I was lucky enough to inherit an old 1960ies Barcelona Daybed, which is still in a pretty good condition.
Unfortunately though, the round head-rest is *beyond* battered....
I have been looking all over the place to find a replacement for it, so far to no avail.
As much as I would like to get a new replacement by Knoll, it is (financially) just not possible at the moment and for some time ahead, so I have been looking for a used single one or even for an online company who sell single replacement cushions.
There is one company on the net who offer them, but they only offer the model with all smooth sides, even without the "middle-button" which is clearly not what I am after.
Has anyone an idea where to turn to?
Thank you in advance!
Can you afford to have an upholsterer make a new one? The biggest hurdle there would be finding leather to match. It has to be a soft, thinner leather, like calfskin, because of the way the ends are done. The ends are made of a long strip of leather. The ends are sewn together to form a short tube, and then one end of the tub is gathered and pulled tight so that you end up with a flat circle. The gathered edge is covered by the button. It is a very simple technique, you just have to find someone who works with leather and can find a good match on the hide.
The foam bolster shouldn't be a big deal--those are sold pre formed and hopefully that size is available. If it isn't, one can be made by wrapping a smaller diameter bolster in thin layers of foam until it's the right diameter.
Thank you for your reply, Sparky!
I already have inquired with two local furniture upholsterers who seemed able to do that, but their price range matches the Knoll 'solution'... Will keep looking but this sounded, well, not too promising. Perhaps that's German pricing.... : (
My post here was written in the hope that some 'quicker solution' were available, also at a price not as high as 1000 - 2000 Euro. To match the 'quality' of the whole thing, I also looked for used ones... Zero on the market it seems.
I only found a company called Steelform, but whilst their replacement 'mattress' looks ok, their headrest has too smooth a finish... There must... be some company out there, as I can imagine I am not the only one with this problem, given the sheer amount of ancient Barcelona daybeds out there....
The prices you were quoted by upholsterers seem pretty high--1000 euros would be high here (around $1100 USD) and 2000 would be very, very high. Maybe you can find a free lancer willing to do it significantly less?
Maybe you'll just have to be patient and check various venues for used ones over time. It may take awhile but you could get lucky. The down side to getting a new one made is that it will look really new on the vintage cushion of the daybed.
Good luck!
Maybe I'm nuts, but have you considered using the daybed without the bolster? I think it looks just as nice, it's more minimal, looks like a large bench as well as a daybed, and more like the Kjaerholm daybed which I also love. Like the Kjaerholm, without the bolster it is uni-directional and does not have a "head" or a foot" which makes it more versatile and can look more balanced in some spaces. If you want to lay on it with your head inclined, there are all kinds of pillows which could look great and serve the same purpose. You can leave them on the daybed when not in use or you can take them off and on giving the daybed a cleaner appearance. I'm thinking of a pillow with colorful graphic design, a textural hand-woven cover, in contrasting leather, hair-on-hide, shaggy sheep's fur or fluffy shearling.
I think I would consider going that route rather than stressing about getting a bolster that matches perfectly.
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