Caroline
A passion for mid century architecture and furniture led me to retrain as an upholsterer. Since being certified by the Association of Master Upholsterers in 2011, I have been honing my skills and technique across every style of 20th century furniture, both in terms of upholstery, but also wood restoration. I had an online presence for a number of years, but it soon became clear that I’d outgrown working from home and started to look for a shop in St Albans, the one that is now ‘a fold of chairs’ is utterly beautiful, with leaded stained glass windows that give wonderful light - it’s one of St Albans original shop fronts, and works brilliantly with the furniture.
The pieces I choose for the store and this website tell a story about a prolific time period for design and architecture, urban development and graphic design from the end of world war II until the 80s. Mid century style is timeless and focuses on clean lines, organic forms, minimal ornamentation and high functionality. I'm passionate about finding these iconic pieces and restoring them so they can be cherished by another generation.
I don’t believe there is a ‘house style’ that is mid-century, it varies from designer to designer and country to country, but I would say mid century style is optimistic, it was forged by a group of designers, architects and artists whose careers were interrupted by the second world war - who, once free to work again, never really lost their sense of a world to be made anew.
Furniture of the midcentury was manufactured with beautiful materials, crafted by people with craft skills and a vision for better. Each designer striving to create something that would bring joy and function to people. And when I think of the great designers, a lifetimes journey to improve and adapt.
I also believe that as a society we have lost touch with traditional crafts, we buy so much without really understanding the processes that goes into making things, having worked with beautiful furniture for so long, I wanted others to appreciate the quality and longevity of vintage furniture and show what a sustainable choice it offers.
I hope you enjoy the collections I put together online and in store as much as I do.
Caroline