SOFT
- FURNISHING
Albert E Chapman
is an upholstery and soft furnishing business recognized as a leader in
the field. Using the accumulated experience of its dedicated staff, some
of whom have spent a lifetime with the Company. Our soft furnishing department
is able to offer to interior designers assistance in bringing their designs
to fruition. The upholstery section also bring their extensive knowledge
and understanding to all forms of upholstery.
Many
prestigious projects have started life on the cutting tables of
Albert E. Chapman, including the manufacture for Hampton Court Palace
of the pull up window curtains and bed treatments based on the information
obtained from the Lord Chamberlain’s Accounts of 1699.
The granting to the Company of the Royal Warrant for Soft Furnishing recognises work for the Royal Household.
In
addition to the numerous commissions in the UK. Soft furnishings manufactured
in our workshops are fitted in many homes abroad including projects in
the Bahamas, Ireland, France, Germany, Middle East and the USA. British
Embassies in Europe and Scandinavia have also soft furnishings executed
by the Company. In all of these cases the fitting of the work by our own
experienced fitters formed part of the contract.
The staff's skills are often tested by the application - by hand - of
basket- and clipped-edge braids, which were used extensively in the 19th
Century, but not so frequently today. The application of fringes to the
edges of curtains and pelmets, valances and draperies is fairly common
but on occasion, where a heavy fringe with spaced hangers is used, the
trimming manufacturer is requested not to apply the silk-covered moulds,
in order that the spacing can be set out in Albert E Chapman Limited's
workshop, thus allowing the space between the moulds to be set in a balanced
position on each drapery component.
The Company is often privileged to work with fabrics and trimmings manufactured on hand-operated looms activated by weavers trained in these traditional methods of manufacture and who possess a similar sense of history to Albert E Chapman Limited.
QUALITY
The reputation of the Company for soft furnishing is based on the belief that quality matters. Regardless of the type of project, be it a pair of curtains for a nursery or complicated arrangements of heavily trimmed drapery for an elegant Drawing Room, the same hand manufacturing skills apply, all the hidden techniques that make for the lasting and pleasing appearance of the window or bed treatment are never omitted.
CRAFTSWOMEN AND CRAFTSMEN.
The Company is blessed by having long serving highly skilled soft furnishing staff. Each of the principals has served the company for a minimum of twenty five years and now spend a lot of their time passing on their skill and knowledge to the less experienced but eager newer members of the team. This dedication on their part will help to ensure the ongoing success of the Company.
WORKROOMS
The soft furnishing and upholstery workrooms are situated in a secluded area just off of Crouch Hill London, in what was formally the stable yard and ancillary buildings of a dairy, built in last quarter of the 19th Century.
Soft
Furnishing Workroom
SOFT
FURNISHING DESIGN
For clients who wish to be closely involved with their schemes and desire to know how their ideas work out in practice, the Project Manager will provide scale drawings and sketches of their soft furnishing treatments including, in especially difficult situations, full size mock-ups to ensure the correct proportions are obtained.
INTERIOR DESIGNERS
The Company has the privilege of working for many notable interior designers who use the expertise within the Company to interpret their designs bring their schemes to successful conclusion.
STEPHEN
CHAPMAN
Managing Director