Muse Bespoke Upholstery: Where craftsmanship meets contemporary design

In a quiet corner of Streatham, behind the doors of his home-from-home workshop, upholsterer Toby is giving tired furniture a second act and often, a starring role.

Since founding Muse Bespoke Upholstery in 2017, Toby has been reimagining much-loved pieces for discerning clients all over London and beyond. His lifelong love of art, design, and interior styling is the thread that runs through everything he creates, whether it’s reupholstering a chair, replacing sofa cushions, or building his ever popular bespoke ottomans or headboards.

Clearly, this is his passion. And he’s exceptionally talented at it.

Q & A with Toby of Muse Bespoke Upholstery

Q: What kind of work do you do at Muse Bespoke?

Toby: I take great pleasure in working on a variety of projects for my clients. My client list is a great mix of private contacts and those brought to me as part of collaboration with interior designers. I’m trained in both traditional and modern upholstery methods, so I get to work on everything from ottomans, footstools, and drop-in dining seats to stuffed and stitched seat pads, armchairs, sofas, headboards, bench seats, scatter and box cushions.

Sometimes cherished pieces of furniture lose their splendour but not their sentimentality. At Muse Bespoke Upholstery, I understand this and I can help bring client’s furniture back to life with the care of an experienced and detail-driven upholsterer.

I’ve built a reputation for high standards, specialised service, and excellent communication with my clients. From the first consultation to choosing and sourcing the right fabric, and navigating the surprises that come with uncovering a well-loved piece, I keep my clients informed every step of the way. I know how important it is for them to leave their furniture in safe hands and create something special for them.

Q: What’s your favourite thing about working with your clients?

Toby: I love seeing my clients discover the joy of working with the furniture they already have and realising pieces they have lived with can become something entirely bespoke. I often warn them that reupholstery is addictive.

One of my clients, Bella, can definitely attest to that. I’ve worked on several items of furniture for her home now, including some beautiful antique armchairs, stripping them back, adding fresh new cushioning and upholstering them in beautifully patterned velvet or exciting patterned cottons of Bella’s choice. Bella loves the fact I focus on design right down to the smallest details, including pattern matching the buttons on her chairs. I’ve just finished upholstering a chair to go in her son’s room and it’s such a pleasure to create bespoke upholstery for her whole family. I am now in the process of designing an ottoman with Bella, which will be built soon.

Bella says: “Toby has a skill that can completely transform a room. He has beautifully restored and recovered two antique chairs for me and has just finished working on a third. Giving each chair a new lease of life and in turn making them into the focal point of the room they sit in. I look forward to seeing the next project he’s working on, building a bespoke ottoman from scratch for me.”

Q: Tell us about some of your favourite projects.

Toby: Engaging with clients who are in the middle of the renovation of their homes is exciting. I can’t help but get caught up in their passion about what lies ahead and what they are creating. One project that sticks in my mind was a handsome modern daybed. I visited Maud to discuss the project while her home was in organised but noisy, busy chaos. The daybed was hidden within wrapping and standing in a corner of a room. Maud chose a fantastic textured fabric which was a pleasure to work with. Seeing the daybed back in Maud’s completed house was amazing. Maud’s vision became instantly clear once I saw the daybed in place in its beautiful newly designed home. I felt very proud to have played my part in helping Maud give her piece a new lease of life.

Q: Have you got a favourite project that’s really stuck with you?

Toby: One of the most challenging – and fabulous – was reupholstering an antique armchair in Soane’s exquisite silk Scrolling Fern Fronds fabric. It had to be attached to the frame with exactly the right tension. Thankfully, the print was perfectly proportioned for the chair, so pattern placement was a dream. The client was over the moon.

Q: Any other projects that stand out?

Toby: Yes, I love working with my client, Tom, who has a real eye for design and takes a genuine interest in the reupholstery projects I’ve collaborated with him on. Tom sees the value in reimagining and renovating family-owned or found pieces of furniture rather than buying new wherever possible. I’ve loved this level of design involvement with Tom, who isn’t afraid to be brave with his fabric selections. I am currently working on recovering a blanket box which will complement the bedroom chairs I’ve previously reupholstered. Along with a new set of sofa scatter cushions which will fit perfectly in his stunning home.

Tom says: ‘’I was so impressed with the work that Toby did, he really exceeded my expectations and created two completely unique and fantastic armchairs, completely transforming them from their original condition. Since then Toby has reupholstered three more chairs for me and made two cushions which again were all done to a very high and exacting standard. Rather than old furniture being thrown away, Muse Bespoke Upholstery are empowering their customers to bring old furniture back to life in a completely bespoke way, helping to create individuality and unique expression through furniture!”

The Muse Bespoke Upholstery touch

From cushion replacements on a sofa to a full reupholster of a statement armchair, Muse Bespoke Upholstery is about more than just fabric and frames, it’s about craftsmanship, restoring character and connection.

As Toby puts it: “I love working with my customers and finding out the amazing stories behind the furniture they want re-upholstering. I love nothing more than nurturing my customers towards a beautiful design which connects to the memory of that piece.”

If you have a furniture upholstery project in mind, whether it’s to reupholster a chair that’s been in the family for decades, breathe new life into a sofa with fresh cushions or commission a truly bespoke ottoman or headboard visit Muse Bespoke’s profile to find out more about Toby’s services.