Designers learn about wall upholstery

Dean Robert Jones knew that a career in mortgage banking wasn’t for him when he often found himself crying in the shower before he went to work. A chance meeting with a wall upholsterer led him to discover a talent he didn’t know he had. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Jones shared stories of his life and showed examples of his work during this month’s First Friday event at the Las Vegas Design Center.

Calling himself a seamstress-carpenter-magician-psychotherapist, Jones specialty is upholstering walls in fabrics and leathers. He uses classic techniques to transform walls into bits of luxury that make people feel special.

“That’s the joy for me,” he said. “Being the best I can and making people feel special.”

Although most of Jones’ customers are designers, he actually works in their clients’ homes and has created upholstered walls for celebrities such as Barbra Streisand, Eddie Murphy, Cher, Marc Cherry, Debbie Reynolds and Tom Selleck. In addition, he has done the grand ballroom of the Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles, the royal palace in Riyadh, Saudia Arabia, and worked for the late Princess Diana.

“It’s the most luxurious thing you can do for your wall,” he said of his work.

Additionally, upholstered walls are great acoustically and absorb sounds especially well in home theaters.

He said the most popular rooms to upholster the walls are master bedrooms, dining rooms, theaters and powder baths.

During his presentation, Jones shared a few tricks of his trade and how he tailors the upholstery so there are no seams. He also showed samples of a track system used to attach fabrics to the wall and discussed types of fabrics and their characteristics. For example, silk shouldn’t be used in bathrooms because the humidity makes the fabric sag.

Jones also shared various applications including tented ceilings, upholstered headboard walls in bedrooms and upholstered panels that can be changed and updated.

Located within the World Market Center, the Las Vegas Design Center hosts an informative presentation for interior designers and design professional on the first Friday of each month.