Settee Sofa 3-Seat Howard Parker & Farr Red-Wine Gold Mulberry Paisley

A striking 1998, 3-seat, Parker & Farr, Howard-Style Sofa or Settee. This settee recreates the iconic Howard shape. It is extremely comfortable and is in excellent condition with very little use having come from a secondary private residence.

This is one of a pair which can be split into two single settees. This classic Parker & Farr sofa rebranded as Pimlico by Wade Upholstery is drawn from the iconic Howard design. They have sprung backs, low arms and deep fully sprung seats. They are traditionally and fully upholstered, including the backs and seat undersides, in the clients own, now discontinued, mulberry fabric and handstitched throughout. The reversible back, seat and occasional cushions are filled with duck feather and down. The arms, seat & back are self-piped. The outside arms are pleated. The mahogany front legs have brass castors and detachable and the mahogany back legs are fixed. Bearing Wade Upholstery labels (Wade own the brand name Parker & Farr), Pimlico Large Sofa, 981204, Works Order 137894, Load No 30/08. Compliant with Furniture & Furnishings (Fire Safety) Regulations 1988, Batch No 137894. There are 3 small patches which blend in, on the underside which cannot be seen when the seat cushions are in place. Width 190cm, Height 93cm, Depth 97cm Condition report : There are no stains or marks on the settees which show little sign of use as they have come from a holiday home where they were placed on upstairs corridors as a decorative feature. Apart from the patches on the textile covering the underside of the seat, are in as new condition. Settee 1: • Patch 1 : 4x7cm on the lower back by left arm, not visible when corner scatter cushion is in place • Patch 2 : 11x29cm on the centre of the inside seat centre not visible when the seat cushions are in place • Patch 3 : 7x6cm on lower back by right arm, not visible when seat cushion is in place. Settee 2 : • Patch 4 : 12x7cm on back right corner of left seat cushion, not visible when back cushion is in place These patches do not relate to wear, most likely localized damage reputedly when they were originally delivered? None of the patches are visible once the cushions are in place and they are patched in a burgundy velvet so they blend in with the upholstery. I have photographed all the patches with a close up and a shot contextualizing them. Unusually the main textile is used on the whole of the underside of the seat so it would be possible to use this to create invisible repairs. Red is the most difficult colour to portray accurately and these settees are burgundy and gold and the aesthetic changes with the light and the colours look brighter in artificial light. They will also look different on different computer screens so the easiest reference is pantone. The nearest pantone references are Ruby Wine 19-1629TPG and Biscuit 16-1336TPG. Parker & Farr Parker & Farr are internationally acknowledged as one of the leading bespoke British upholstery companies. The skill, care and creativity which went into Parker and Farr's furniture gives character and an instantly recognisable mark of excellence. It was Parker and Farr's philosophy to remain at the forefront of furniture design and to maintain the time honoured skills that were handed down from generation to generation.

The most distinctive hallmark of each piece of Parker & Farr's hand made furniture is the cutting and tailoring of its upholstery fabrics. Covers, hand cut from either Parker and Farr's own exclusive collections or customer's own material, are pattern matched throughout. Seams are ironed and skirts or fringes are hand sewn, all Parker and Farr's seat cushions are reversible with concealed zips and all trims in the range feature Parker & Farr exclusive colours. All frames are made from selected hardwoods, which are sourced from sustainable forests throughout the world. Each frame is glued, screwed and dowelled. Parker and Farr's highly skilled craftsmen and women used only the best traditional natural materials including hessian, jute webbing, hair and pure new cotton wadding. Fully sprung mesh top seats are used and the coil springs are of a higher gauge which makes the seat springing retain its shape.

Wade upholstery In 1999, Charles Wade, the grandson of Frisbie Wade sold Wade Upholstery brand along with others including Parker & Farr to John Payne and the JDP Furniture Group was formed. JDP Furniture Group now includes Wade Upholstery, Cintique, Celebrity, Parker & Farr, JDP Frames and Welbeck House. All have factories in and around Nottinghamshire. Wade Upholstery shares it's factory with Cintique in Sandiacre, Nottingham. Wade Upholstery has long been recognised as one of the finest British makers of sofas and chairs, with a history dating back to 1921, and is sold by the best furniture retailers around the world. Originally based in a barn in Sandiacre, Wade Upholstery was opened by the late Frisby Wade in 1921. As the business expanded it relocated to Wellington Street, Long Eaton In 1928 which is where the companies showroom still stands today.

As the reputation of the company grew, so did it's customer base. Throughout the 1920's they made hand crafted leather furniture for the Cunard Shipping Line, including famous cruise liners like the S.S.Mauritiana and it was rumoured that Wade Upholstery furniture had been delivered to the Royal Family in the 1930's. The war years were spent making 'utility' furniture for hospitals and hospital ships and then production of high quality furniture restarted in the 1940s and continues to present day. Attention to detail and quality are paramount in the relentless pursuit of excellence in design and construction, ensuring that each piece is practical and a pleasure to live with. A lifetime guarantee comes with all products (excluding covering fabric) as we are very confident regarding their build quality, components used and manufacturing.

Howard & Sons As makers of sofas, armchairs, stools, chaise longues and pouffes, Howard and Sons established themselves as the foremost upholsterers of the Victorian era - known for their innovation as well as for the quality of their traditional craftsmanship. They used elegant, carved birchwood for their sofa frames, but also modernised the way they made upholstery, using all sorts of clever new techniques aimed at increasing the comfort of their seats and backs. These included pocketed cushions and the 'seige de duvet' method for the chair backs, which involved covering deep coil springs with feather bags. Expertly combining elegance with comfort, in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries the Howard name came to be synonymous with luxury in chair design, and they attracted clients from the top of society, gaining a Royal Warrant in 1901. Howard and Sons ceased trading in 1947, but their legacy and influence lives on in English furniture design.