About

About Grace Ann Upholstery

Grace Ann Upholstery is a Nashville-based upholstery studio specializing in custom work for private clients and designers. The workroom is located in the historic Taylor Arts Building in Germantown and is open by appointment.

Training includes study at the Connecticut School of Woodworking under Michael Mascelli, as well as advanced coursework through Upholstery Education in San Diego with master upholsterers from the UK, including Gareth Reese, Armand Verdier, and Greg Cupitt-Jones.

About Grace

Grace is the Vice President of the National Upholstery Association and a material culture scholar with a master’s degree in Material Culture, Decorative Arts, and Design History from Bard Graduate Center (NYC). A practicing upholsterer, her research and writing focus on the history and craft of upholstery as a discipline, examining furniture and interiors with particular attention to:

  • Upholstery as an under-recognized conservation practice

  • The transmission of tacit craft knowledge across generations

  • The implications for preservation, sustainability, and cultural heritage when these skills decline

She is committed to connecting the practice of upholstery with design, conservation, and education, advocating for the craft’s cultural significance, continued transmission, and future sustainability.

Established in 2019, the National Upholstery Association works together with the greater upholstery community to support and advance the field of professional upholstery. The National Upholstery Association is actively working to inspire a rebirth of the upholstery profession as a collaborative community of artists, entrepreneurs, historians, and champions for sustainability.

Established in 2019, the National Upholstery Association works together with the greater upholstery community to support and advance the field of professional upholstery. The National Upholstery Association is actively working to inspire a rebirth of the upholstery profession as a collaborative community of artists, entrepreneurs, historians, and champions for sustainability.