Leather Chairs of Bath specialise in this type of chair. Also consider chair specialists Reed & Rackstraw and Curtis Green who can cover any of their models in leather.

Otto Wagner designed bentwood chairs for Thonet around the turn of the century. Take a look at Chaplins’ website, and their huge list of designers. If you link to Otto Wagner on this list, you will see some of the designs that are in current production.

And our reader replied: Perfect! I took a look at Chaplins (what a treasure-trove) and found they have a wide range of Thonet chairs.  Although they don’t seem to have the exact design, even on the Thonet website, they do stock very similar ones which might well do the job.   Thank you for your assistance and congratulations on a great website.  

OKA sells this decorative faux bamboo ‘Panama’ luggage rack made from turned wood. It folds away neatly when not in use.

You’re right – although there are lots of companies that have French-style sofas with fitted upholstery, finding ones with loose back cushions is not so easy. However, De Gournay www.degournay.com at the top end have a beautiful Louis XVI banquette, and Juliettes Interiors www.juliettesinteriors.co.uk have a ‘French Louis’ large four-seater sofa.

Gorgeous Creatures www.gorgeouscreatures.co.nz offers a huge range of calf skins or cowhide furniture, including the Barbara Barry style chair (shown here), which may be precisely what you are after. You could also order the cowhide from them and use it to cover a chair you buy in the UK.

Reed & Rackstraw www.reedandrackstraw.co.uk for example, are chair specialists. You might contact them to discuss which chairs might be suitable for covering in cowhide.

George Smith www.georgesmith.co.uk specialise in top-quality upholstered furniture and have many chair styles which are available in cowhide skins.

Thick glass is normally greenish in hue. Have a look at the Easy Square Coffee Table nest from Stylestore www.stylestore.co.uk; Chaplins www.chaplins.co.uk have a great selection, including the range made by Draenert from 10mm white glass (lacquered clear or honeyed), or the nest of tables in Nurglas, a fine glass shaped at 800 degreesC.

Michael Curtis Green is an upholsterer who also specialises in bespoke seating in contemporary or traditional designs. He welcomes individual and interesting enquiries and we’re sure he could help you. www.curtis-green.co.uk.

For pretty clothes’ ladders try Emily Readett-Bayley who has a selection of decorative ladders in bamboo and in faux-driftwood (made from recycled coffee trees) (www.emilyreadettbayley.com) and antique dealer Appley Hoare usually has some antique French painted ladders in stock. (www.appleyhoare.com)

Chaplins has one of Europe’s largest showrooms (over 25,000 sq feet ) for modern furniture and design and over eighty leading manufacturers on display. Look up their website www.chaplins.co.uk , and do a search for ‘clothes stand’, an excellent selection of modern coat stands and hooks will appear.