I have started on the Knoll Eero Saarinen chairs. Demolition is always fun, but I approach it cautiously as it can be a Russian Christmas Present. :) I bought these chairs with bad degraded seat foam, and unlike sellers who just flip things, I will take the time to fix it before I sell it. The Dunbar chairs had foam in similar condition. Basically, it hardens and dries out over the years. Did you ever check out an upholstered piece at a thrift or yard sale? Do you know what signs of deterioration to look for? There are pieces out there that exist all of these years and are still usable, but certainly, they are not common. The first thing I do when I check out a piece is take a good look. What can I see? Certainly any sagging or repressed areas are clues. The seat fabric on these chairs were showing sagging around the front edge. The other big clue, is to look for powder.....any sign that the foam inside has turned to dust. You may not notice it right away, but turn the chair over if you can, check out any seam holes as that is where it would fall through. Shake it up a bit if it's small enough and see if you hear anything or see the dust coming out. If you see that, I can guarantee you have foam issues.

Saggy seats are a good indicator that you have some foam issues going on.....

When I started disassembling, I put a cardboard sheet on the ground to make clean up easier and keep the mess intact. I bought a little tool for pulling tacks and staples up at JoAnn Fabrics and it is proving itself very useful in my projects. I pulled out the dust cover staples first, then started on the velvet. Dumping out the mess as I worked my way around. Once the whole thing was apart, as expected, the original foam was glued to the bent ply seat. I pretty much attack this by hand and pull off as much as I can. Then I take the random orbital sander to clean up the wood and smooth it out.

I am now working on the foam and getting it to look like I want before finishing and stapling back up. I have used 2" high density foam, but because of the curved seat, I'm not sure I'm liking it not looking fluffier so I am taking my time to make my plan. I have to be careful as not to make any tears in the velvet since I am not replacing the original fabric. I will keep you posted as they come along!!!! Don't miss out on the fabulous items I have in stock now! Message me for a shipping quote or to arrange a regional delivery! xo Malissa

The Blog.

In the shop: Knoll Eero Saarinen Executive Arm Chair demolition.