The benefit of Ye Olde Dayjobbe is that I've got several trusted contacts for refinishing and reupholstering furniture that I can share with my Retrograde peeps. (In this business, if you're going to spend $10,000 on a sofa that works for your style and needs, you expect to keep it for at least a couple of generations by changing the upholstery!)
But sometimes it works the other way, too. I recently found a great upholsterer for one my Retrograde projects that I intend to use at Ye Olde Dayjobbe thanks to their kickass service, great attitude, affordable prices, and speedy turnaround. After pitching some prices to my client for reupholstering her two vintage lounge chairs, I had to look around for a more affordable option.
Enter Retrospect (another "retro"--it was meant to be!) I had passed by their workroom on Market Street for years, and always figured they were out of my league. But I called them and owner Cornelius Ross gave me a price I couldn't beat. AND he offered to pick up the chairs and deliver them back when he was done!
Check out the before:
And now here they are with a really unique Indian-printed fabric I found from M&K:
Cornelius's work is great--notice how he lined up the dots from the fabric. It was tough with the organically-spaced pattern, but he made it work!
What a difference a new fresh fabric can make--I love how summery they feel (perfect for this week's weather!) Granted, these weren't $10,000 chairs. In fact, they were hand-me-downs or thrift store finds. But for the price of a pair of new armchairs, my client now has something uniquely hers, and that is just priceless.
(I know some of you might think this pattern is crazy, but keep watching for the final before-and-after of this Alamo Square apartment. I swear it will all make sense in the end!)
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