MODERN FURNITURE REUPHOLSTERY BY OLEK LEJBZON Co. NYC

Our meticulous craftsmen furniture upholstery and reupholstery as originally designed, to keep the comfort they were designed to have. We can furnish vintage fabrics for truly one-of-a-kind unique pieces, that are not available anywhere else. We have available unused Danish and German inventories of fabrics , from the Panton era, Eames era, Pop Art and other fabrics that are in perfect condition. These vintage fabrics are available in limited quantities to reupholster your furniture to give you pieces no one else will be able to own. We can custom distress leather to match Art Deco period distressed pieces.

Hand-Stitching, Saddle-Stitching, and Simplification of Form

Furniture Design incorporated simplification of form and framing, and often required hand-stitched fabric or leather in better quality pieces. Machine sewing could not be used in these pieces. The quality of the upholstery work shows in every stitch. Good craftsmanship is apparent in hand-stitched leather or fabric sewing, by the tight and even stitching, and lack of creases or wrinkles. Saddle stitching is a decorative stitching incorporated mostly in leather upholstery, with two or three lines of parallel stitches around seam, that requires superb alignment skills by the reupholsterer, and special double needle machines, for fine reupholstery work

The Pierre Paulin Ribbon Chair

Requires superb stitching, especially if highly flexible original fabric is not used to recover the chair.

The Pierre Paulin Chairs were mostly introduced in the 1960's, and were upholstered primarily with latex foam rubber. Due to the limited life of foam rubber, these rarely have original foam rubber padding, and if they do, the padding is now hard and lumpy, and in need of reupholstery.


Pierre Paulin Ribbon Chair before reupholstering	Pierre Paulin Ribbon Chair stripped to the single-piece bent tubular steel frame



Pierre Paulin Ribbon Chair reupholstered, possible only with foam rubber padding



Pierre Paulin Tongue Model 577	Pierre Paulin Orange Slice Model 437



Pierre Paulin Tulip Chair Model 545	Pierre Paulin Ribbon Model 582


Natural Latex Foam Rubber, and the development of Modern Furniture Designs Another innovation of furniture reupholstering was the invention of perforated natural latex foam rubber. Although invented decades before, natural latex foam rubber was not usable until perforated for the flow of air, carrying away perspiration. It replaced coil springs and horsehair and cotton padding, and could be applied in very thin supportive and resilient layers, to attain innovative designs that could not have been done with traditional upholstery techniques. Natural Latex Foam Rubber could last for 50 years or more. In the 1960’s manufacturers developed inexpensive synthetic foam rubbers, with expected lives of 2 -20 years. When hand-stitched labor is required to reupholster the chair, the longer life of the more costly natural latex foam rubber becomes more sensible. Before the invention of perforated natural latex foam rubber in the early 1950’s, most contemporary upholstery padding consisted of a platform of coil springs tied together, with horsehair, Spanish moss, coconut matting, and cotton padding. Art Deco Club Chairs had coil-sprung backs, loose cushions, and seat platforms, and are quite complicated to reupholster.

French Art Deco Club Chairs before reupholstering	Chair being reupholstered showing spring platforms before padding



Art Deco Club Chair after reupolstery


Leather, Top Grain Quality The quality of leather is critically important for Contemporary Furniture, and determines the life of the upholstery. The quality is determined by the manufacturing, or tanning process. Leather is split into three layers: • Top Grain (also top quality), showing the hair follicles, often dyed rather than stained, never “filled”, this is the best quality of leather, the top layer of the full grain hide, that should last 30 – 40 years. If the manufacturer does not state that the leather is *top grain*, it is an inferior quality. Original contemporary furniture always used top grain leather. The same manufacturers often substitute the inferior Mid Grain leather in its place today. The thickness of the hide, and tanning process affect the life and hand of the leather. • Mid Grain, or “filled” (is 2nd quality), known by many other inventive descriptions, this leather is the bulk of what is sold on furniture today, and can last 10-20 years. This leather is the middle layer of the full grain hide of the cow. It is generally imprinted by heavy rollers, or embossed, to show a natural-appearing grain pattern, sometimes even with hair follicle imitations. Difficult for a non-expert to see what one is getting. • Skiver the bottom layer of the full grain hide, it used to be for desktops, books, or other minimally-wearing surfaces, is used today mostly in Brazilian or cheap Asian furniture, and can be expected to stretch out and break on seating surfaces in 2 – 5 years. It characteristically develops “inexplicable” breaks, without even stretching out first. No manufacturer, distributor, or retailer will ever admit using skiver. It is always embossed and disguised to look like a better quality leather. Without a warranty of leather life, there is no recourse to the retailer or manufacturer. Some furniture with Leather Upholstery used the Leather for structural support, and uses Full Grain leather, as in the Wassily arm chair B3 designed by Marcel Breuer. Distressed New Leather The distressed look of old leather is much sought after, but difficult to keep for long. Vintage distressed leather is also quite weak, and rips easily when used. Leather can be distressed by combinations of dyeing and staining to appear old, but still have a long life ahead, as new leather would. Furniture owners often like such custom finishing to match the look of vintage distressed furniture.

Distressed Leather Before	Distressed Leather After



Milo Baughmann Egg Chair with padding applied	Milo Baughmann Egg Chair stripped fabric before reupholstering



Milo Baughman- Maurice Villency Egg Chair reupholstered


Hand stitched chairs, including various designs by Arne Jacobsen (Egg Chair & Swan Chair) manufactured by Fritz Hansen, Hans Wegner, and others

Arne Jacobsen Swan Chair before reupholstering	Arne Jacobsen Swan Chair after reupholstering



Arne Jacobsen Swan Chair hand stitching	Swan Chair hand stitched seams


Hans Wegner Papa Bear Chair Reupholstering

Hans Wegner- Mama Bear chairs before reupholstering	Hans Wegner- Mama Bear chair during reupholstering



Hans Wegner- Mama Bear chair after reupholstering	Wegner- Mama Bear chair recovered


Hans Wegner Papa Bear Chair Recovering- The entire back and arms of this classic armchair are hand-sewn

Hans Wegner Papa Bear Chair before reupholstering	Hans Wegner Papa Bear Chair during reupholstering, showing seat and back platforms



Hans Wegner Papa Bear Chair after reupholstering	Hans Wegner Papa Bear Chair with hand-sewn seams, reupholstered


Pickups & Delivery by our truck throughout metropolitan NY, NJ, PA, and CT- Pickups of entire assembled Eames Lounge Chair may be inexpensively arranged throughout the Midwest and Eastern US, from Texas to Chicago, Florida to Boston We arrange pickup and delivery promptly throughout metropolitan NY, including NY and NYC, NJ, PA, and at CT at modest cost. We can arrange for pickup and delivery of furniture throughout the United States east of the Mississippi, as well as all of Louisiana and eastern Texas with a recommended common carrier, TSC Moving (Hallandale, FL), www.tscmoving.com They are very reliable, and surprisingly economical for long-distance moves. Fine furniture deserves the best care, and is worth the trip.


Modern Furniture Gallery

Pierre Paulin Ribbon Chair Eero Aarnio Swan Chair



Herman Miller Eames Sofa Cassina Sofa Reupholstering



Replace Pirelli Rubber Webbing L'Atelier Jacaranda Reupholster & Repair



Exotic Leathers Exotic leather hides, including hair-on pony or cow hides, or zebra printed pony skin, manta ray, ostrich, deer skin, and others are available. Pickups & Delivery by our truck throughout metropolitan NY, NJ, PA, and CT- We arrange pickup and delivery promptly throughout metropolitan NY, including NY and NYC, NJ, PA, and at CT at modest cost. We can arrange for pickup and delivery of furniture throughout the United States east of the Mississippi, as well as all of Louisiana and eastern Texas with a recommended common carrier, TSC Moving (Hallandale, FL), www.tscmoving.com They are very reliable, and surprisingly economical for long-distance moves. Fine furniture deserves the best care, and is worth the trip.


Modern Furniture Reupholstering Gallery
Zebra printed cow hide chairs, ottoman Mid Century Modern Armchair