The Upholstery Reference: Beginner’s Guide, Professional methods & Step-by-Step Tutorials

Learn upholstery online, from your first chair to a professional finish

Step-by-step photo and video tutorials by Céline Vanier, French upholsterer trained with the Compagnons du Devoir. A clear path for beginners, professional methods for everyone.

About $11 USD per month. Cancel anytime.

Your upholstery path in 3 clear guides

Start simple, learn the right techniques, then move to bigger projects.

Guide 1

Start as a beginner

Simple, forgiving projects that teach the basics without confusion: poufs, seats and easy chairs.

Ideal if you’ve never upholstered before.

Start with Guide 1
Guide 2

Core upholstery techniques

Strip and prepare, webbing, springs, padding, covering and finishing, each explained step by step.

This is where technique replaces guesswork.

Explore Guide 2
Guide 3

Full upholstery projects

Complete pieces from frame to final fabric: stools, chairs, bergères, club chairs and sofas.

New projects and seat types are added regularly.

View Guide 3

Inside a tutorial

Numbered steps, real workbench shots, the exact gesture you need to see, in photo and video. Not a finished photo with a caption guessing at the process.

Upholstery tutorial: numbered step on the workbench

Step-by-step framing, not a single before/after.

Upholstery tutorial: hand position and tool angle

Hand position and tool angle, the detail that’s hard to guess alone.

Upholstery tutorial: finished result

Finished result alongside the technique that got it there.

Meet Céline, The Girl With a Hammer

Hi, I’m Céline! I’m a French upholsterer, and you may know me as @the_girl_with_a_hammer on Instagram.

I learned my craft the traditional way, through four years of apprenticeship with the Compagnons du Devoir. In 2012, I opened my own workshop, Le Boudoir des Étoffes, on the shores of Lake Annecy. Reupholstering chairs, dressing walls in fabric, working with beautiful textiles: that’s my everyday life.

Why I created this platform: when I opened my own workshop, I suddenly had no master at my side to ask. Just my books, and a lot of questions. This is the resource I wish I’d had back then.

Céline Vanier teaching upholstery in her atelier near Lake Annecy

90+

Photo and video tutorials

15+

Years of professional experience

450+

Students taught

136k

Followers on Instagram

Let me guide you from beginner to confident upholsterer

Everyone starts with the same questions and the same struggles. Whether you’re holding fabric for the first time or ready for advanced techniques, you’re not alone.

Online upholstery academy by The Girl With a Hammer

Online Academy

90+ step-by-step tutorials in photo and video, with the professional method behind each one. New tutorials added every month.

  • A clear path from your first project to full chairs and sofas
  • Photo steps and video for every technique
  • Tools, materials and supplier advice
  • Your price stays the same as long as you stay a member
  • Premium: send me your questions on WhatsApp
See the memberships

From €9.99/month. Cancel anytime. Free Guest account available.

Upholstery workshop in Annecy, France

Want to learn hands-on? Workshop intensives in Annecy

5-day courses in my Annecy atelier, max 4 students, one complete chair restoration from frame to finish.

See workshop dates

As seen in Architectural Digest

“Want inspiration for all those ‘DIY reupholster chair’ searches? Check out Celine Vanier, an upholsterer and fabric dealer based in France who shares her creations on her Instagram account, @the_girl_with_a_hammer, which has more than 100 upholstery chair transformations to make you beeline to the fabric store.”

Architectural Digest, Nov. 11, 2022

Ready for your first project?

Start with the free beginner guide. When you want every step on video, join the Academy.