Not your average upholsterer....

Hi, my name is Heather Linnitt, and Eclectic Chair is my boutique upholstery studio based in Chapel Allerton, North Leeds.

Nine years ago, after a lifetime of working in the restaurant industry, I trained as a Traditional Furniture Upholsterer with the acclaimed Traditional Upholstery Workshop in South West Wales.

I discovered that I had a flair for chairs!

Upholstery combines the masculine craft of woodwork, with the feminine skills of needlework. It requires both strength and delicacy. I was bitten by the bug immediately.

The appeal for me is taking a frayed and faded piece of furniture about to be thrown in the tip, and breathing new life into it. Replacing the old sagging seat with a taut firm one. Using my imagination to accentuate the beauty of the chair with fabric sympathetic to the period, or creating something far more exciting by using an unexpected fabric to upholster it.

Although I love to do traditional furniture upholstery, I do like it when a client wants to do something a bit more adventurous, such as the art deco club chair in the photo which was recovered with a black & gold oriental inspired fabric. And I love vintage & retro furniture & fabric, from Louis chairs to seventies G Plan, from Paul Smith stripes to Orla Kiely patterns.

I also love vintage fabric and spend hours scouring the junkshops of Leeds, vintage fairs and ebay in search of it.

So, if you have an old chair gathering dust in your cellar...

A family heirloom that you don't want to throw away...

Or a junkshop find that has a great shape but a sagging seat...

Let me restore it and give it a new lease of life! 

I also write a blog called "Eclectic Chairs and Quirky Cushions" in which I wax lyrical about chairs, cushions and fabrics that have caught my eye, and ideas that I have for putting unusual chairs and fabrics together.

My cushions are available to buy at Bouf.com and  Lasso The Moon and Folksy