If only furniture could speak...

It would be interesting to hear what stories this little bench could tell.

It has spent time in the homes of several members of my family. I wonder where it’ll end up next.

It must have started off at my grandmother’s house. Then it was at my aunt’s, then at my parents’ place, then back at my aunt’s. It came into my possession at the end of the 1980s.

I remember it from my childhood, upholstered in a rifle green fabric. The cushion often served in my younger siblings’ games – as a raft or a building block in some imaginary house or nest they were building under a table.

The bench became mine some 30 years ago. I was in the process of learning upholstery, and I decided to renew the webbing and reupholster the seat cushion.

I chose a raffia fabric available from Artek at the time, frequently used on some of the Aalto furniture. When I removed the old upholstery, I discovered an interesting history. At some point in the past – probably after the war, when materials were scarce – the seat cushion had been thickened with wood shavings, a once common practice.

The original raffia upholstery was worn but not lost, and there were remnants of leather piping and leather-covered buttons. My upholstery skills weren’t up to the task of the buttons and piping, so I simplified things a bit. I think it looks fresh like this. Raffia is such a lovely material.

The bench has served me well for three decades now, in three different homes. I have no intention of letting it go just yet.

What I don’t know is who designed the bench. Maybe it’s a very early Artek piece? If anyone knows, it would be nice to hear more stories.

Photos: Johanna Gullichsen, Nico Backström