Why Train at sdr?
We know that everyone’s different and that’s at the heart of our approach to teaching upholstery courses at SDR. We offer something for everyone by teaching the excellent AMUSF defined curriculum on our accredited upholstery courses as well as offering more informal upholstery leisure courses. All our upholstery courses have expert teaching in common, as well as a balance of healthy structure with a relaxed, friendly learning environment that leaves loads of room for creativity and innovation. We also run a selection of shorter courses, you can find out what’s coming up and book via our online store. You can’t book our AMUSF courses online as there’s lots to know, so we like to chat with each potential student and ideally get you in for a tour!
We think upholstery is a bit of a life changer, and for those who are looking for a career change there’s nowhere better to gain the advice, exposure and opportunities within the industry to help you on your path to becoming an upholsterer. We don’t see ourselves as ‘just’ an upholstery school, we’re a community, people make friends here and are part of the family long after they leave.
We have an open door policy at SDR, so if you’re considering doing a course with us, get in touch to find a time to pop in for a cup of tea and to see a class in action.
“ The teachers are incredibly knowledgeable and passionate about what they do and I felt constantly supported and encouraged throughout. It really feels like being part of a family studying here. ”
ABOVE & BEYOND
We think context is really important when you’re training for a new career, that’s why we organise regular guided school trips relevant to the AMUSF course. Annual visits include Knole House, Gainsborough Silks and Chelsea Design Centre.
We maintain close relationships with fabric companies, so not only are we able to offer our students great rates on purchasing fabrics, we also invite our contacts in for our ‘Design Series’ talks which are open to all. Each year well known fabric companies sponsor prizes at our summer graduation, last years’ sponsors included Bute, Kvadrat, Martins, Camira and Houles.
Students work
The total course cost is £990 including VAT, by booking online you secure your space with a £250 deposit. The remaining cost will be due one month before the start of the course, or can be paid in two equal instalments, we will contact you directly with details.
Our leisure courses are a ‘bring your own project’ format, a chance to work on a prized piece of furniture you’ve been meaning to fix up forever, or an opportunity to learn some upholstery skills on something new. Over 15 weeks, our teachers are on hand to help students bring a piece back to life. We teach absolute beginners to advanced students and attendees can work on a variety of different projects during a leisure course, or just tackle one. You will be taught all the tips and techniques of this amazing trade relevant to your project. If you don’t have a piece of furniture in mind, we can help you to decide on or give advice on pieces that would be suitable.
Leisure classes can include the following:
Complete stripping down, and re-upholstery
Just removing the top fabric and recovering
Modern and traditional techniques
Sewing: such as boxed cushions, piping, capped on seats and arms, using an industrial walking foot machine
Basic wood restoration including cleaning, reviving and finishing as well as small frame repairs
The course lasts for 15 weeks and runs on a Wednesday from 6.30pm to 9.30pm, starting on Wednesday 9th September 2026, though we adhere to academic holidays - please see the calendar image for the full breakdown before booking.
PLEASE READ: Materials are available at the school and are charged to you on a pay as you go basis. You will be able to store one piece of furniture at the school at a time, for the duration of the course. Deposits are non-refundable, unless we have to cancel the course for any reason, in which case we’ll either refund or reschedule. Please take a look at the academic calendar before booking.
For our terms and cancelation policies please see HERE