Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend.
/Welcome to the grand finale of my latest restoration! I spent Friday trekking to my friend's to retrieve my diamond chair, now all welded and super shiney in it's gloss black powder coat finish. I started the trip by swinging by WXPN's free at noon because it is totally free and a great place to hang out when in Philly on a Friday! I almost talked myself out of stopping for foam thinking I could fill with cotton I already had. As I was waiting to get on my ramp to cross town I realized that was a dumb move as the supplier I go to in Philly is a wholesaler and if I get home and decide my cotton idea sucks, my only choice is Joann's and that place is overpriced with a not always stellar selection. So I got off 676 at 8th and headed to Katz's Upholstery. I decided on 1/2" foam and got 2 yards. I took my roll and headed to NJ. My friend was at work so I collected my chair, left him a Vanagon part I picked up for him the night before at our local supplier, used the restroom and headed to an estate sale he tipped me off about. Due to my slow recent sales and our strike situation, I was not in the market for much but I did snag 2 pair of vintage Sears binoculars and a cool melmac ash tray.
I left town with a kick ass cherry pie and headed back to PA, just in time to take my kids to a dance at their school. Of course I was thinking about my chair while my kids were dancing to 'shake it off' but the work would have to wait!
Saturday I got to work on the cover. Over the last week I opened the seam maybe 12" or so, then dumped out the powdered foam, scraped as best as I could at what was stuck to the fabric inside and washed in the tub by swishing in cold water with a mild detergent and rinsing a few times. I did test the fabric and it is indeed wool. I hung over the side of the tub to dry so as not to stretch the fibers.
Washing the cover. Yuck, eh?
My first step was to cut the foam. Remember, I am using in a 3-D contoured situation, so I realized I would need to compensate. I started by cutting the left side to match the side of the chair. Using a bag of flour to weight the seat down, I followed with the right side. There is excess foam now that needed to be removed so I decided I would cut a V out and the center top and bottom, then spray adhesive to close it up.
Removing the foam excess to contour the seat.
My spray adhesive idea worked well once the glue started getting tacky. I placed the foam inside and evaluated. I thought a little cotton would help fluff it out a little so cut a piece the width of the chair and put on top of the foam. The kids tested and said yes, the chair was comfy and they loved it!
Kid tested.
So this morning I got to work sewing it all back up and then took my pics. I did decide to list the chair because I have a lead on another I could repeat this on and would like to save it if I find a home for this one. So here are some pics, see listing on etsy for more details if you are interested and please send friends! If you know anyone looking for furniture and appreciates my era, please send them to my shops! I would greatly appreciate the referrals! ✌🏼️ Thanks a bunch and thanks for all your support! I had a great April in the mall! Xo Malissa https://www.etsy.com/listing/279478194/knoll-harry-bertoia-large-diamond-lounge
Naked. Look at her shine!
In her threads.
Besides the foam deterioration, the cover is in great condition! Charcoal wool with some orange ombré into white threads through like stripes.
The shock mounts were cleaned and conditioned. They would be expensive to replace but luckily, these are still in great condition.
Original label dates this to the 50's. I suspect this is an early production chair. So happy I could help it get ready for it's next 70 years! 🎉
