Leah Curley

You will see them. The curious, the intrigued…. Hands cocked over eyes, noses pressed to the glass, peering through the window at Atelier Hopkins. Does it ever open? Is there anybody there?

“I totally understand that I’m very hard to get hold of,” Jennifer Hopkins confesses.
“I feel bad about that, but I’m actually here 50 hours a week. In the back, working.”

Largely self-taught, Jennifer is a designer and master upholsterer. More broadly, she is an inspired and creative maker.

“Ours was a humble home … my mother taught us how to make everything.” So when Jennifer and her husband bought their first home and needed furnishings, she got busy. “I started playing with upholstery in a spare room and I absolutely loved it.” She took some courses, moved her workshop to a friend’s garage, then to Bondville. She developed a reputation. When Atelier Ulrich in Waterloo asked her to create all their soft furnishings, Jennifer moved next door and, when they closed, she relocated to Knowlton. Business has been brisk.

“It’s amazing to have constant work coming in,” she says. “And I want to say yes to everything. But it’s just me.” She would love to bring an apprentice on board, but, as is usually the case with the hyper-busy, she just doesn’t have the time.

If you peek through the window, you’ll see that in addition to lines from five fabric
houses, Jennifer brings in yard goods from Morocco, India, Tanzania …. “I like supporting women and women are usually the weavers,” she says, pointing to throw cushions, bags and other items she has crafted.

Sustainability is also key. “Some people think reupholstering is expensive, but ask yourself instead why furniture is so cheap,” Jennifer says. “Fast furniture. Cheap stuff, cheaply made. Made to throw away.” The new chair you buy for $500 is designed to last three to five years. The old one you paid $10 for at a yard sale and invested $500 to $800 customizing with a fabric you love will last you 20 years. In the long run, reupholstering is far less expensive.

Some people can’t see the potential. That’s where Jennifer’s own pieces come in. They are amazing. And most were roadside finds. “Big garbage day is awful for me. I need blinders so I don’t pick up everything,” says Jennifer. But the old stuff was well made and the act of transformation is exciting and inspiring.

So how do you get inside Atelier Hopkins to have a look and per- haps a chat about a project? Email Jennifer for an appointment. “Once you select and order your fabric, you’re in the queue,” she says. Demand is huge, so if you want something done for summer contact her in the winter, and vice versa. atelierhopkins@gmail.com