Your basket is currently empty!
Easy! Just fill in the enquiry form below and we will get back to you asap via email, WhatsApp or phone to get some more details about your project - Just let us know your preference for communicating. Alternatively, you can email or call - find all the contact info at the bottom of this home screen.
We can complete an initial quote from photos and a quick chat - we know upholstery is a bit of a mysterious service so this will give you a quick idea of the costs involved. We may also suggest an in-person meeting to check details, assess your furniture and take measurements - please do request a visit if you want to discuss your project in real life at this stage but otherwise we will let you know if this is necessary.
Time to collaborate! We can explore your interior style and tastes to help you choose your perfect fabric. We are proud of our ever growing swatch book library that you are very welcome to browse in-house or at home. Mail order samples are also available. If you have your own fabric already, that’s fine, we'll take a look at its spec and advise you on its suitability.
Once final decisions have been made and fabric chosen, we'll update your quote for you to double check. Then just give us the thumbs up and confirm your booking with a 50% deposit. You are very welcome to drop furniture off at our workshop but we are more than happy to collect from you and work around your schedule. - Let's chat logistics either way to avoid us being buried under too many chairs turning up at once.
This is the exciting bit where we transform your piece of furniture! During this process we pay careful attention to the design and construction of the piece, looking for clues to its history and taking lots of photos. We do this for our own curiosity, love of furniture and so we can make the best decisions; insuring your furniture meets your needs for as long as possible.
Delivery! The best bit! Always a weird mixture of nerves and excitement with, (fingers crossed) big smiles all round. We'll confirm that you're happy and leave you in peace before popping your invoice in an email.
Lesley Bushell is the Founder, Head upholsterer and now Director of Hilda’s Lounge Ltd. First established part-time during the late noughties – as upholstery quickly took over Lesley’s life – and finally going full-time in 2020.
Lesley began her career in manufacturing – an exciting venture after gaining a Bachelor’s degree in Contemporary Furniture Design. She proved her muscle in a male-dominated upholstery department, taking on progressive roles around the factory and absorbing everything possible from the furniture manufacturing process.
Striving to know all that she could about the craft of upholstery, Lesley self-funded a traditional training course in Wales. She later moved to a busy workshop in Emsworth. There she undertook a wide variety of domestic, contract and marine work. Practical skills would be honed across myriad projects which challenged a deeper appreciation for the trade and set Lesley firmly on the path to where she is now.
“The Genesis of the name “Hilda’s Lounge” is linked to Hilda Ogden and her infamous flying ducks – I have a love for the house-proud aspirations of that time and I am incredibly nostalgic about the aesthetic. I also like the happenstance-nod to the British furniture Designer, Robin Day (OBE) who has important history with the British furniture brand Hille. When I consider my own values, taste and inspirations, both these worlds make sense to me” – Lesley
Office Hours: Monday – Friday 9.30 – 5pm. We aim to reply to all enquiries within one working day.
Address: Hilda’s Lounge Ltd, Portsmouth Guildhall,
Guildhall Square, Portsmouth, Hampshire, PO1 2AB
Phone: 02382 250272
Email: enquiries@hildaslounge.com
