"Comfortable and Well Designed Upholstery is essential for every room..."

July 08, 2020

"Comfortable and Well Designed Upholstery is essential for every room..."

One of the key elements to a successful interior is comfortable upholstery.

Whether it is a living room sofa or a bedroom club chair, these pieces should be selected not only for their design aesthetic but equally for the level of comfort they provide to the user.

Above is one of a pair of club chairs with a shared ottoman between the two. These chairs, which are in my bedroom, are among the most comfortable chairs in which I have ever sat to watch TV or a movie. The gently slopping rolled arms cradle and support you without ever being in the way.

The ottoman performs two task equally well; Firstly it is the perfect surface to place dinner trays if one chooses to watch a movie and dine at the same time. Once dinner is eaten, the trays may be set aside and one can prop up your feet and enjoy a film in perfect comfort!

Above is an incredibly stylish club chair with a boxed arm with nail head detailing.

As is the case with all custom made to order upholstery, the chair can be fabricated to your specific dimensions with the seat depth and back pitch tailored to you particular size and build. These pieces can be constructed and upholstered in muslin to allow the client to test the comfort level and then additional adjustments can be made to creat the perfect chair for you. Once the piece has been tested and approved, the final fabric and trims are applied.

Dining chairs may also be custom made and adjusted for your specific needs.

This allows dimensional changes to suit the particular design project as well as the clients comfort level.

When designing the perfect upholstery, it is important to understand several interchangeable elements that together make the piece. These include the following:

Arm Style

Back Style

Loose Seat Cushions or Tight Seat

Loose Back Cushions or Tight Back

Base Type: Skirted, Exposed Legs or Plinth Base

Cushion Filling: Down, Down with Foam Core or Foam

Each of these elements contribute to the overall level of comfort for the intended use.

It is important to understand the intended use to ensure a successful result.

For a room where you will be entertaining guest and serving drinks, upholstery with a more upright pitch and firmer seat are desirable; it should be relatively easy to sit and get out of the particular piece and a firmer seat is always helpful in this situation.

Conversely, if you want to stretch out and relax, read a book or watch a movie, a back that is pitched more and softer cushions can be more desirable and comfortable.

Choose Tufting, Tight Backs, or loose cushions both for the desired style and the level of comfort.

Give some time to testing models and you will learn so much about how you prefer to sit - and you will be surprised at the nuances upholstery can offer.

A custom Slipper Spoon Chair...

A very nice club chair with Art Deco style...

Above is not only comfortable, but ideal for smaller spaces.

You may never want to leave the room when you have this sofa!

And upholstery can certainly have high style!

Every detail matters, right down to the leg and its finish...

Above is another great desk or dining chair...

While the world of custom made upholstery is an ultimate luxury, there are other instances where showroom furniture is also a perfect solution...

Above is a sofa and club chair combination that I have specified for a recent project.

These pieces are made to order but largely not available as customized pieces.

We have selected the models in the showroom and provide our COM (customers own materials) to the manufacturers. The pieces are generally offered in the sizes shown with only a few details that can be modified - wood finishes, use of metal details, etc. The advantage is that the pieces are generally 30% less expensive than the completely custom made counterparts. Most of these items can be fabricated in approximately 12 weeks and shipped from a central manufacturers factory.

The above sofa and other upholstery items below are all available from various showrooms to the Interior Design Trade. They offer excellent design detailing and can be wonderful focal points of a space. Whether you prefer a more streamlined modern design or a traditional upholstery style, comfort is key and the options are enormous.

Once you have finalized your upholstery choices and paired the pieces with appropriate and imaginative fabrics you are sure to love the final product. I often recommend linen velvets for both their durability and comfort to the touch. These fabrics only look better with use. Suedes and leathers can also be terrific as well as the myriad of new fabric designs available in the market today.