SJS Furnishings is…
…a locally-owned fine upholstery and home furnishings business in Salem, Oregon dedicated to creating customized furnishings of style and comfort that clients will cherish for a lifetime.
Stephen Joseph Schwarzenberger founded SJS Furnishings in Salem, Oregon out of a lifelong love of furniture and design. Stephen’s upbringing on a 400-acre farm instilled in him a strong work ethic early on. As a child, Stephen entered the world of fine woodworking and furniture restoration under the guidance of a nearby farmer and fine woodcraftsman. The farmer provided Stephen with expert instruction and access to the extensive woodshop on his property; soon Stephen was creating lamps, tables, cabinets, and restoring an assortment of antique furniture, going on to win various awards for his creations. Years later, Stephen and his family members and friends continue to treasure these pieces of enduring quality in their homes spread throughout the country.
Stephen’s love affair with furniture and decor developed, in part, out of their diverse functions: “A piece of furniture is much more than a utilitarian object to me; it is an extension of its owner and the individual who created it. It was made for a specific purpose with a great deal of thought and hard labor. Its owner chose that particular piece for a reason. Furniture transforms a home. Every piece tells a story.” Stephen’s deep appreciation for quality craftsmanship led him to broaden his skills, learning the art of fine upholstery and soft furnishings, including custom draperies, slip covers, throws, duvet covers, pillows, and an array of other home accessories. In bringing together these talents with his passion for furniture, Stephen established SJS Furnishings.
For Stephen, every project is an opportunity to grow: “What I’ve come to know is that this trade is really the work of a lifetime.” This knowledge is the driving force behind Stephen’s ongoing pursuit to advance his skills, seeking out training and mentorship under a master upholsterer of 30 years; continually researching the furniture and upholstery industries through reading books and periodicals; and gaining memberships into The Furniture Society, the Professional Upholstery & Soft Furnishings Group, and the Slipcover Network. Stephen works closely with his clients, listening to their vision, and collaborating with them to create personalized, unique, and beautiful pieces. Stephen’s care and attention to detail is what imparts value to each piece he completes: “I love this work. When I finish a piece, I know it will be around for years to come. If what I create brings a person joy and comfort, then I’ve done my job.”
Stephen would love to hear about your custom upholstery, drapery, or furniture restoration project. Contact him today!
EXEMPLARY WORK
“I was fortunate enough to have a friend recommend Stephen to us for reupholstering a family antique chair. After seeing the work on my friend’s couch and chairs, we knew we wanted him to reupholster our chair. This was an excellent decision!
Working with Stephen was a good experience. He had a lot of good suggestions and helped us make our final decisions on fabric.
We now have a beautiful new chair for our bedroom. He replaced the webbing and padding in the seat portion with new materials and now it is very comfortable. I wish I had another piece of furniture he could recover. He would be our first choice to do the work. We are extremely satisfied with the finished product and his finish work is exemplary.”
Lynne K.
Because of the success with the bedding, I entrusted Stephen to reupholster and repair my six antique dining room chairs. He really listened to my needs. The chairs were very wobbly and uncomfortable. He re-glued all six of them so they were structurally sound again and would withstand everyday use. He fixed the chairs so they are like new, putting new webbing and extra padding in the seats.I was looking for a fabric which wore well, was elegant, and unique. He showed me a variety of fabrics that he had on hand. The beautiful mustard soft weave he recommended goes wonderfully with our burgundy walls, and is well-wearing and practical for a dining room. He even put a stylish piping along the edges of the seats. It is a true treat every time my family sits down to dinner.
ABOVE & BEYOND
“Stephen converted a pair of dated, worn chairs into a beautiful, sophisticated pair. The fabric we chose had a small, repeat pattern and Stephen perfectly matched the pattern at every seam. He even matched the pattern on the welting that outlined the back and seat of the chairs. He touched up the paint on the frame and wooden legs and replaced the dust cover underneath the seat of the chairs. He clearly went above and beyond a simple reupholstering job. We are thrilled with the results and have recommended Stephen to several of our friends.”
Kiki B.
RESOURCEFULNESS
“Stephen does excellent work! We had an expensive leather sofa that ended up getting a rip in the arm rest. The location of the rip (close to the joint of the back rest and arm rest) made it difficult to repair. However, Stephen found a way to fix it without having to re-upholster the whole area. The repair has held up to continued daily use. We are extremely pleased with Stephen’s resourcefulness and his ability to make the sofa look as good as new!”
David S.
ATTENTION TO DETAIL
“I am so pleased with my choice to have SJS Furnishings refinish and reupholster the mid-century arm chair that has remained in our family for the past five decades. Stephen meticulously stripped several layers of old paint from the exposed wooden arms and legs, then stained and refinished the wood to perfectly match our existing chair, a feat I had thought nearly impossible. His attention to detail was remarkable. He re-padded the chair and made it extra comfortable. He also perfectly matched the buttons and fabric to the existing chair. Stephen made everything quite easy. He came to our home and took time to listen to me and what I wanted, educating me about the steps involved in reupholstering and refinishing the piece. The process put me at ease and I knew I was hiring the right person for the job. When he returned the finished chair to us, I was so thrilled with his superlative craftsmanship. When entertaining, we receive many compliments from our guests on the transformed chair. It is rare in this day and age to have someone under-promise and over-deliver, but that was our experience with Stephen. Working with him was a pleasure.”
Beverly R.
A SOUND INVESTMENT
“I grew up in up in a family where fine furniture was cherished and well-cared for and I’ve always known that having quality furniture restored is a sound investment. In trusting SJS Furnishings with this process, one can expect superior craftsmanship every time. Stephen’s work is the absolute best I’ve experienced in the 45 years of having our family’s furniture upholstered. His work is creative down to the last detail, and each piece becomes a one-of-a-kind addition to the home. I’m happy to recommend Stephen to everyone I know because his work is outstanding.”
Valarie D.
PERFECT COLLABORATION
“Stephen re-upholstered a fine old sofa that I’ve had since I was in college and have had re-covered twice before.
When I decorated my living room recently, I decided once again to re-upholster the sofa as well as my two wingback chairs. Stephen was recommended to me by a friend and I decided to hire him when I realized he understood color and design and could help me bring all the decorative elements of my project together. Stephen has an innate sense of design and what goes together—I found him to be much more than just an upholsterer who simply re-covers something in fabric that I picked. He also provided me with options for a variety of throw pillows for my sofa and chairs. The pillows brought everything together and gave an added sense of elegance to the space.
Stephen made several visits with fabric samples and worked closely with me to bring together just the right look for my living room. I love my new furniture and decor and I enjoyed working with Stephen very much. It was the perfect collaboration. My home and my beautiful old sofa and wingback chairs have never looked so good.”
Carol J.
TRANSFORMED
“I am thrilled with the work that Stephen recently completed on a sofa that I have owned for nearly 30 years. I have always liked its design but was more than ready for a new look with the fabric. Stephen took time to ask me questions in order to understand my tastes, and he consulted carefully with me regarding fabric design and type, showing me a number of different selections. I had a paisley style in mind, and Stephen suggested the possibility of two different shades of the same matching pattern for either side of the cushions. Now I can turn the cushions over for a different look. Plus, Stephen suggested adding a contrasting boxing around the edges and contrasting welting. These were choices I hadn’t considered and they have made the sofa so beautiful and versatile. And because my cushions were older, he added new foam and padding, so now the sofa is not only beautiful, but even more comfortable than before. Stephen also applied fabric protectant to the material to guard from stains and spills. My sofa has been completely transformed.
I had the good fortune to observe Stephen at work and I gained a great deal of respect for the tremendous caliber of his skills. I also had the opportunity to tour Stephen’s home. The quality of his craftsmanship made me feel as if I was in a showroom. In fact, I’m so pleased with Stephen’s work that I’ve hired him to work on two additional prized antique pieces of mine.”
Rosemarie S.
KNOWLEDGE & SKILL
“As a child, I remember my Dad coming home from work, sitting in his chair with his feet up on the ottoman and reading the evening paper until Mom called us to dinner. We lost Dad when I was 8.
His chair was always in our home. Often used, well-loved and sagging in all the wrong places by the time it came to my house. While some may have called it unsightly, this chair was, and still is, very special to me. I couldn’t trust just anyone to repair it. I trusted Stephen. And he did not disappoint me.
After spending time with me choosing the right fabric, Stephen carefully restored springs, replaced foam, and reupholstered the chair. Stephen is knowledgeable about furniture and fabrics, he is very easy to work with, and he is very skilled at manipulating the fabric just right.
I am so glad I chose Stephen to restore my Dad’s favorite chair and ottoman. I love it.”
Fletcher M.-A.