The Search for Perfection…

After building a modern country home extension with traditional internal oak beams and flagstone flooring I wanted an accent piece of furniture that complimented this modern space with a traditional twist.

Endless and comprehensive searches of traditional stores and online offerings resulted in frustration and no success in my quest.

Ultimately I settled on the idea of creating my own perfect piece of furniture by combining the best of traditional English furniture design in the form of the Ercol Renaissance range, married to modern vibrant fabrics.

The final part of the puzzle was to find the artisan upholsterer who could turn my passionate dream into reality.

After diligent effort and energy, I combined all three factors to produce my first Ercol Renaissance high-back chair in a grey Porter & Stone fabric – piped and zipped with the flare of modern upholstery techniques this piece of artwork took centre place in my new extension. The response to my ‘new’ Ercol was immediate and overwhelming. Adult children and friends who had been very sceptical about my quest, particularly when they saw the gaudy old-fashioned pattern of my donor chair, and my frustration in trying to obtain the services of an upholsterer who shared my vision, were astonished at the transformation.

I was immediately commissioned to produce similar chairs for their homes.

On a whim, I ventured to market the chair on an unsuspecting world and to my delight and dismay, it sold almost immediately. I quickly had to source and produce a replacement chair. It was at this point that my long-suffering husband said to me, ‘I think you might be on to something here!’

And so began my Ercol rejuvenation journey with Red Squirrel Interiors.