Are you sitting comfortably, then we’ll begin…

“Are you sitting comfortably, then we’ll begin…”

What better way to start our Chair Story than with the words that began as an ad lib and then started every episode of ‘Listen With Mother’ on BBC radio from 1950 to 1982. The phrase became so well known that it appears in the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations and has been adopted by various musicians, including the Moody Blues who used it in the lyrics of their song ‘Are You Sitting Comfortably?’ from the 1969 album on the ‘Threshold of A Dream’.

But back to Chair Story and Katy McBeath. A true craftswoman who decided to follow her passion for furniture and make the most of her undoubted skills for upholstery by setting up a business ‘recovering’ chairs from East Germany and Eastern Europe. Katy carefully sources original items from the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s and brings them back to their former glory for private clients. The name of the company, also carefully chosen, relates to the fact that clients are buying something unique that has a genuine back story. Each chair comes with a verification that tells the history of the chair, the period it was manufactured, where it was produced, how it was sourced and the materials used in its restoration.

With the opportunity to produce a brand identity for this fascinating and delightfully quirky new venture, we immersed ourselves in the highly functional graphics of Eastern Europe in the 50’s and 60’s. The brand mark we created tells its own story and sits perfectly alongside the superb end products Katy produces. And with the orders received to date and Katy’s infectious enthusiasm, there’s no doubt that this is one story that will definitely have a happy ending.