DESIGN AT HOME
MISSION IMPECCABLE
beautiful fabrics and fine workmanship join forces at the french thistle BY TORI COSCAS | PHOTOGRAPHY BY HOLGER OBENAUS
222 CSD
“I wish I had a ‘before’ picture of that sofa,” says David Gilkeson, owner of The French Thistle, as we settle into his intimate James Island upholstery shop. Gilkeson scrolls through furniture pictures on his iPad with a devotion and pride usually reserved for be- loved grandchildren. “The frame looked like it had been thrown off the back of a truck!” he says. He shows the “after” photo: a sofa with impeccable new up- holstery and revamped cushions that looks like the only vehicle it’s been near is a delivery truck. That, briefly, is Gilkeson’s magic:
the thrill of the makeover. It’s a makeover that goes bone deep, down to the frame. Furniture is stripped down, re- tied, re-stuffed with down, foam or spring down, and re-covered. Cushions are refreshed by going from one long back or bottom cushion to two or three cush- ions, or vice versa, for a whole new look. Add tufting, piping or a skirt in endless options and combinations to achieve the ideal redesign. And that’s before you even get to selecting fabric. A world of texture and color from Scalamandré, Lee Jofa,
Brunschwig & Fils, Schumacher, Robert Allen, Sunbrella, Donghia, Pindler, Romo, P. Kauffman and more fill the showroom and swatch room with a manageable size of usable options that are comprehensive but not overwhelming. The just-right selection lends itself to design inspiration rather than paraly- zation.
What’s wonderful about play- ing with fabric is the thrill of pos- sibility, of finding the sublime in the mundane. It’s a world where practicality and creativity meet. On a recent visit, a Summerville
watercolorist breezed by with her inspired choices: a Lee Jofa linen of multicolor Asian-inspired birds and a tweedy Robert Allen gray.
“We have a lot of repeat business,” says Gilkeson. “We go to drop off a piece and we end up coming back with a cou- ple more.” Gilkeson or his son Nathan, who heads the work- shop, oversees each pickup and delivery. “We have clients who have extremely valuable pieces of art, and I want to make sure they’re given all possible care.” Gilkeson picks up and deliv- ers all over the Lowcountry, from Awendaw to Edisto, and works with decorators and designers citywide. “I have good relation- ships with designers, and I do have some favorites, but I don’t make any recommendations in that area,” he says with cheerful diplomacy.
Charleston clients lean to-
ward linen, damask and velvet. “You can’t do downtown with- out damask,” he says, adding, “I never thought I’d sell velvet in this hot climate, but I’ve sold a ton of it.” Gilkeson, a veteran in the upholstery world, came to Charleston a little more than two years ago from Roanoke, Virginia, where he owned a well-regarded upholstery shop also called The French Thistle, a nod to French and Scottish roots.
When I comment on velvet’s
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