Factory Friday : 10kH Upholstery

In our ongoing Factory Friday series, we are delving into the stories behind Scottish manufacturing, interviewing the fabricators and makers that you can find on Make Works.

At the inaugral Maker Speed Dater last January, we meet Silvia and Rose, two upholsterors who had recently set up shop in the East End of Glasgow. Having fallen in love with the process at college, over the past year they have developed their skills and had an impressive range of commissions from both commercial and domestic clients. Once you look for it, you will start to recognise their work in the lecture theatre at Glasgow University, to presenting designer fabrics at Printed and Co.  

You both came to start 10kH upholstery as a career change. What was it about upholstery that you fell in love with?

We started a furniture restoration course with a desire to learn a new skill and work with our hands. We found we had a passion and aptitude for upholstery and an interest in the history of the craft. There is a great satisfaction in customising each piece as they’re all individual and uniquely challenging, with a wide range of skills are required for each job.

What was the first piece you made together, and can you tell us a bit about it?

The first pieces were a great challenge! We were offered the opportunity to work on two wing back chairs for a customer who had contacted the college. Danny McGregor, our upholstery lecturer, had confidence in our skills and encouraged us to take on the job. The successful completion of this commission led to the creation of 10kH.

Who or what are your creative inspirations?

We’re influenced by the craft of upholstery. We take inspiration from the history of the objects and the creative processes involved in returning each individual piece to a functional state.

What sort of clients do you typically make work for?

Primarily, we undertake bespoke domestic commissions. We also work on mid and large-scale commercial work for various textile outlets and academic institutions based in Glasgow. This is only our first year in business and we are looking forward to being involved in new projects in the future and seeing our wide-ranging customer base continue to grow.

You have spoken before about using "beautiful textiles" in your upholstery work. How do you go about finding fabrics and textiles in Scotland?

Given our infancy as a company, we are still working to establish connections and build up a network of collaborators from the textile world in Scotland. However, we were introduced to Bute Fabrics at college and were impressed with the quality of their fabric and Bute’s international status.  

We’ve recently made a short film with Contagious, a creative brand agency based in Glasgow and Edinburgh, featuring a commissioned piece (upholstered by us) using Bute fabric and including a short interview with 10kH and a sales director from Bute fabric.

What is it like working in the East End of Glasgow, and why did you choose to be based there? 

We studied at the City of Glasgow’s east end campus and our first workshop was located close by. Initially it was more about proximity to the college than anything else. However, we have since moved workshop but have remained in the east end because of the sense of community we’ve encountered there and feel we’re contributing to the regeneration of the area. In addition, on Hillfoot Street, where we’re based, there are well established small businesses  : alterations, repairs, a bespoke tailor; and upholstery adds another craft dimension. 

To find out more about Silvia and Rose's work, have a look at their Make Works listing here.