Silke Schlittermann

ChairRepair Schlittermann

Restorer

©Sabine Engels

Empathically repairing chairs

Silke likes to work when it rains at the open window
Chair caning has allowed her to combine family life with her craft
She feels chosen by her craft

As a child, Silke Schlittermann used carpentry to compensate for the goods she missed growing up in the GDR. She was enthusiastically supported in this by her father, an engineer. Apprenticeships for carpenters were extremely scarce in East Germany at that time. As a result, Silke began her career as a metalworker before becoming a carpenter after the reunification. Chair caning was introduced to her by pure accident. Upon arriving in England for a one-year carpentry training programme, she discovered the company that had hired her was bankrupt. Her only option was to go home or to find something new. Chair caning was the only other craft workshop available in the small English town where she found herself. "With cake, I persuaded the owner to hire me," she remembers. That year, she not only became a lifelong close friend with the owner, but also learned a new craft that enabled her to realise her dream of being a craftswoman with a large family.

Interview

©Sabine Engels

©Sabine Engels

Why was chair caning so compatible with family life for you?: My studio is in our family home, and I love working there. It is a quiet work that can be interrupted at any time with clean hands. When the children were young, this was very important. Moreover, my work's meditative nature keeps me very balanced.
Do you have a particular interest in chairs?: In my opinion, chairs, especially handmade chairs, have a very beautiful and often down-to-earth appearance. I actually enjoy being surrounded by them. I rarely get a chair that I do not like. As much as possible, I strive to restore chairs to their original state.
Which chairs come to you?: My home is in East Berlin. Since starting my own business, I have received many Gründerzeit and Bugholz Thonet chairs for repairs, as well as Chippendale furniture and Marcel Breuer cantilever chairs in all variants. I usually work with no more than five different weaves in my studio.
Is there something that most people do not know about your craft?: Using my natural materials is much easier when the weather is humid. Especially with rattan cattle and seagrass. I like to work according to the weather forecast and so I set myself up with the window open on rainy days. In the summer, getting up early is worth it, since there is still a bit of humidity in the air.

Silke Schlittermann is a master artisan: she began her career in 1997 and she started teaching in 2000