Wassily Chair revitalised

I was contacted about a Wassily chair which had been damaged while in use.  The seat back panel had split along both seams. The usual approach to fixing this would be to remake a panel in the same style using matching leather.

However in this case the customer was keen to retain the front of the panel as it had Marcel Breuer’s signature debossed into it.  A key design feature.

We discussed several approaches via email and on the phone, deciding that if possible we would insert matching leather into the turns, retaining the main body of the panel as is.  It would affect the look of the chair from the front, but was sympathetic to the chair construction and was an acceptable solution to retaining the signed panel.  An estimated cost was advised, and the final quote would be subject to a detailed assessment when I had seen the chair in person.  The customer arranged for the chair to be delivered to my studio.

The Assessment

When it arrived I assessed the chair.  This highlighted a couple of issues which would influence the work I did on the chair.  In addition to the splits on the back panel seams there were some other small splits to consider, and also the condition of the leather.  Overall the leather was very dry.  This was contributing to the leather splitting, so the whole chair needed to be treated with leather conditioner.

The Back Panel

The customer’s priority was to make the chairs safe for use, and retain the debossed signature on the front of the panel.   Our initial plan was to trim off the rough edges from the original seam, cut new leather for the turns then stitch the new turns into the panel as close as possible to the original seam.  The end edges of the panel would be visible to the front of the chair, but it would be a similar look to the rear of the panel, and give the strength needed for the chair to be used, and still keep the signature.

On removing the panel from the chair it became apparent that the backing leather also had a split in it, and was a point of weakness.  Replacement was advisable.  The solution was to replace the whole rear facing part of the panel with a piece long enough to turn around the frame, and sew the ends into position under the front panel.

This would mean an increase in cost, which was communicated to the customer and authorised before the work was done.  The overall look was the same as the original option – a visible edge to the front, the signature retained and the chair was safe to use.

The Arms

As I removed the back panel it became obvious that both arm straps were also damaged and

needed attention.  One had an old tear that someone had attempted to glue shut, but wasn’t in great shape.

 

The second had a recent split most of the way across the strap, and was close to breaking.  There was some colour loss where the seat back had rubbed it, but the split was the issue.  The customer was aware of these, but not their severity which wasn’t obvious until the back panel had been removed.

 

The damage on both arms was within the turn that went around the chair frame.  This meant it was possible to cut the damaged pieces out and insert new leather for the turns and stitch the ends back in under the original seam, using the existing stitch holes.  This gave a clean finish in keeping with the rest of the chair.

To treat the leather I used a conditioner for veg tan leather, it was lightly applied and left to be absorbed before getting a final polish.

Throughout the project communication with the customer was key, and vital for a successful outcome and a happy customer.

Complications came from some of the frame bolts having seized, so it wasn’t possible to remove the panels to stitch them.  i had to do some of the stitching directly in position on the frame.