Diane Dorrans Saeks
Wednesday, June 27, 2001
© 2001 San Francisco Chronicle
FURNITURE DESIGN
Heaven in the nails
For interior design, heaven is in the details.
At 15-year-old Belmar Upholstery Corp. in San Francisco, which recently introduced 10 new chair and sofa designs, the newest details include more than 200 styles of nail head trims in finishes ranging from shiny brass, silver and copper to oxidized bronze.
"Decorative nail heads around the front panel of an arm or around the back of a chair emphasize the graceful curve of a silhouette," noted Markus Miretsky, owner of Belmar, which has made its reputation in the design trade for classic, hand-crafted upholstery, along with ultra-comfortable sofa beds, French mattress-style upholstery, built-in sofas, and elaborate tufting.
"Depending on their size and the finish, nail heads can make a chair look very macho, or truly elegant," noted Miretsky. "They can be hammered close together, like a string of beads, or a few inches apart as a kind of punctuation to a tailored tuxedo-style chair."
Belmar's new nail heads include pyramid shapes, elaborate florettes, stars, hammered antique bronze domes, rosettes and squares, some as large as 1 inch in diameter.
Nail heads are a traditional furniture decoration - usually with a domed shape in matte or shiny brass. They are making a comeback, Miretsky said, because customers like the texture and personality that they add to furniture.
Each nail is hammered individually along a fabric seam and into the hardwood frame, usually around the base of the chair or sofa, around a headboard, or across the back of an upholstered dining chair.
Nail heads have always been a signature of custom upholstery. They offer a subtle finish to a design and decorators appreciate them because the work is all done by hand.
Large nail heads are effective on leather and suede club chairs, Miretsky said, and smaller domed nail heads add character to a petite boudoir chair.
Miretsky first worked with nail heads in Russia, working with his grandfather, a Ukrainian master upholsterer who restored furniture for the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg.
Belmar's chairs and sofas are still made in this traditional fashion, with hardwood frames, hand-tied steel springs, down-filled and double-stuffed cushions, and a covering of muslin before final upholstery.
All of Belmar's chairs, headboards and sofas are custom, so seat and back depth, and firmness of cushions and arms are adjustable.
The new Channel Dining chair is $1,710 (pictured at left), and Belmar's Nob Hill chair starts at $2,220 including brass casters, nail head trim, and pillow. (Customers supply their own fabric).
Belmar is at 2525 16th St., 2nd Floor, San Francisco, (415) 621-7447.
- Diane Dorrans Saeks