OUR TOWN Newspaper
JUNE 2010 ISSUE ARTSPEAK
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| Artisan, Rene Valiente, in front of his Irving Street studio. |
Modern Style with Old World Craftsmanship
at Reasonable Prices!
A true artisan in Rahway's downtown Arts District
Rene Valiente's artistic journey began back in Cuba, where his uncle owned and operated El Cojin (The Cushion) an automobile upholstery business and when he moved to Brooklyn in 1963, Rene apprenticed with him after school. They branched out to include furniture which became Rene's specialty, a craft he's honed for almost 35 years.
After he moved to New Jersey, Rene worked at his trade in Westfield until eight years ago when he opened MasterCraft Upholstery in Rahway, originally on W. Grande but now located at 1614 Irving Street in Rahway. While he's happy to work his magic on local projects, many of Rene's patrons are interior designers and decorators from NY and NJ who rely on his expertise to transform their clients' furniture from old to new.
Why do people re-upholster rather than buy new? "Well, today's furniture is "throwaway" compared to the quality that went into the older pieces so it makes sense to choose re-upholstery. An chair or sofa might be a family heirloom or a custom fit for their space ... or their bodies!" says Rene. "Some shops just re-cover the furniture but we always strip the piece back and rebuild it from scratch so we make it a point to keep the comfort level the same. Some people love to sink into a favorite cushy chair while others rely on a harder cushion to help them get up and out of it!"
MasterCraft Upholstery tackles a huge range of furniture pieces from sofas, wing chairs and recliners to extra pillows, cornices or headboards. They also do complete repairs to the frames, springs, buttons, zippers ... you name it. And it's not only homes that get a new lease on life, MasterCraft excels at re-upholstering whole businesses like offices, eating establishments, even country clubs in towns such as Westfield, Scotch Plains, Basking Ridge and the Jersey Shore.
If you're interested in his work, you can give Rene a call at (732) 423-0689.
Master Craft Upholstery
Rene Valiente
(732) 423-0689
1614 Irving Street
Rahway, NJ 07065
