Let us introduce you to our new addition – master upholsterer and craftsman in our trade – Frank Barnhouse!
What can I say? Frank can upholster circles around me. In this short week with Frank, I have learned that he has many years of craft under his belt, learning the trade in Germany at a young seventeen years of age! In the shop, Frank has a calm, measured attitude; it seems that no problem furniture can phase him. Mr. Barnhouse has worked in every sort of shop, including custom upholstery, large-scale manufacturing, and custom-built furniture and upholstery shops. I am in shock and awe at Frank’s fluency in furniture, as well as German and Spanish languages. He is truly amazing!
Enjoy our Q and A with Frank below…
Q: Tell us about your family Frank – wife, children, pets?
Frank: My wife is Waldina; we were married in Honduras July 2nd, 1979. My children are Brian 27, and Brigitte 22. We have a white German Shepard named Snowy – given as a birthday present to me three years ago. Also there are three cats – Tiramisu, Kings, and Ocelot.
Q: How did you learn the upholstery trade?
Frank: I was in grade school close to the city of Nuremberg, Germany. My grandmother suggested to my parents in grade nine that I should go to trade school. She said that people always need a seat to sit on, so off I went to an upholstery shop.
Q: What do you like to do in your free time?
Frank: Watch movies, walk the dog, yard work – weeding!
Q: What’s your favorite movie?
Frank: Most recently Avatar; I love Westerns, Clint Eastwood, John Wayne, etc. I like ‘House’ on TV.
Q: Do you have a preferred style or period of furniture that you like to work on?
Frank: Antiques – hand-carved, solid wood, great details. Not always the most comfortable, though. Great to look at!
Q: What’s your favorite place in the world that you’ve visited?
Frank: Germany. I still visit friends that live there.
Q: Do you have any words of wisdom that you could share with beginning upholsterers? Any work/life mottoes or tips?
Frank: Don’t give up – just keep trying to make it work somehow.
Q: Any indulgences or weaknesses?
Frank: I love anything related to, or including dark chocolate!
Thanks so much for your expertise, training, and guidance, Frank! We are endlessly happy to have you with us. This is no puffery: I hope to some day be as proficient and efficient in my craft, and perhaps in other languages as you are. Cheers to you Frank – we salute you!