Franklin & Hare | The Craft of Upholstery

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Franklin & Hare are a family-run business based in the historic town of Buckfastleigh, on the edge of Dartmoor National Park in Devon. Owned by Rich and Hannah, the pair share a deep understanding and passion for interiors, antiques, and furniture.

With over twenty years of experience, they specialise in traditional, high-quality re-upholstery, and handcrafted, sustainable, bespoke furniture made from natural materials.

We sat down with Hannah and asked her a few questions about Franklin & Hare, and how the upholstery process works.

Tell us about Franklin & Hare and yourselves – what inspired you both to start the business?

Rich started his upholstery career when he was offered at job at Kingcome Sofas, and it was there that he trained to be an upholsterer in their Devon workshop. Rich was brought up around antiques and spent a lot of time with his dad going to various fairs and markets looking for unique pieces. Franklin & Hare grew from there and by 2014 the business was in full swing. We have had a couple of shops in Ashburton, where we sold a variety of antique furniture, restored antique seating and offered our reupholstery services. We soon outgrew the shop set-up and moved to our workshop in Buckfastleigh. With the business quickly growing, I joined Rich in 2021 and Franklin & Hare became a partnership. Rich and I have a shared passion for both antiques and interiors, having carried out renovations to two Victorian houses alongside running the business over the last four years.

What are the benefits of upholstering furniture rather than buying new?

A huge part of our business and ethos is antique restoration; we understand the importance of heirlooms and keeping family heritage alive. This investment gives you the opportunity to pass something down to future generations. It is why we feel so passionately about traditional upholstery, using natural materials along with the traditional methods means we have the confidence it will stand the test of time.

Reupholstery is a way of getting creative and really showcasing your own style and personality, as you have free rein of what fabrics and finishes to use to make that piece your own. This cannot be brought off the shelf.

Reusing furniture also has a massive effect on the planet. Every year millions of pieces of furniture go to landfill; we live in a throw-away society and our ethos is to educate customers into investing in quality furniture which can be handed down to future generations. It is a great way of living a more sustainable lifestyle.

What to look for when buying furniture to reupholster (and what to avoid)?

To feel confident you are investing in the right piece of furniture, we would always recommend checking over the frame - you want to be feeling for any movement and potential wobbles. Ensure the legs are secure and glance over them to check if they have had any historical repair work carried out. You can delve into the legs further by checking to see if the rear legs have a maker’s stamp, or if they still have the original castors. It can be hard to tell what lies beneath the original fabric, but if you have the opportunity to strip off the fabric, do so, as this will enable you to assess the condition of the stuffing beneath. If the chair is sprung, have a feel around to see if you can feel the springs through the stuffing, because if you can feel the coils, this could suggest additional or new stuffing may be required. Another way of checking if a new seat or back is required is checking the hessian inside the chair itself, to see if it is still intact or if it has perished or torn. You can do this by flipping the chair upside down and looking between the webbing to check the underside of the front lip of the chair - if you can see the hessian, ensure it is still intact. You can do the same with the back of the chair by removing fabric on the outside back (if this is possible).

Are there different methods of upholstery?

There are many upholstery methods, particularly with traditional upholstery, as there is various hand-stitching techniques and different ways to hand-lash coil springs etc. Traditional upholstery is based around building up individual layers by using natural materials such as hair and coir, however, there are also contemporary alternatives such as foam and latex which are less labour-intensive. We specialise in traditional upholstery, but also offer foam alternatives such as Ultraflex and natural latex to our customers, to help eliminate nasty chemicals.

What fabrics are you finding popular at the moment, with current upholstery trends?

Small prints are very popular at the moment and it’s a good subtle way of adding a splash of colour and texture without being too bold. Linens are always a classic and timeless choice; they are nice to work with from an upholsterer’s perspective and look great. The skirt has made a return - and I personally love a skirt, but I know they are like Marmite! A ruffled skirt in a floral fabric seems to be a popular combination.

In our sale, we have a pair of George III mahogany side chairs.  Could you walk us through the upholstery process with them?

A beautiful pair of chairs, consisting of a traditional stitch and stuffed seat pad. Starting with the webbing, this would act as your base, this would then be topped with hessian, then a layer of coir which would be ‘teased’, an additional layer of hessian is added and tacked in place ready to be blind stitched. This secures the coir beneath, adding strength, then the hand-stitched rolled edge is added, offering optimum stability and longevity. Once the stitch work is completed, a layer of hair is added, topped with a layer of Woolcott and finished off with calico, before the top cover is then fitted.

Here are Hannah's favourite lots in the upcoming sale:

^{A two-seater sofa by Howard & Sons (£6,000-8,000)}

^{A 'Bridgewater' armchair by Howard & Sons (£3,000-5,000)}

^{A Victorian steel club fender (£600-800)}

Tuesday 3 & Wednesday 4 December | 10am

fineinteriors@sworder.co.uk | 01279 817778

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