A Pilbara man learned the classic art of deep-button upholstery from some of the masters, leading him to make the chairs in Western Australia's Parliament House.
Now, after years of battling alcohol addiction, Rex Corbett Hughes has his own business and is passing on his knowledge.
Talking to the ABC, he still felt comfortable in one of the Legislative Assembly chairs he made more than a decade ago.
"Just like the day I made it," he said, easing into it.
"Still the same. At least I know I am a good upholsterer.
"My quality lasts that long. A skill well learnt, I think."
Mr Corbett Hughes was partly inspired by photos of chairs on the Titanic, and a desire to "bring them back to life".
He remembered the Parliament House job in Perth was a big one in 2007, when he was head of upholstery at the company that employed him.
It was the deep-buttoning skills that enabled him to make what he referred to as the "king's seat" or the "master's throne".
"It's a fine art, so it comes with one whole sheet of leather and I just work my way in, folding each pleat to the next hole, making sure everything's so perfect, and you end up with this finished product," he said.
Unlikely career becomes source of pride
Mr Corbett Hughes started learning upholstery when he was 19, gaining an apprenticeship after he left Karratha because he could not find work.
"I am still, I think, the only Aboriginal upholsterer that knows how to deep button Chesterfield lounges, so that's another achievement, and I'm proud of that one," he said.
His own business is up and running in Port Hedland, and he has been teaching the craft to newcomers through the Ashburton Aboriginal Corporation.
His main message? Don't be scared.
"I was held back by a lot of things," Mr Corbett Hughes said.
"We all have our shame and stuff like that in the world, [but] just grab it and go for it, you know.
"You own it, you become proud, and I'm very proud to be an Aboriginal person [having] come the way I have."
Passing on skills to the next generation
One convert, Tim Vindeg, who learned upholstery with Mr Hughes, has since gained a job in Perth.
"I was going to be doing woodwork or horticulture, but I ended up doing it [and] I really liked it," he said.
"You can be creative with it. You don't have to follow any rules, apart from [it] has to be a chair, and you get to design the pattern.
"It's really rewarding."
Down the wrong track and back
The big reward for Mr Corbett Hughes is that he has come this far after beating an addiction to alcohol.
"I was actually struggling with the alcohol pretty bad," he reflected.
"I went down the wrong track and ended up on the streets of Perth, struggling hard, trying to find a way out.
"[It] didn't give me much hope being on the street.
"Amazingly, I had some strength left inside and reached out again for my furniture making, and here I am."
Sober now for five years, he has had time to reflect on the Italian and English masters who taught him his craft.
"I've actually been thinking a bit about them and [them saying], 'We'll make something out of you Rex'," he said.
"They used to push me all the time.
"[I] give them praise for the way they taught me, the skills that they passed on to me, and now I'm willing to show my skills to everyone."
He said his teachers would be over the moon if they could see where he was now.
