Guide · upholstery in Melbourne
Yes, a tired armchair or wingback is almost always worth reupholstering when the frame is sound, and in most cases you end up with a better-made chair than anything off a showroom floor. At Dylberry Design, our family workshop in Eltham North strips each chair back, rebuilds what has worn out inside, and recovers it in a fabric you choose, so a piece you already love comes home comfortable and looking new. Every job is quoted on its own scope and materials, and you can get a free quote by sending us a few photos.
Last updated: July 2026
Get a free quoteCall 0425 832 619Reupholstering a chair is a full rebuild, not just a new cover stapled over old problems. We start by stripping the chair back to the frame, removing the old fabric, tacks, wadding and foam so we can see exactly what we are working with. From there we check and repair the timber frame, re-tie or replace sagging springs, renew the webbing that holds everything under tension, and build up fresh foam and wadding to restore the seat and back support. Only once the chair is solid underneath do we cut and fit the new fabric, hand-finishing the seams, piping and edges so the lines sit true.
That internal work is where a proper reupholster earns its keep. A chair can look presentable on the surface while the seat has collapsed, the springs have dropped, or the foam has gone hard and thin. Rebuilding those layers is what brings back the comfort, and it is why a reupholstered chair often outlasts a cheap replacement. We use high-resilience HR35 foam throughout, which carries a 10-year manufacturer warranty and holds its shape for years rather than months.
Wingback chairs and buttoned pieces need a more experienced hand. The wings, the scrolled arms and the tight curves all have to be shaped and pulled cleanly so the fabric follows the frame without puckering. Deep buttoning and diamond buttoning have to be measured and set out so the pleats fall evenly and the tension is consistent across the whole panel. This is slower, more detailed work, and it is exactly the kind of job our in-house team handles day to day. With close to 100 years of combined craft across the workshop, the fiddly, traditional details are second nature rather than a gamble.
We cover the full range of occasional and lounge seating, including:
If you are not sure whether your chair suits reupholstery, send a photo and we will tell you honestly what we would recommend.
Older armchairs are some of the most rewarding pieces to bring back, and they are usually built from better timber and better joinery than modern furniture. Because they are often family pieces, we treat them accordingly. Alongside the upholstery, we offer French polishing for exposed timber legs, arms and show-wood frames, so the timber is restored to match the freshly upholstered seat rather than being left looking dull against new fabric. The result is a chair that reads as a whole, not a patched-up compromise, and one you can pass on again.
An armchair is often the one piece in a room you can be bold with, so it is worth choosing fabric that does some work. For a chair that gets daily use, look for a hard-wearing upholstery weave with a high rub-test rating, and think about how it will sit against your sofa and flooring. For a statement accent chair, a richer velvet, a textured boucle or a patterned fabric can lift the whole room. We are happy to talk through options, durability and quantities so the fabric suits both the look you want and the way the chair will actually be used.
Because no two chairs are the same, we price each job individually and fairly on its scope and materials rather than quoting a flat rate. The main things that move the price are:
Sending photos lets us give you a realistic quote up front, so there are no surprises once the chair is in the workshop.
For a quality frame, the answer is usually yes. A well-made hardwood chair, especially an older or inherited one, is worth far more as a rebuilt piece than as landfill, and reupholstery lets you keep a shape and a scale that suits your room instead of settling for whatever the shops are selling. Where it makes less sense is a flimsy, flat-pack frame with little structural value, and we will tell you if that is the case. The honest test is the frame: if the bones are good, reupholstery is almost always the better decision.
Dylberry Design is a family upholstery and furniture-restoration workshop in Eltham North, servicing Melbourne with an in-house team and a workshop rated 5.0 from 43 Google reviews. If you have an armchair, wingback or accent chair that has seen better days, send us a few photos and a short description, and we will come back with a free, no-obligation quote priced on your chair's scope and materials.
Good to know
Turnaround depends on the chair and the fabric, and on how much internal rebuilding is needed. Once we see photos and confirm the scope, we will give you a realistic timeframe with your quote. Fabric lead times can also affect the start date, so it helps to choose your material early.
Both work. We can guide you to suitable upholstery fabrics and order them for you, or you can supply your own. If you are providing fabric, tell us the type and we will confirm how many metres your chair needs so you order the right amount.
Yes, antique and heirloom chairs are some of our favourite work. Older frames are often better built than modern ones, and we can restore the timber with French polishing at the same time so the whole chair comes back together.
It depends on the chair. Reupholstering a solid, well-made frame usually gives you a better result than a comparable new chair, and lets you keep a shape you like. A cheap frame with little structural value may not be worth it, and we will tell you honestly which side yours falls on.
Yes. We use high-resilience HR35 foam throughout, which carries a 10-year manufacturer warranty and keeps its shape and support over the long term.
Send us a few clear photos of the chair from different angles along with a short description of what you would like done. We provide free quotes from a photo, priced individually on the scope and materials of your job.
We rebuild as needed, not just recover. Every chair is stripped back so we can check the frame, springs, webbing and foam, and we renew whatever has worn out before the new fabric goes on. That internal work is what restores the comfort.
Our workshop is in Eltham North and we service Melbourne. Get in touch with your location when you send photos and we will confirm the details for collection or drop-off.
Two things drive it. How much of the inside needs rebuilding, and how many metres your chosen fabric takes. A chair with a sound frame and springs that only needs new foam and a cover is the straightforward end. A wing chair or club chair that needs webbing, hessian, springs re-tied by hand and joints re-glued is more work and the quote reflects that. Fabric choice can move the total noticeably, so we tell you the metreage as part of the quote and you can decide with the full picture. Quotes are free and written.
Usually, yes. A single armchair is a one person lift and if you are within a reasonable run of the Eltham North workshop we generally just come and get it, and bring it back finished, without charging separately for it. If you are further out or there are several pieces, we arrange a carrier and that cost goes into the quote so you know it up front. Tell us about tight halls, stairs or a first floor room when you send the photo and we will plan for it.
Before you enquire
Most of the work on an armchair is invisible once it is finished. Webbing, hessian, springs, hair and felt, the seat built back up so it sits the way the maker intended. That is where the hours go, and it is the part a cheap recover skips.
Fabric is the other surprise. A wing chair or club chair takes more metres than people expect, and on most jobs the material alone comes to more than they had in mind for the whole chair.
We are not the cheapest and we would rather say so now than after you have sent photos. If the chair is worth keeping, and most old ones are, send a photo and we will give you a straight answer.
Send a photo or the dimensions of your booths, banquettes or venue seating and we'll come back with a rough price and turnaround.
Send a photo of your piece and we'll come back with a straight quote, no obligation, no pressure.
Send a photo for a quote Call 0425 832 619