Aunt Mark- I am leaning in that direction right now. I am think of just buying some nice chair pads and let them be for awhile. Maybe way down the road I can swing doing these chairs correctly. I've had at least 5 people ask me to sell them but I really love them.
Any good suggestions on where to buy chair pads? 🙂
You can get seat cushions made with all the right proportions and the same edge profile by any good upholsterer who is willing to figure it out, or contact one of the upholsterers that you find online via a google search for "reupholster Platner chair". There are several and they most likely have made patterns for the cushions so they wouldn't need the originals to copy. I know BK Upholstery works from patterns they have made themselves from originals.
Also, you can order swatches directly from Knoll, I think up to five at no charge.
Spanky- Earlier today I emailed BK Upholstery to see if they knew of anyone in the NW who specialize in Knoll restorations or what it would look like for them to do it. I think I will start looking for a stellar deal on some Knoll fabric and then have seat cushions made. Then later on if I find someone to finish the backrest then I could have matching fabric for that....
Also a neighbor friend came over this evening who is also a Mid Century Modern enthusiast and has been buying and selling furniture as a hobby for a long time. She said she thought the chairs were patio chairs because they were not the stainless steel but steel wire with a metallic finish. I didn't realize there was a "patio line". Does someone know a little background on the material used on the frames?
Hi Dear,
The white cushion-less outdoor version of the Platner chair was short lived, in that it tended to leave imprints on bare skin...tragic! Nudest dining was out of the question. Hand towels helped. The seat could be hosed down. The interior version offered two selections.
~Nickel coated steel.
~Luxurious Bronze.
I've only seen 1 outdoor cushion-less version in white. Recently. Yours.
I like your neighbor.
Best,
Aunt Mark
Adorable chairs. Really elegant and graceful. These chairs seem to be worth refinishing else every time we think of refinishing consider if metal furniture is worth the effort or steel for a new one. To remove old finish thin stripper would be enough followed by a power sander, wipe on stains and finishes. We often think of replacing our furniture when they can be refurnished as said in this article http://www.redbins.ca/repurposing-old-furniture/ . This chair in the image is quite similar to our chairs in this post . The ones in the pic are refinished
You should just have some simple cushions made, in a quality textile. One for the seat, and you could probably have one for the back with straps that secured around the top metal trim and the verticals to keep it in place, if you got creative.
Then look to make friends with someone who repairs boats. I have done a fair amount of fiberglass work on sailboats in the past, and the fiberglass piece is actually not difficult at all to make, with just a little bit of experience. The fiberglass materials are really cheap, and you could easily use the original chair as the form (well protected of course). This is especially so, since it is buried under the upholstery, and covered with foam, so there are no concerns with the aesthetics of the fiberglass. The upholstery would be the difficult part, in my opinion, because of the curves (and my lack of upholstery experience). I agree that it is going to be more expensive than it is worth to get it done all in one shot, but over time with the right connections, it would be possible to do a reasonably priced, period-correct restoration.
Edit: spelling errors
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