Finished in Fabric, Haddam
I’m always on the hunt for folks doing interesting things in our neck of the woods, and now and then I stumble across them! I mentioned to my husband that I was working on a design issue for The E List and he said, “Hey, a guy I ride with is a European upholsterer, you should look him up”. Well, that was somewhat of an understatement. Mark Bijleveld and his wife Susan own Finished in Fabric. At fourteen, Mark began his apprenticeship in upholstery learning the trade in his uncle’s workroom in the Netherlands. His training was authentic old school, involving things like hand-tied springs, straw, and horsehair.
The Bijleveld’s settled in Haddam and added a workroom to their property. There, Mark plies his expert hand to upholstery, reupholstery and antique restoration (that’s where the horse hair comes in!), while Susan whips up drapes, pillows, and custom bedding and handles the interior design end of the business.
Mainly the couple works “to the trade,” but they take on private clients, too. New York designers rely on them for high-end homes, and their work has appeared in Architectural Digest and New England Home magazine. They can execute a design project from start to finish, whether it’s building new furniture from scratch to your specifications, or reupholstering that old chaise with good bones. Susan is happy to accompany you to her favorite “to the trade only” secret, Design Source CT in Hartford, for everything from Old World Weavers & Brunschwig & Fils fabrics, to furniture, drapery hardware, and lighting. I’ve had a swath of cherished hand-printed (read expensive) material for years that I’ve been meaning to use for a couple of pillows. Now I know where to go.
Two photos above: Design customized for Clark Gaynor Interiors / Produced by Finished in Fabric team
Two photos above: Design by Samuel Botero Associates / Photography by Phillip Ennis
Upholstery, bedding & pillows produced by Finished in Fabric team
