Bellissimo
Departures Home Design
March/April 1999

Juliette (above) is a chair with pedigree. It was made under the supervision of Markus Miretsky, owner of Belmar Company. He learned the art of upholstery in Kiev from his grandfather, who restored furnishings in the Hermitage, then worked in an upholstery factory in the Ukraine. Miretsky came to the United States in the late 1970s and established Belmar in 1985, which is to upholstery what bespoke tailors are to suits. What makes the 35-inch-wide Juliette chair special is not just the button-tufted, 80 percent cotton-muslin fabric, but the custom-designed alder frame, springs hand-tied 10 ways, and stuffed feather-down cushions. It took five craftsmen approximately 50 hours to create it. "I have worked with upholsters for more than thirty years, and Belmar is the best," says interior designer Thomas Bartlett.

2525 16th street, second floor, San Francisco, CA; telephone 415-621-7447; fax 415-621-7465