Part upholstery intensive. Part production challenge. Part Project Runway.

Chair Off is competition-based professional training weekend for people pursuing a career in upholstery and furniture restoration.

You do not need to already be a professional, and there is no specific experience level required to compete. You may be preparing to take your first client, building a new business, developing your skills before launching, or already working professionally and ready to increase your production capacity.

What you do need is the intention to pursue this work professionally.

Chair Off is designed to bridge the gap between learning how to upholster and learning how to produce upholstery professionally, with the speed, consistency, problem-solving, teamwork and workflow necessary to make this work sustainable as a career.

Wherever you’re starting, the challenge is the same: How fast can you do it right?

THE CHALLENGE

Each Chair Off team starts with an identical chair.

You’ll have the weekend to transform it while learning how to approach upholstery as a production process, not just a series of individual techniques.

We’ll work on planning your project before you start, sequencing tasks, setting up an efficient workspace, making faster decisions, dividing labor, troubleshooting on the fly and recognizing where you’re spending time that isn’t improving the finished product. And you’re encouraged to bring backup.

Every registration includes one contestant + one teammate at no additional charge.

Your teammate can work alongside you throughout the competition, giving you the opportunity to learn how two people can divide a project and function as an actual production team.

The goal isn’t simply to finish first. It’s to figure out how fast you can do it right.

FOUR HEATS. FOUR WINNERS.

Chair Off will take place across four competition weekends, each operating as its own heat.

Each heat will produce a winning team.

Those four winning chairs will then face off online, where the internet gets to decide the Chair Off People’s Choice Champion.

And yes.

There is a championship belt.

A completely necessary, completely glorious, upholstery-themed championship tool belt.

You should absolutely be coming for the belt.

TAKE IT HOME

Winning your heat isn’t quite the end.

Each Heat Winner will be invited to return to their own studio or workshop for one final challenge: create a companion piece to their winning Chair Off chair.

This is where the training comes full circle. Chair Off is about developing production skills you can take back to your own workspace, your own projects and your own developing professional practice.

Learn it here. Take it home.

Following the competition, the completed chairs will be donated in support of a charitable organization or cause to be announced.

Participants should enter Chair Off knowing that their competition chair is part of the event and will not go home with them.

What you do take home is the experience, the training, the production strategies you’ve developed, the opportunity to compete… and, for one team, some extremely obnoxious championship hardware.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE?

Chair Off is specifically designed as professional-development training for people pursuing upholstery or furniture restoration as a career or business.

You do not need to have an established business, current clients or years of experience. Beginners who are seriously working toward entering the trade are welcome.

Chair Off is not intended as a recreational upholstery workshop or a one

Chair-Off Includes 3 full 8 hour days at the studio, competing to create the best chair the fastest. You and your friend will be responsible for your own food and lodging. Groups may decide to pitch in on food to save on costs!