Specialties and career in housing assembly
Furniture upholsterer and saddle maker and work with curtains and sun screening
Upholstery is a trade with multiple legs to stand on. Depending on your interests and apprenticeship agreement, you can specialize in different directions, each building on the shared understanding of upholstery, materials, sewing and installation.
§The different specializations
The education can lead to several specializations. The furniture upholsterer works with upholstering and covering new and old furniture—from series production to restoration of old chairs and sofas. The auto saddler makes seats and upholstery for cars and other vehicles. A third direction is working with curtains, home textiles, and sun shading. Ask your school about the current specializations and requirements, as they are set by the education regulations.
| Direction | What it's about |
|---|---|
| Furniture upholsterer | Upholstering and covering of new and old furniture; restoration of classic furniture |
| Auto Upholsterer | Seats, upholstery and padding for cars, buses and trains |
| Curtain and sunshade | Production and installation of curtains, home textiles and screening systems |
§Workplaces
- 01Upholstery workshops and furniture companies
- 02Auto Upholsterers and Vehicle Interior Companies
- 03Furniture industry and product development
- 04Companies in curtains and sun protection
- 05Own workshop with restoration and reupholstering.
§Restoration and sustainability
One of the places the trade gains new value is restoration. Many good old pieces of furniture are worth preserving and giving a worn armchair new life with reupholstering and new upholstery is both a craft and a sustainable alternative to throwing out and buying new. The classical upholstery skill — the layer-by-layer hand construction — is invaluable precisely here because older furniture often needs to be built up in the original way.
§Further development
With experience you can take more responsibility train apprentices or become self-employed with your own workshop. If you take the education as EUX you also get a secondary school diploma opening higher education. Regardless of direction it is about a trade where skills material understanding and sense of form meet — and where a good eye and a good hand never become outdated.
“When an old piece of furniture gets new life under the upholsterer's hands, it's craft, history, and sustainability all in one.”