Who We Are
RALPH
MARTIN
originally worked in the electrical wholesale trade but after doing
an evening upholstery class decided he liked it so much that he decided
to change his career. To this end he went back to college and studied
full time at the London College of Furniture (now Metropolitan
University) where he obtained his City & Guilds Level 3 Furniture:
Traditional and Modern Upholstery qualification. He enjoys restoring
pieces of furniture back to their original glory, using a mix of modern
and traditional methods as appropriate – for example staples,
although a modern invention, are better for old pieces of furniture
because they do less damage to the wood. Whilst studying he benefited
from working with another upholsterer to practise what he learnt at
college. In turn, he has always been happy to support other upholstery students in their learning and with their projects.
JIM COX
Often to be found in the workshop is Jim Cox of Herts Upholstery, who has been an upholsterer, man and boy, for 49 years. Jim started out when he was 16 as a trainee at a workshop in Welwyn Garden City. It was a hard school: his mentors often let him work on a piece of furniture and get it wrong, before making him unpick everything and do it again. On the other hand, Jim thinks he only needed to do it wrong once before getting the hang of it!
Both Ralph and Jim enjoy the process of restoring a battered but loved item of furniture back to its former glory, comfortable and beautiful. They tackle most objects: sofas, chairs, dining chairs, chaises longues, and more unusual pieces, such as seat cushions for a church or benches for a yacht. They also work with local interior designers on specially commissioned items. Each article presents its own challenges and interests and they both say you never stop learning in this business. In 2007 Ralph achieved accreditation by the Association of Master Upholsterers & Soft Furnishers (AMUSF), the professional body that oversees standards and training in the industry.