1:35 Čalouněná křesla

Upholstered armchairs for an interior and for rubble

Interiors are among the most demanding parts of a diorama, because nothing in them can be hidden behind hardware. That is exactly why an upholstered armchair works so strongly: it can stand in a staff room under a map, it can be carried out into the street and used as a bench by a vehicle, or it can stick out of a heap of rubble with its cover torn and the stuffing spilling out.

The package contains two armchairs, so a seating corner can be built or, alternatively, one piece left whole and the other destroyed. A pair also makes it possible to try different covers and to see which shade holds up in the scene.

The rounded shapes of upholstery have their pitfalls. The parting line of the mold usually runs across the side of the back, that is, across a visible surface, and ordinary sanding here creates a flat spot in the middle of the curve. It is better to pare the ridge away with a scalpel in layers and to level the surface with an abrasive sponge, which follows the curve.

A damaged piece is made by taking away, not by adding. Cut a ragged opening in the cover with a point, thin the edges and glue a wisp of cotton wool soaked in thinned glue into the cavity. Once dry it hardens and can be painted as stuffing that has spilled out of the armchair.

In color it pays to separate the cover from the wooden parts. The fabric will take a more saturated shade and a soft transition achieved with light spraying, whereas the wood needs a glossier surface. Dust settled on the horizontal surfaces will finally link the furniture to the rubble around it.

The placing decides the effect. An armchair turned with its back to the viewer draws the eye into the depth of the room, whereas the same chair a little to one side and askew says somebody left here in a hurry.