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Every Piece of Furniture Has a Tale to Tell

Every day, extraordinary pieces of furniture pass through our factory doors, many of which have a tale to tell. No matter their placement in your home, workplace, recreational locations, they bear silent witness to aspects of our daily life.

As passionate upholsters, we love to hear the backstory of the pieces we work on and recently, we had the pleasure of meeting Mr and Mrs Quinn and their captivating table and chairs. Pieces of furniture packed with a fascinating history; we knew we just had to share this incredible story with you, in the words of Mrs Quinn herself.

“These lovely chairs and table were bequeathed to us from my husband’s father and mother. They have resided with us for the past 26 years and seen many a family celebration. However, the chairs originally had a far more exciting life as they belonged to my husband’s grandfather. Old Mr and Mrs Quinn owned a pub in Dungannon, Co Tyrone from the 1900s and the chairs belonged in the bar.

They are probably over 100 years old, and we are unsure of their provenance prior to this. Sometimes one wishes they could tell their tales. Dungannon was a market town and like any other market town relied on the trade of the local farmers to keep the local world ticking over. Mrs Quinn (senior) was a formidable woman so would probably have not tolerated the muddy wellies and hobnail boots of the local farmers being laid upon them. I’m sure the chairs could tell a tale or two of bartering and dodgy deals. The local farmers and traders would have been glad to sink into the chairs beside a blazing fire after a frosty day selling or buying their livestock. They may also have overheard trembling young men approaching their future father in laws for the hand of their daughters in marriage. Or even the self-same young men proposing to their sweethearts.

They would have been privy to the wisdom of all who passed through for a pint. Topics would no doubt have ranged from the state of the local stock to the state of the nation as well as spontaneous music and song! Many an anxious young man might have had his last pint sitting beside the familiar comfort of the warm fire before heading off to fight in either of the world  wars. Hopefully most would also have made it home again to celebrate the wars endings.

The chairs then moved to Belfast in the 1970s where they were lovingly reupholstered and united with the table. Both the table and chairs had seen many a gathering in the Quinn household in Belfast and in 1996 they crossed the turbulent Irish Sea and now live in the Southside of Glasgow. This is their third reincarnation as far as we know and hopefully their new appearance will last another sixty or so years before a fourth revamping and will, fingers crossed, still be in the family!”

Mr Mrs Quinn 2 Mr Mrs Quinn 3

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We’ve had the pleasure of offering our skilled services to customers such as Mr and Mrs Quinn for many years. We’re able to preserve these treasured memories and extend the furniture’s durability, allowing them to embark on their next adventure. And who knows what tales these table and chairs will have to tell in another 100 years?

Contact us to speak with a member of the Nu-Rest family to discuss your furniture needs. We can’t wait to hear more furniture tales.

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