In May 2023, I had the opportunity and time to travel to England and spend a glorious month with my sister exploring upholstery, watercolouring, pottery, textiles, food, brocantes and more… We also ventured to Brussels and Paris. Visiting so many amazing upholsterers who keep the old traditions alive was an honor. I can’t wait to go back and explore more! I have unofficially named myself the Traveling Upholstery Ambassador. Although I am not sure I can take a month off every year, I hope to travel and see and share more about the fantastic people doing upholstery worldwide. If you want me to visit, please reach out! I would love to hear from you.
Our trip began in London, where my sister picked me up at Heathrow Airport. After a lovely breakfast, we drove to Kingham in the Cotswolds for our first week. This village was idyllic and felt like something from a movie set. It was the perfect location to explore the Cotswolds and Wessex Downs. We then headed to Brussels, where my sister has lived for 23 years, with a day trip to Paris. After a lovely week living in my sister’s world, we returned to London with tickets to the Chelsea Flower Show. Amazingly, on our last day in London, my sister’s partner acquired tickets for us to Tea at the House of Lords! After this exciting week, we headed to East Sussex to Chichester to relax for my last week and visit the Down and Weald Museum, where they film the Repair Shop.
Enjoy the images of my trip and the links to most of the places we visited below.
Week 1, in the Cotswolds we visited:
Greg and Gareth at their studio in Henly on the Thames The British School of Upholstered Furniture
Broadway and Burford Villages, & Burford Garden Centre
Daylesford Farm & Garden Centre
Visit to Robbie’s studio in Devizes
Visit to Amand’s Studio
Oh, and we enjoy a street party in Kingham on the 6th for the coronation of the King.
Week 2, in Brussels, Belgium, with a Day trip to Paris and we visited:
Flagey Market & Brocante
Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris
Montmartre Textile District, Paris
Les Passementeries de l’île de France, Paris
Week 3, back in London we visited:
Chelsea Flower Show, VIP DAY!
Kensington Palace Crown to Couture Exhibit
Visit to Ray’s Studio
Tea at the House of Lords, in the Palace of Westminster in London
Week 4, down to East Sussex, Chichester, we visited:
Chichester Fabric Shops are amazing, my two favorites!
Lunch at Goodwood Golf Club
Weald and Downland Living Museum, Repair Shop Set
