LEARN UPHOLSTERY WITH US
Why Train at sdr?
We know that everyone’s different and that’s at the heart of our approach to teaching upholstery courses at SDR. We offer something for everyone by teaching the excellent AMUSF defined curriculum on our accredited upholstery courses as well as offering more informal upholstery leisure courses. All our upholstery courses have expert teaching in common, as well as a balance of healthy structure with a relaxed, friendly learning environment that leaves loads of room for creativity and innovation. We also run a selection of shorter courses, you can find out what’s coming up and book via our online store. You can’t book our AMUSF courses online as there’s lots to know, so we like to chat with each potential student and ideally get you in for a tour!
We think upholstery is a bit of a life changer, and for those who are looking for a career change there’s nowhere better to gain the advice, exposure and opportunities within the industry to help you on your path to becoming an upholsterer. We don’t see ourselves as ‘just’ an upholstery school, we’re a community, people make friends here and are part of the family long after they leave.
We have an open door policy at SDR, so if you’re considering doing a course with us, get in touch to find a time to pop in for a cup of tea and to see a class in action.
“ The teachers are incredibly knowledgeable and passionate about what they do and I felt constantly supported and encouraged throughout. It really feels like being part of a family studying here. ”
AMUSF accredited Upholstery diploma
The Association of Master Upholsterers and Soft Furnishers three stage qualification course is aimed at people looking to kick off a career in upholstery and is currently the only accredited qualification course for professional upholsterers. The course brings together both traditional and modern materials and techniques to give budding upholsterers the knowledge they need to upholster professionally. At each stage students complete two assessed pieces of furniture as well as a selection of practice exercises, introducing relevant materials and new skills all the time. The course is designed not only to teach practical upholstery skills but also the critical thinking to approach antique, mid-century and modern furniture: from simple drop-in dining chair seats right through to large traditionally upholstered armchairs.
Since we launched the school in 2013 as an official AMUSF Training Centre, we’ve achieved a 100% pass rate for all our accredited students. Every year, the AMUSF has commented on both the quality and originality of the work produced by Shoreditch Design Rooms’ students.
Our classes are always small, this allows us to give plenty of one to one attention and tuition – something we feel is vital. We’re firm believers in equipping students with the skills to tackle any type of upholstery challenge, not just the one in front of them at the time; that’s why we try not to minimise restrictions on the projects students work on here and take every opportunity in class to talk and learn from each others’ projects.
Please get in touch regarding our September 2024 courses.
Daytime and evening upholstery Leisure courses
Our leisure courses are a ‘bring your own project’ format, a chance to work on a prized piece of furniture you’ve been meaning to fix up forever, or an opportunity to learn some upholstery skills on something new. Over 18 weeks, our teachers are on hand to help students bring a piece back to life. We teach absolute beginners to advanced students and attendees can work on a variety of different projects during a leisure course, or just tackle one. You will be taught all the tips and techniques of this amazing trade relevant to your project. If you don’t have a piece of furniture in mind, we can help you to decide on or give advice on pieces that would be suitable.
Leisure classes can include the following:
Complete stripping down, and re-upholstery
Just removing the top fabric and recovering
Modern and traditional techniques
Sewing: such as boxed cushions, piping, capped on seats and arms, using an industrial walking foot machine
Basic wood restoration including cleaning, reviving and finishing as well as small frame repairs
The course lasts for 18 weeks and we offer two formats. We run daytime courses on Fridays, session one runs from 9.30am to 1.30pm (4 hours) and costs £1,300 including VAT; the afternoon session runs from 2.00pm to 5.00pm (3 hours) and costs £1,080. The evening courses run on a Wednesday from 6.30pm to 9.30pm and cost £1,080 including VAT. You can book via our online shop, or by getting in touch with us on: courses@shoreditchdesignrooms.com.
Materials are available at the school and are charged to you on a pay as you go basis. You will be able to store your furniture at the school for the duration of the course.
Our next leisure courses start in September 2024. Please get in touch for more information.
“The classes at SDR are small enough for the teacher to attend to everyone and assist in particular issues with the piece you are working on as everyone has something slightly different. Everyone that works there is incredibly friendly, approachable and happy to help you wherever they can! ”
ABOVE & BEYOND
We think context is really important when you’re training for a new career, that’s why we organise regular guided school trips relevant to the AMUSF course. Annual visits include Knole House, Gainsborough Silks and Chelsea Design Centre.
We maintain close relationships with fabric companies, so not only are we able to offer our students great rates on purchasing fabrics, we also invite our contacts in for our ‘Design Series’ talks which are open to all. Each year well known fabric companies sponsor prizes at our summer graduation, last years’ sponsors included Bute, Kvadrat, Martins, Camira and Houles.
Students work
