Photography by Kevin A. Roberts
The “as is” version simply takes your breath away. It had ripped seams, worn-out armrests, discoloration, and stuffing pouring out the front—and ultimately, onto the floor.
When Andy Temme, the lead upholsterer at H.R. Zollinger Furniture Co. (4821 Fairview, 314-832-1555, zollingerfurniture.com), first saw this sorry sofa, he “couldn’t believe it was in somebody’s house.” Neither could we. But there it was; it belonged to the resident and, dare we say, an extremely pampered cat. So why didn’t they just shrug their shoulders, kick it to the curb, and buy anew?
“It’s got a quality frame,” Temme says. “Today’s furniture is basically throw-away. You can’t just go out and buy that kind of sofa anymore.” The first step in the reclamation was to rip off all of the existing upholstery and take it down to the frame. Start to finish, Temme estimates he spent 50 hours bringing the sofa back to life.
“There is a lot of time and effort in it, but getting it back to its original state and figuring out how it looked originally was a trick alone,” the upholsterer says. “That is basically part of my job.”
