Lobby Furniture That Guests Actually Notice: The Chair Restoration We Did at an Embassy Suites

You might not think twice about a lobby chair — until it looks like it doesn’t belong there anymore. That’s exactly the situation we walked into at an Embassy Suites property recently. The lobby seating flanking a beautiful walnut credenza had taken a beating. Not from any single event, just years of daily use doing what daily use does to wood furniture in a high-traffic space.

The chairs themselves were solid — elegant dark-stained hardwood frames with a warm gold upholstery, the kind of transitional style that works in upscale hospitality settings. The upholstery was still in good shape. But the wood? That was a different story. The front legs had deep scuffs and scratches running from the feet all the way up past the stretchers. The finish was worn through in several spots, exposing raw wood underneath. On a chair that sits right next to a polished credenza, crystal lamps, and a framed mirror, that kind of wear doesn’t just blend in — it stands out.

The property manager’s concern was understandable. Replacing these chairs would mean sourcing a match for the existing set, and that’s never as simple or as cheap as it sounds. What they really needed was for the chairs they already had to look like the chairs they already had — just without the damage.

What We Did

We handled the restoration on-site, right in the lobby area. Our team started by elevating each chair on a work surface and masking off the upholstery to protect the fabric from any product contact. From there, the work was straightforward but detail-intensive. We cleaned and prepped the damaged areas, filled in the deeper gouges and scratches, and then did careful color matching to rebuild the dark walnut finish along the legs, stretchers, and arm supports. Using Mohawk finishing products, we were able to match not just the color but the sheen — getting that satin warmth back so the restored areas blended seamlessly with the undamaged portions of each frame.

The trickiest part of a job like this is always the transition zones. Where damaged finish meets intact finish, you can’t just paint over a line — you have to feather the color and build up the topcoat so the eye doesn’t catch a seam. That’s where experience and the right products make all the difference.

The Result

Both chairs went back into position the same day, looking exactly the way they should — rich, warm, and consistent with the credenza and the rest of the lobby furnishings. No sourcing delay, no mismatched replacements, no disruption to guests. The property kept its polished, put-together look without pulling a single piece of furniture off the floor.

The Takeaway for Property Managers

Lobby furniture takes more abuse than almost any other surface in a hotel, and seating is right at the top of the list. Guests shift chairs, housekeeping bumps them during cleaning, luggage carts clip the legs. Over time, even well-built furniture starts showing it. The instinct is often to wait until the damage is bad enough to justify replacement, but that means your lobby looks progressively worse for months or years in the meantime.

A smarter approach is catching it early. A scheduled maintenance plan means we’re on-site regularly, and touch-ups on chair legs and arms take minutes — not hours. That keeps the furniture looking fresh and extends its useful life by years. It’s a fraction of the cost of replacement, and your guests never see anything but a space that looks like it’s supposed to.

If your property’s lobby furniture is starting to show its age, let’s talk about what a maintenance plan could do for you. Reach out to us at sales@TouchUpMaestros.com or give us a call — Atlanta at 404-237-6000 or South Miami at 305-814-8405.