Lesson Learned

Over the past 7 years we have upholstered and refinished hundreds of pieces of furniture but we had never attempted to replace a Danish paper cord seat.  I had heard from a few other dealers that it is difficult and time consuming.  A few weeks ago I bought a really nice Danish oak & teak dining table by Arne Hovmand Olsen and it came with a set of 6 chairs that needed new corded seats. I took this opportunity to try to learn the skill for myself.  

Here is a picture of the first chair that I completed.  I was satisfied with the result but it took me much longer to complete than I had hoped.    

 Another thing I learned while weaving the first chair is the importance of protecting my fingers.  They were very raw after the first chair.  Wrapping my fingers with medical tape provided good protection while still allowing my fingers to fit into tight spaces.

After a full week of work I finished all 6 chairs.  Due to the attention to detail that is required I never managed to finish any of the chairs in under 6 hours.  My conclusion is that weaving these chairs myself is cost prohibitive unless they are very valuable chairs by Hans Wegner or Niels Moller.

Here the chairs are pictured with the Arne Hovmand Olsen table I purchased them with.

I went on a long buying trip this week and found a whole van load of furniture.  Fortunately this set of four Nils Jonsson dining chairs just needed a light cleaning.  They are a perfect match for our Ib Kofod Larsen dining table!

Another great find was this set of Louis Ghost chairs by Philippe Starck for Kartell // Sold

Lastly, I found and refinished a pair of Lane Acclaim nightstands!