Picture this: you just got this incredible Cesca chair second-hand, its iconic design ready to flaunt in the office. Then you see it: a massive stain right on its original fabric, plus, it doesn’t quite match the vibe of your space. Do you hit it with some Mr. Clean, or do you attempt to D.I.Y. and re-upholster it yourself?
Luckily, you bought it from Reseat (that’s us, hi there).Â
With some inquiry through Reseat, you can get it reupholstered to resemble the chair of your dreams. This means that we’ll take your chair as it is and strip it down. With the textile of your choice, we will reattach an entirely new fabric, good as new, by way of Oakland-based reupholstery service Kay Chesterfield. Here’s a link to their website.
Need convincing?
Only 9% of the raw materials circulating through the global economy gets reused. 12.2 million tons of furniture waste went to landfill in 2017. 2 million tons of furniture is burned annually for energy, releasing carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide into the atmosphere (we definitely don’t need more of that).
Buying second-hand already deserves a pat on the back. Look at you, reducing waste and the amount of scrap furniture that goes into landfill. Reseat is currently expanding our reupholstery services so that no matter where you’re based, we can get you covered (or get that chair covered, too).Â
If you do find pieces that you love, especially those that take the shape of a sturdy, iconic design, but want to tweak the appearance a bit to better suit your space, you have that option.Â
You can maintain the framework of a piece and simply tweak the textile. Yay for personalization! You’re expanding the lifespan of the piece as well, reducing the amount of framework waste that enters landfills.
In many cases, you can also make the furniture more comfortable, especially if it’s a chair or sofa that’s been sat in one too many times.
What’s our credibility?
When I sat with CEO and founder, Brandi Susewitz, she gave me a brief rundown of how it works.
Reseat collaborates with Oakland-based company, Kay Chesterfield, for all of our reupholstery work.Â
Here’s a link to their website.Â
An important note to make, however, is that these services are only offered locally. Susewitz points out, “we are only offering it locally but plan on expanding nationwide once our network is in place.”
Reseat is also working towards more automated reupholstery processes, meaning that users may also add these services to their cart for an additional cost.
Let me introduce you to Kay Chesterfield, Inc.
As previously mentioned, Kay Chesterfield is based in Oakland, California. Founded in 1921, this woman-owned business was coined by Sam Kay and further maintained by Mr. Kay’s son and daughter-in-law, Marvin and Lois Kay.Â
The current president of the company and now fourth owner, Kriss Kokoefer, has maintained the Kay Chesterfield mission of upholding sustainable options in the furniture industry. They partner with contract industry designers, furniture dealerships, and other global companies and institutions.
They are a Certified B Corporation, meaning that they are recognized for their social and environmental performance. The City of Oakland formally highlighted Kay Chesterfield as one of the city’s most innovative Small Business Entrepreneurs as well.Â
Some of Kay Chesterfield’s projects include companies such as Apple, Adobe, Cisco, Google, Kaiser Permanente, Netflix, San Francisco International Airport, San Francisco State University, Stanford University, University of California Berkeley, and many many more.Â
All information on Kay Chesterfield was referenced from their website. Hover to check it out. Â
At Reseat, we look forward to sharing our mission of reducing waste alongside our Bay Area-based reupholstery partner and encouraging consumers to use what they’ve already got!Â