I have a not-quite-antique chair from the mid-sixties, which, owing to its interesting design and nice construction, may one day have some value. (Or it may already have value, for all I know.)
My question is whether re-upholstering the chair would destroy or diminish its potential value as a collectible. The upholstery on the chair is not terrible, but it is sort of dingy, with a couple of paint spots to boot. I have tried spot remover and steam cleaning, to no avail. (It’s a lovely Austin-Powers-esque lime green cloth, BTW.)
I know that re-finishing wood furniture can destroy the value of the piece, but I don’t know if the same is true of upholstery. Should I re-upholster, or learn to live with dingy fabric?
From my wife, who majored in Furniture Restoration (yes…it really was a major!) in college…
Don’t touch the wood! But you already know that. Depending on the fabric, if it’s a beautiful tapestry or interesting design, then a collector might want to restore it (techniques beyond steam cleaning and spot cleaning). Otherwise, the fabric is somewhat less important, especially if it’s in bad shape. If you don’t want to replace the fabric, you can cover over it with new fabric…which would probably be your best bet.
Agreeing with Rundogrun and Mrs. Rundogrun …
and just to add that if you are very interested in preserving the highest possible value of the chair, there are often vintage (and never used fabrics) that can be used to reupholster. An antique store could tell you where to find dealers of vintage fabrics in your area.
This is a bit extreme, as I found myself getting into the world of vintage fabrics only when my office needed to repair some museum-quality furniture. If the chair is primarily for your use and enjoyment, then don’t bother.
Butterfield & Butterfield, has a web site somewhere you can email them a picture & get a free appraisal of zee chair. B&B was bought by ebay.com so who knows where the site is now.
Face it. If you lug it around for 70 more years, (enough to classify an antique car), it would still not classify as an antique chair.
Just recover it and enjoy it. Holding things in hopes of gains is never realistic. It’s never as good as putting the equivalent dough into CD’s. It’s not even as good a return as the lottery, on average.
I agree with Soupy. But all I know about antiques I learned from Antiques Roadshow. So that ain’t much.
If the chair was from the 1860’s, maybe I’d consider restoring the fabric, but 1960’s furniture? You’d be better served redoing it with a stain-resistant fabric you can live with and enjoy.
I’m envious anyway – well-made furniture is a real treat. If it’s comfy, that’s even better. And nice to look at? You hit the jackpot.
Hey, I said in the OP it was not quite antique. On the other hand, you “old timers” need to admit to yourselves that the mid-sixties are now 35 years past. Furthermore, because a lot of the sixties furniture was poorly made, it didn’t survive too well. On top of that, you have to admit that there were some wildly imaginative furniture styles in the sixties.
I recognize that the chair probably has little value now. (I’m not certain of that, though, as I have seen very similar chairs featured in art exhibitions of 60’s furniture.) My concern is the chair’s potential future value. I don’t want to do anything now that might destroy that (still potential) value, and thus cause my grandchildren to curse my name one day. My question was simply whether re-upholstering furniture destroys value in the same way that refinishing wood furniture does. I got my answer. Thanks.
Oh, and as to what qualifies as an “antique”: I thought 50 years old was the informal cut-off on furniture. (Meaning that the chair would only 15 or so years away from “antique” status, for whatever that’s worth.) Am I mistaken about the definition of “antique?”
At any rate, I’m really less concerned with the chair as an “antique” per se than as a work of art, which it most definitely is.
Hey spoke-, I agree with you that a piece doesn’t have to be a true antique to be valuable. Genuine 60s furniture is really hot in the design world. When I think of all the stuff from my mom’s house that has been thrown out, I just about cry. Your chair may be worth more than a few bucks right now.
I think the latest issue of Metropolitan Home has a feature on 60s designs; some of the ones shown in the article were mass-produced pieces that are now worth thousands. Many thousands. Pieces that were originally sold for a pittance. So take care of that chair!
Furthermore, because a lot of the sixties furniture was poorly made, it didn’t survive too well. On top of that, you have to admit that there were some wildly imaginative furniture styles in the sixties.