Melanie Kaas gives new life to couches. Picture Michel Bega / The Citizen It’s a different kind of resurrection, but reupholstering a piece of furniture like a couch does give a lounge’s centrepiece a semblance of eternal life. This is what upholstering specialist Melanie Kaas has been doing for the past two decades.
Kaas said that she absolutely loves what she does. There’s no boredom attached to it but rather, she said, emotion. That is because furniture becomes part of a family’s narrative.
It’s got memories tied in; it’s been there for someone’s first kiss, baby’s first steps or millions of snuggles with loved ones, pets and plushies. “There’s sentimental value in refurbishment,” she said. “Sometimes it’s because a father passed away and it was his favourite chair.
Read Full Article on The Citizen
[paywall]
Sometimes there’s just an attachment to the piece.” “When it comes in, it’s dead,” she said. “When we’re done, it’s exquisite. We bring it back to life.” Kaas said when a piece is in her workshop, a bit of its history is often plain to see.
The process is not glamourous, but the end product is what gives her goosebumps. Mostly, furniture comes into her emergency room a bit bruised. “Everything is gross,” she said.
“You find things on couches that you don’t want to find.” Over the years, her workshop has uncovered teaspoons, remote controls, keys, loose coins and the occasional condom buried inside people’s furniture. Cats and dogs, she added, are her best customers, with chewed corners and shredded cushions making animal-loving households’ regular visitors for some TLC. Her workshop is in Kempton Park, close to where her previous career incarnation also landed her. Before having children, she worked as cabin crew for a decade; first Nationwide Airlines and after that, 1Time.
[/paywall]
