On a wing and a chair

"To stay ahead, you must have your next idea waiting in the wings."
—Rosabeth Moss Kanter

Recently I received a call from the owner of a local second-hand store asking me to come and inspect a leather wingback chair and its matching footstool no longer wanted due to their condition. When I arrived in the store and saw the chair, I could see why. Apart from its unattractive mustard orange colour, the chair had suffered severe damage through deterioration in areas typically most neglected: the headrest and hand areas of the armrests. Sadly, this problem can generally be avoided simply by regular care and maintenance. By the time it gets to this stage, however, it requires professional attention.

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Wingback chair in badly used condition as sold in a second-hand store.

Note the elliptical stains on each wing caused by natural hair and/or body oil, which has led to premature deterioration and cracking.

The ends of the armrests are severely deteriorated from years of handling.

A close-up of the damage to the right-hand armrest.

A close-up of the damage to the left-hand armrest.

Severe fading on one side of the chair gives evidence of exposure to sunlight and UV damage.

After a brief appraisal I gave the store owner an indication of what it might cost to restore the chair. A few days later, I had another call: a prospective buyer was interested in the chair and would I undertake its restoration? No problem. I contacted the buyer to discuss options, provided a quote, and got the go-ahead.

By all appearances, the ends of the armrests on this leather chair were in the worst state and initially looked beyond hope. They had clearly been subject to years of hand oil and soiling, causing the finish to break down and the leather to develop surface cracking. A close examination, however, revealed the potential for restoration. I had to remove the surface contamination, prepare and fill the cracks, then allow it to cure. The following photos show the dramatic transformation before and after the repair work when the base colour is applied, but before the final antiquing process with the darker top coat blend and clear finish.

The remaining photos show the very pleasing contrast between the original condition and finished result, and we received a wonderful testimonial from the happy owner.