Rolls-Royce upholstery: what the workshop makes
Rolls-Royce upholstery is made entirely in our own workshop: front seats and rear bench, door cards, armrests, headrests, headlining, carpets and rugs. On a classic as on a recent model, every part is first removed and recorded; the old trim becomes the pattern, with its seams, pleats and reinforcements.
Leathers, threads and wools are chosen from samples, in daylight, and compared with a part of the cabin that is still original. The covers are then cut, sewn and stretched by hand over foams and springs that have been checked and, if need be, renewed. Our car upholstery page sets out the shared method; this one covers what makes a Rolls-Royce interior.
Which leather for a classic Rolls-Royce?
For decades, Rolls-Royce cars were trimmed in Connolly hide, from the London firm closely tied to the marque. That period leather is no longer made in its original form: for a Silver Cloud or a Silver Shadow, we look for a hide of comparable grain, thickness and colour, with the supple firmness expected of a Rolls-Royce bench seat.
Classic seats are read in their details: piping that traces every edge, regular pleats on cushion and backrest depending on the model, a centre armrest, map pockets on the backs of the front seats. A faithful retrim reproduces the number and width of the pleats, the colour of the piping, matching or contrasting, and the exact shape of the bolsters.
A patinated but sound hide often deserves to be kept: cleaned, fed, recoloured and repaired locally. On a collector’s car, that patina is part of its history. We give you our view panel by panel, and the decision is yours.
Deep wool carpets and sheepskin rugs
A Rolls-Royce’s silence also depends on its floor. The carpets are thick wool laid over sound insulation, and their edges are often bound in leather. In many cars, sheepskin rugs are laid on top.
When retrimming, we remove everything, check the floor and the insulation, which damp degrades, then cut the new carpet to the pattern of the old one. Its colour is chosen with the leather; bindings, heel mats and cut-outs around the seat runners follow the original, unless you prefer another interpretation.
Burr walnut woodwork: veneer and lacquer
Dashboard, door cappings and, in many saloons, picnic tables on the backs of the front seats: Rolls-Royce cabins are dressed in wood veneer, often burr walnut, book-matched so that the grain mirrors itself from side to side. The thick lacquer that protects it eventually crazes, yellows or lifts in the sun, and damp can swell the substrate.
The workshop takes care of restoring the woodwork alongside the upholstery: careful removal, stripping of the old lacquer, repair of the veneer where possible, then a new polished finish. The tone of the wood is matched to the leather and carpets, and the pieces go back in last, once the cabin is complete.
Starlight headliner and Bespoke interiors
The Goodwood-era cars took personalisation further still. The manufacturer’s Bespoke programme allows leather in any colour, contrast stitching and piping, monograms embroidered on the headrests and rare veneers. The Starlight headliner, set with fibre optics that recreate a starry sky, has become one of the signatures of the Phantom, Ghost, Wraith and Cullinan.
On these cars, upholstery work is prepared with care: depending on the version, the seats contain heating, ventilation, massage, side airbags and sensors, all of which must come out and go back without damage. A Starlight headliner is a system specific to the manufacturer; before touching a headlining fitted with one, we assess what can be done without compromising it, and tell you plainly.
Upholstery and restoration: in what order?
In a Rolls-Royce restoration, the interior comes last: body, paint and wiring must be finished before carpets and trim go in, so that nothing is damaged or fitted twice. On a car in regular use, by contrast, the upholstery can be done on its own, seats or headlining separately.
Bentley shares much of this craft with Rolls-Royce, from leather to woodwork; its own features, such as the diamond quilting of recent models, are described on our Bentley upholstery page. For everything else the workshop does on the marque, see our Rolls-Royce page.