An artistic adventurer with a flair for detail. Meet Kim Dulk, upholsterer.

We are driving through wilderness, the gravel road winds its way up the heights towards Störåsen. We are going to visit upholsterer Kim Dulk, a jack-of-all-trades in the middle of Jämtland's vast forests.

Kim meets us at his farm with a magnificent view of the Hotagsfjällen mountains as a backdrop. In the large workshop, a fire is crackling and Kim's ongoing projects are like works of art to be seen, beautiful design furniture in various stages of rebirth.

Kim is trained in Hamburg, as an interior designer with an emphasis on the traditional craft of upholstery. She is an artist and has also had a leg in adventure tourism over the years. Quite simply, a jack-of-all-trades with a strong love of the aesthetic.

 - I work a lot with historical furniture, and upholstery is rarely just about changing the fabric; it's often a complete restoration from the inside out. Elastic lacing may need to be repaired, the entire piece of furniture may need to be reupholstered, and wooden details may need to be glued and polished," says Kim. 

 For some years now, she has been working frequently with textiles from Frösö and we are looking at two lovely 1930s armchairs that have been given new life through textile-covered seats and cushions with the iconic pattern "Rose and Lily", designed by Gocken Jobs in 1946.

 - I love classic designs like this one by Gocken Jobs, it harmonizes so well with beautiful period furniture that needs a lift. Even the more modern patterns are great to work with, Kim continues. I have known about Frösö Handtryck for many years but in recent years there have been more designs that I feel I can use in my practice. The more exclusive Designers that have joined the print shop, the wider my shelf of Frösö Handtryck samples that I show my customers has become.

 - Emma von Brömssen's patterns, for example, her way of working with elements from nature and giving a pattern a feeling that is both classic and playful, it is magical to work with, Kim continues.

A personal favorite in the Frösös pattern bank is "Mori no seirei" by Toshiyuki Fukuda. A project in the form of a wonderful earflap armchair is being reupholstered in black print on unbleached linen fabric.

 - The pattern is brilliant! A beautiful pattern that can be used very effectively. When you have a pattern, you often have to count off a lot of fabric because you are so dependent on the report. You have to be very careful with a repeated pattern so that the back and seat fit together, for example. With "Mori no seirei" I can use almost every piece.

 - I have worked a lot with English and French textile suppliers, both in Germany and in Sweden. Different customers are looking for different expressions and many customers want suggestions when choosing textiles. It is very obvious to suggest textiles from Frösö because it is so close to the heart, says Kim.

 What is it that makes you value Frösö so highly?

 - To work with products that have a real history! Of course, I like being able to work locally, I'm so proud to be able to say that the fabric is from Jämtland, from Nälden. Having a supplier with such a high standard of quality and design, so accessible, is really a luxury. The environment is of course one aspect, but there are so many reasons really if you start thinking about it," says Kim.

 Isn't it very expensive to reupholster a piece of furniture?

 - It's an investment to reupholster a large piece of furniture, but it's an investment that will last for many years," says Kim.

It could be your grandmother's armchair that has great sentimental value or a piece of furniture you bought at a flea market that gets a new life with new textiles. You create a unique piece of furniture that suits your home. Newly made furniture with modern upholstery can have a rather limited lifetime and choice of fabrics. A fairly simple piece of furniture can become a stylish piece with the right type of fabric and pattern. I really like simple unnamed 40s furniture, they can be lifted to something very beautiful with the right fabric. If you have a piece of furniture by a famous designer, it can increase the value of renovation, and you get a personal expression.

 In addition to a large workshop with ongoing wallpapering projects, Kim has a sewing workshop where she sews canopies and other details for another Jämtland brand, Segebadenpulkan, a wooden mountain pulka that has a long tradition of handmade quality pulkas. 

We go there to take a curious look. On the farm, we meet some cheerful Alsatians who are Kim's constant companions through the woods and fields, every day, whatever the weather or season. For nature, she lives with and from it in many aspects. In between working with exclusive furniture and materials, she takes long walks on cloudberry bogs and dog sledding in snowy old-growth forests. 

 Isn't it difficult to operate here, in the middle of the forest?

 - Strangely enough, customers still find me. We've created a network here where we work together really well.

 As an artist, Kim had a dream of one day creating her own pattern.

- Yes, laughs Kim. I have a picture in my head but there is still some work to do to get it on paper.

 We leave Kim in the workshop where she is about to tackle an armchair by Carl Malmsten. We head out on the gravel road again, inspired by Kim's skill and proud of how our textiles can adorn beautiful furniture design in so many people's homes. A chair that is going in the same direction as we get a lift towards the town that lies several miles beyond the dense spruce forest. Collaboration in the way of the jämtars.