Upholstery: restore, refresh and re-imagine furniture (all levels)

About this course

Participants work mainly on an individual chair, stool, footstool or other small to medium-sized furniture item. Tutor demonstrations and one-to-one guidance cover assessing an item, planning the work, selecting fabrics and materials, and preparing measurements and components. The course introduces techniques including re-webbing, padding, shaping, covering and basic frame preparation. Projects may also involve creative upcycling through contrasting fabrics, trims, decorative finishes or refreshing wooden frames with waxes or oils. Each project is agreed with the tutor to ensure its size and complexity are suitable.

What you'll learn

• Assess an upholstered furniture item and plan suitable repair, restoration or upcycling work.
• Select fabrics, materials and techniques according to a project’s design and function.
• Measure, calculate and prepare upholstery materials, including cutting fabric and other components.
• Apply re-webbing, padding, shaping, covering and basic frame-preparation techniques.
• Evaluate a completed upholstery project and identify possible next steps.

Is this course right for you?

The course is labelled all levels and is structured around individual projects, with learners working mainly at their own pace alongside tutor demonstrations and guidance. It may suit people developing upholstery work on a personal furniture item, while project size and complexity are agreed with the tutor.

• Work is mainly carried out on a personal small or medium-sized furniture project.
• Projects are checked with the tutor for suitable size and complexity.
• Participation combines independent workshop work with individual tutor guidance.

Before you go

• Learners work on a small or medium-sized furniture item, such as a chair, stool, footstool or small bench.
• The project is agreed with the tutor to ensure its size and complexity are suitable for the course.