The first Video in the “Chair that hugs you” series is now available on my You tube channel.

Amidst this coronavirus lockdown with real work cancelled I have the opportunity to do what I want, and I have always enjoyed making armchairs. But for reasons I don’t understand the videos are never very popular. Its maybe because there are lots of upholstery videos, although most of them seem to  involve slabs of foam and staple guns. Whereas I prefer Hair and Tacks, the traditional method, which is in keeping with the projects I work on. You cant use foam in an 18th century carriage seat. I would also argue that this method is the most environmentally friendly as its all natural sustainable materials, which cant be said for the foam and staples method.

So here I am with spare time and a daughter that needs an armchair. She is happy with a comfortable armchair, she gets to choose the fabric, and like all my furniture its made to suit the customers body dimensions. I get to choose the style.

The style I have chosen to build is an Art Nouveau style chair with a fluted back, a style that not only looks good but puts its arms around you and hugs you. I have always wanted to make a chair with this style of back, but have never had the opportunity. Now I do.

I am taking the opportunity to document the process on video breaking it down into very small chunks, which then allows me the opportunity to explain in detail what I am doing, and the reasoning behind it. Part one concerns building the wooden frame, and future videos will follow on swiftly although I do see a delay in the offing. I have all the materials I need in stock apart from the finish fabric. For that I need someone to make a decision about fabric and then I have to order it, so there may be a delay on the last video.

At the moment I am resisting the temptation to build in hidden compartments but I can be persuaded if enough people are interested.

Enjoy the video