SIT COLLECTIVE
Sit Collective is a group of four independent upholsterers based in Leytonstone, East London. They met while completing their training and formed the studio in November 2017. The group’s ethos is one of collaboration, community and sustainable living. With a firm belief in supporting each other and the local area, Sit Collective is very much embedded in the local community.
This outlook aligns perfectly with ours and so we sat down with them to find out more about what they do and how they can help the local community.
Hello! Who and what is Sit Collective?
Sit Collective is an upholstery studio on Grove Green Road E11. We are Francesca Stephenson, Pauline Hilton, Sophie Timson and Therese Lane - four independent upholsterers who trained together and now work collaboratively sharing a studio.
Your studio is based in Leytonstone. How connected do you feel to the local community and why is that important to you?
We love Leytonstone and feel very much part of the community. From the neighbours who regularly stop by for a chat, the local businesses who support each other, to our own client base made up of folk who have lived in Leytonstone for decades and those just moving in and starting a life here. We recently commissioned a massive mural on the gable wall of the shop in collaboration with a local artist and the Council in a bid to brighten up all of our days and celebrate a local maker.
What are the benefits of re-upholstering an item of furniture?
The big win is saving a piece of furniture from being dumped into a landfill where it could take hundreds of years to break down.
Most people come to us because their piece of furniture is the perfect size, style and shape but is tired or perhaps the wrong colour for a newly decorated room.
With reupholstery we can customise furniture - not just the fabric, but also alter cushion fillings making them softer/firmer/bigger/smaller. Making pieces unique to their owner!
As a rule, older furniture tends to be better quality, more robust and worth investing in.
Is re-upholstery expensive? Wouldn’t it be easier to buy something new?
Upholsterers can’t and don’t compete with big brand furniture companies. What we offer is a completely bespoke service building quality furniture built to last longer than mass manufactured equivalents, and delivering our customers fabrics and colours unique to them which you can’t get on the high street. The initial cost may be expensive but the piece should last a lot longer – as the saying goes buy cheap, buy twice!
Do you just work with businesses or do you accept commissions from individuals and homeowners?
Our work encompasses domestic clients as well as commercial clients - from pubs and museums to single dining chairs and everything in between. No project is too small or too big!
What type of work do you undertake and what types of furniture can you tackle?
We undertake a wide range of upholstery:
seat weaving – caning, paper cord, seagrass
traditional upholstery – working with coir and horsehair primarily on antique furniture
modern upholstery including mid century through to present day
recovers
custom soft furnishings - bench cushions and banquettes, scatter cushions
outdoor garden furniture cushions
Do you work with customers to generate ideas for a particular item?
Sometimes customers come with very clear ideas - often based on something they might have seen on Pinterest or Instagram, for example - and we can work with them to realise that vision. Other times customers look to us to draw up ideas and suggest fabric and styles that could work. We’re flexible and happy to work with clients however they come to us.
From the very start of all of our interactions we like to get to know our clients; how they use the piece of furniture in their home, whether there are kids and pets involved, what colour schemes or textures already feature in their lives. All of this informs not just what fabrics we might suggest but also whether we need to make alterations which aid longevity or make a piece function better for them. The beauty of reupholstery is we can tailor pieces to you and make it totally unique.
Are there any trends at the moment for work you’re being asked to carry out?
In Leytonstone there's been an ongoing trend for mid-century furniture and a revival of 70s fabric trends like bouclé and wool tweeds. Stripes and velvets are also popular. We’re getting a lot of requests for environmentally sound fabrics, containing more natural fibres. This also echoes shifts in the fabric houses manufacturing processes - creating more textiles with a higher recycled content.
What is the best way for somebody to start a project with you?
In the first instance, bring us or email us some photos of your piece or ideas you have, then we can give you a ballpark estimate and start a conversation about what it is you would like to achieve. Come and see us at the shop at 374 Grove Green Road Leytonstone E11 4AP.
