We met up with Lina and Petronella, to talk about design, sustainability and choice of materials

When we arrive the charming workshop dog Rudi rushes towards us. Soon after, we are greeted by a creative craft environment where the sewing machine is in full swing wrinkling a yellow-flowered fabric, air guns roar and tools line the walls. All the tools are hung on specific hooks and nails are neatly sorted into boxes, each thing has its place.

Today they work with velvet fabric, which they say is one of the most challenging fabrics to sew and mould to the furniture frame.

Tell us a bit about who you are!

We are two upholsterers with a journeyman's certificate, trained at Malmstens, bachelor's degree in furniture design.

What is the best thing about being an upholsterer?

We appreciate the craftsmanship as it both gives room to work with design and requires a broad knowledge of different materials. There is a lot of variety as no two pieces of furniture are the same, so you need to be both clever and good at solving problems. The job gives you the opportunity to be creative and work with colours, shapes and beautiful furniture. It's fun to help customers to choose the fabrics and materials that will bring their furniture back to life.

How do you create a welcoming atmosphere?

In the Assembly Hall we are under the same roof as other craftspeople, which creates a welcoming, calm and creative atmosphere – a contrast to the rest of the shopping centre. We have a shop area and a workshop area, and we have chosen to decorate so that the shop and workshop are connected, which means that you can see into the workshop where we stand and work with the furniture. In principle, all our furniture is recycled, which gives a homely feel. Even though we have relatively large premises, we have both materials and furniture that are bulky and require us to use clever storage solutions. For example, hooks and shelves from Essem Design.

What are your thoughts on sustainability?

Ideally we use natural materials, but sometimes synthetics can extend the life of a textile or make it easier to recycle. We always aim to offer the most sustainable materials possible and we never replace anything unnecessarily, for example, a natural horsehair or coconut fiber upholstery will last for generations.

Why do customers hand in their furniture?

Because there is a greater awareness of the importance of conservation. There is also a greater interest in design. Handing over a piece of furniture to the upholsterer gives the customer the opportunity to get a unique piece of furniture. It could also be that they have an emotional attachment to a piece of furniture, or that it is simply very comfortable. More and more people also appreciate good craftsmanship and understand the value it brings. A refurbished piece of old furniture is of a completely different quality to an industrially produced piece.

As we say goodbye, we can't help but buy some Fulgentin oil, inspired by our meeting, we want to go straight home and take care of our furniture and give it a new life. Thanks for the visit!