Meet the Cork upholsterers who are the go-to for interiors buffs

An increase in upcycling has been a silver lining in the Covid cloud.  We visit a hub that offers sustainable furniture services 

Gerard O'Riordan working on a dining room chair at Deaf Enterprises, Cork. Pictures: Denis Minihane

Craft fans, vintage lovers, eco-angels and house-proud interior buffs; I have found us a gem where we can indulge our love of dolling up interiors with upholstery, French polishing, furniture restoration, maintenance and furniture building, while being sustainable, helping us to reduce our carbon footprint and give support to a community enterprise.

Tucked away in the Cork suburb of Ballinlough is a hub for all of these activities, thanks to an initiative called Deaf Enterprises which was set up over 30 years ago to provide training and employment opportunities for people who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Michael Callanan French polishing a chair at Deaf Enterprises, Cork.

“The idea was to develop craft skills and provide additional life skills,” says Deaf Enterprises’ board secretary David McCarthy, “which includes things like literacy, understanding the bus schedule, dealing with a bank account, so they can interact more effectively with the hearing world.”

Since then, the craft workshop located at Sundrive Park has gained a reputation for quality craftsmanship which attracted a surge in interest last year as Covid restrictions eased, prompting Corkonians to seek out their services at a time when everyone was focusing attention and funds on home interiors rather than a week in Spain.

Zivile Lucinaviciene working on a cushion. 

“Suddenly everyone started bringing their furniture in for reupholstering and repair,” says David.

And with them came some surprising requests that opened up new directions for the workshop, he adds. 

There was demand for covers for garden chair cushions and even camper vans and boats and we had people coming in who had bought old office chairs at auction for their home office and wanted them upholstered and repaired.”

Michael White upholstering a sofa with an already upholstered chair from the three-piece suite.

But it was spending so much time sitting down at home over lockdown that has made many of us see shortcomings in the comfort levels of our sofas and chairs, and which has led to Deaf Enterprises experiencing a 40-50% increase in productivity.

It’s a busy morning when I visit the premises, and I find the reception area full of sofas and chairs newly upholstered, polished and repaired, waiting to go home transformed. To the rear is series of workshops where it all happens and where up to 28 craftspeople can be found busy at work.

It’s a hive of industry set against the background hum of a sewing machine operated by Zivile Lucinaviciene, a Lithuanian lady who tells me, through sign-language interpretation by another craftmaker Tommy O’Neill, how she moved to Ireland just a year ago. Such is her skill I assume she’s a fabulous dressmaker too, but she laughs at the idea and tells me that sewing for interiors only is her love.

Some staff once trained move on to work elsewhere but sometimes come back, like French polisher Michael Callanan who is busy at work on a chair frame. He tells me: “I had my own business for six years but came back to Deaf Enterprises. I’m the estimator now which is something I had to do out on my own but I was able to bring that skill back with me.”

Craftspeople at Deaf Enterprises, Cork.

In addition to French polishing and calculating prices, he’s also giving something back to the enterprise by currently training two novices in his craft, something which will take four years.

There’s a strong sense of camaraderie among the staff which helps in retaining their trainees after they qualify, and also helped by staff with hearing ability who have learned sign language to communicate with their colleagues. Some, according to David McCarthy, even come in early to have breakfast together.

With my huge appreciation for upholstery and its transformative effects, I’m drawn to admire the work of upholsterer Michael White who started his training in 1996, qualifying four years later, and in the last 20 years has developed considerable skill at his craft.

He’s covering an elaborate antique-style sofa in a modern apple green fabric. 

The detail in his work is meticulous, made all the more impressive by extensive buttoning and pleating which he tells me through the interpreter is the most complex part of the job.

The sofa is a work in progress but a matching chair is already complete and the effect is striking. Enquiring about prices, David McCarthy tells me, “You can expect to pay between €1,500 and €1,800 for a three-piece suite depending on fabric.”

Prospective customers are welcome to visit and view work in progress, browse the fabric samples and see finished projects (check Covid restrictions). Estimates are provided free of charge.

• Deaf Enterprises, 2 Sunview Park, Ballinlough, Cork, T12 H5Y8; www.deafenterprises.ie; facebook.com/DeafEnterprises