind of style/scale you are after. Then I can set about sourcing some samples for you to take home and ponder. I charge $50 sourcing fee which is redeemable on an order.
If you need help calculating metreage, quoting and installation I can project manage the process for you at an added cost of $300.
My design tips for using wallpaper:
- Consider using wallpaper as a starting point in a room
- Consider the paint colours you use adjacent to a wallpaper
- Very small-scale prints are very easy to work with as are textured papers like grasscloth.
- There are some excellent vinyl products on the market now, which are wipeable.
- Any type of sheen can cheapen the effect, in my opinion, so stick with matt finishes.
- Wallpaper can be used on ceilings.
- Wallpaper can also be used on cabinetry doors.
- Papered walls are meant to be overlaid with artworks.
