Welcome to Provincial Upholstery. Since the age of 14, while Carlos Rodrigues was living in his hometown of Sintra in Portugal, he has been perfecting the traditional methods of upholstery.
Located in Welby in the Southern Highlands of NSW, Provincial Upholstery specialises in practicing traditional and contemporary upholstery done with authentic materials. We use horse hair, herringbone webbing, calico, and many more. We work with a variety of styles, from Provincial Furniture to Art Déco.
In addition to practicing upholstery, we sell authentic and traditional upholstery supplies. You can browse our catalogue, and then order via phone or e-mail.
One of Carlos’ favourite materials is leather. The main reason for this is that he has not only learnt how to emboss leather, but also the age-old skill of staining it. To emboss leather demands much precision and time. Carlos embosses it by hand, ensuring that each is unique and superb.
The staining of leather imparts the character and charm that leather deserves. This skill allows Carlos to work with new materials and to give them a sense of history; and also to afford old and damaged furniture the respect it deserves by restoring its original style and stature.
He says, “Each piece is unique and tells its own story. It is up to us to keep that story alive for the appreciation of future generations.”
The meaning of “us” not only involves craftsmen such as Carlos Rodrigues, but also the support of other groups such as the Historic House Trust, some private clients and also editorials like this created for the small business Provincial Upholstery, to promote Carlos’ highly skilled workmanship.
Carlos was involved with the Historic House Trust on projects for Government House in Macquarie Street, Sydney for the APEC Meeting in 2007.
Provincial Upholstery is an award-winning Australian business, having won the 2008 Southern Highlands Business Awards for excellence in trade, and excellence as an established business.