It is a situation that I’m sure many antique-market goers have found themselves in. There before you is a beautiful antique armchair, upholstered in a faded chintz that looks lovely and lived-in and like it will slot perfectly into your house without the need for a costly reupholster. When it reaches its final destination, however, the fabric that looked quite charming appears, well, a bit tired and shabby. And, in fact, when you look closely is that little splodge in fact not part of the design but a rather well disguised stain? Suddenly, it’s all become a bit Miss Havisham. Perhaps in this instance, it might well be the time to accept defeat and take your chair for a zhoosh up at the upholsterers.
But that isn’t to say that you can’t use antique textiles for upholstery. On the contrary, a vintage remnant can prove the ideal option for an antique chair frame, creating a smoother transition between old and new. Even those that show the passage of time through flaws or discoloured patches, when used rightly, can look beautiful on an armchair, cushion or perhaps an ottoman. ‘Not only does so much cloth already exist, but an old fabric can give life to a piece in a way that modern fabrics don’t,’ suggests Cassandra Ellis, founder of natural paint brand Atelier Ellis, who is a huge fan of using vintage fabrics. She has upholstered sofas in antique Hungarian grain sacks and made quilts from scraps of indigo-dyed linen. Interior designer Henriette von Stockhausen, founder of VSP Interiors, agrees that vintage fabrics can give an interior depth: ‘using antique fabrics for chairs, benches and even sofas creates that comfortable, well-loved, lived-in feel.’ In the same sense, it can also have a softening effect. ‘An old fabric can make something that can be very uptight, very relaxed,’ says Cassandra. ‘It immediately makes you give into living rather than looking,’ she adds.
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A key consideration – and crucial to vintage textiles looking good on upholstered pieces – is suitability. ‘Think about the weight: if you’ve got an old woven fabric it might lend itself well to something like an ottoman top, but if you have something a bit more fragile you might want to put it on its sides,’ suggests interior designer Joanna Plant, who regularly uses vintage textiles for chairs, ottomans and headboards. Cassandra agrees. ‘Whatever textile you’re using has to be fit for purpose: if it’s a family sofa then you wouldn’t use something like a 1940s French silk velvet, but if it’s a bedroom chair, it might be fine to use a silk velvet because you’ll only be perching on it or putting clothes on it.’ For a sofa, Cassandra loves to use linen sheets or Hungarian cloth – ‘you can puzzle different bits together to create enough fabric to cover it and it’s a robust option,’ she explains. Henrietta advises not to use something that is in particularly bad condition. ‘I wouldn’t use something beyond repair, but if I did, I would repurpose sections to make it work,’ she says. ‘I love patchworking and making do with what’s available, because it’s good for the soul and the environment.’ Joanna suggests using particularly fragile fabrics as hangings behind beds.
If you’re worried about something looking a little scruffy, Joanna has a great piece of advice: mix up vintage textiles with new fabrics. ‘Combining old textiles with something new or an old dyed hemp sheet can sharpen things up and is a good way to stop things looking too shabby,’ explains Joanna, who will often use vintage textiles on the inside back or outside arm of a chair, but a more robust plain coloured linen for other elements, or a lovely new cotton velvet for a seat cover. And that brings us to her other clever trick: use vintage textiles on the parts of an upholstered piece or curtain that get the least use and new fabrics or linen sheets for the areas that are going to receive more wear and tear. ‘With an ottoman, I might use the old textiles on the sides and something new or a linen sheet on the top,’ explains Joanna, who often sources dyed linen sheets from Polly Lyster of The Dyeworks, who is a favourite amongst designers. For curtains, she likes to frame vintage textiles with a border made from something new so that the leading edge and the bit that hits the floor are a bit more robust. Trims, she adds, are another favourite way to give a crispness to a vintage textile and prevent it from feeling too shabby.
Katharine Pole, Amanda Leader and The Dyeworks are among some of Joanna’s favourite vintage textile dealers, but she does also find many lovely pieces on Etsy or at fairs such as Kempton or Ardingly. Henrietta also loves Etsy, especially for old sari silk, but her go-to dealers include Joss Graham and Molly Hogg. If you find something that does feel a bit shabby, Joanna recommends taking it to a textile restorer or giving it a very gentle cold wash by hand. ‘It can really invigorate cotton, especially if it’s very floppy as it brings a bit of the structure back,’ explains Joanna. Henriette agrees that taking a textile to a restorer can be very useful if it needs a few minor repairs and always recommends dry-cleaning a fabric before you take it to an upholsterer.
Another key consideration to bear in mind is choosing your upholsterer wisely and briefing them appropriately. ‘When you have a vintage textile that presents various restrictions, you need a really good craftsperson who knows what they’re doing and that way you’ll end up with something really beautiful,’ explains Cassandra. Joanna suggests, if you can, visiting your upholsterer and placing the textile on the piece with them to ensure you achieve the look you are after. ‘Nothing beats being on the floor as it cancels out some of the ambiguity,’ she explains. She recommends choosing an experienced upholsterer who will understand that the vintage textile will require additional sensitivity. ‘Upholsterers can be nervous when faced with a vintage textile, so it’s important to be clear that you’re not expecting the same result as if it was an off-the-roll by-the-metre fabric,’ she adds. ‘There will be flaws and I’m not averse to the odd patch if it’s a textile that I really love.’
And that is really what upholstery with vintage textiles is all about: embracing imperfections and the fact that you’re working with something old. ‘There’s a freedom to using vintage textiles for upholstery,’ says Cassandra. ‘I think you really have to lean into the fragility of vintage textiles – if you really want to use it, then roll with it and accept that it might not last forever but it’s better than it sitting in a drawer for ever more,’ says Joanna.
