Saturday 22 August 2009

John Richardson rush seated chairs

Another fine craftsman at Linacre was John Richardson chairmaker. He makes fine ladderback chairs in the arts and crafts tradition. John lives on a narrowboat in Leicestershire and has a second boat as a workshop, this keeps his overheads low and his chairs are very reasonable though he is really semi retired now and does not make so many. I love rush seating, the colours are equally beautiful when first woven and when old and mellowed. Here he is rushing an old chair for a client.


The trick with rush seating is to twist it well and pull it tight. A good tight weave will last for years without sagging. I think there is a certain beauty in old craftsmen's hands worn through years of tough work.


And here is the finished chair, I feel you should never judge a chair before sitting in it and I can assure you this one is very comfortable.

No comments:

Post a Comment