How Are Sofas and Chairs Made? A Primer on Good, Better and Finest

How is the frame of a sofa, or a chair, made? What constitutes good quality, better quality and the finest quality in upholstery? What are the differences and what do those differences mean to you? We hope you’ll enjoy this post, whose aim is to help inform you so you can make the very best decisions about buying the sofas and chairs you and your families will hopefully enjoy for years to come.

The picture above, courtesy of Kindel Furniture, {who manufacturers the licensed collection of America’s first interior designer, Mrs. Dorothy Draper - it’s some of her pieces you see in the picture above } represents upholstery of the finest American made quality - notice the exquisite pattern matching on the 2 chairs in the foreground.

In England, George Smith makes the finest custom upholstery, and many Americans, including Oprah, own pieces from George Smith, but with so much very fine upholstery available from American manufacturers,like Kindel, who has been manufacturing in Michigan since 1901, {it’s their chair frame below }, we hope you, readers, will be encouraged to buy Made In The USA upholstery.

As many car aficionados appreciate, there is a difference in the engine quality and in the interior fittings of a $24,000 car , a 45,000 car and a 75,000 [ and up ] car, and, because these differences are so clearly understood, many people are comfortable investing in a very expensive car.

However, many people are not as clear as to what the differences are between a $1500 sofa, a $2500-5000 sofa and a $10,000- 20,000 sofa. Considering that the upholstery in our own homes, our sofas and chairs, are what give comfort and support to our bodies, and to those of our children, parents and friends, understanding these differences between good, better and best is critical so you can make informed buying decisions that you will feel good about, today, and in the future.

When purchased with knowledge, thought and care, the upholstery you invest in now can remain in your family for generations - as both a repository of your family’s memories and as an eventual, highly valued antique as in this circa 1690 Louis XIII sofa, with original Aubusson upholstery, currently for sale on 1st dibs for $125,00o.00, here.

So, let’s begin.

The picture, below, shows what would be considered a *better*, but not the finest, interior construction of a chair.

What’s the difference? The finest quality chair frames are made from solid hardwoods, often maple now, and the *better* quality frames are made from 10-14 layers of laminated plywood - in combination with soft woods.

This laminated plywood frame below would be sturdy and fine under regular use - for a 10 year life span or so, {unless small children jump up and down on it frequently or if there is a heavy person in your household - or you have guests who are extra heavy } but a hardwood frame will last forever - no matter the usage - and would be destined to become a fine antique, able to be passed down through the generations.

Now, let’s take another look at some more pictures of what represents the finest quality:

8 WAY HAND TIED INNERSPRINGS VS. PIRELLI WEBBING

8 way hand tied innersprings. Why is an 8 way hand tied innerspring interior still considered the gold standard for upholstery interiors? Because they offer the most even, comfortable support over the entire cushion, for your body, and they don’t sag or move.

Here’s an example, below, of a *better* 8 way hand tied innerspring interior:

Here’s an example, below, of the finest quality 8 way hand tied innerspring interior where the springs have been hand tied to the jute webbing. This is much more expensive, as it is done knot by knot, by hand - but the more popular ways of attaching them now, with *hog rings* or a klinchit gun, are both faster and less expensive. However, if you want the very finest quality, a custom upholsterer who can hand tie your springs will insure that your springs will never, for generations to come, come loose from your jute webbing.

What about Pirelli webbing? Pirelli webbing is also a common support system used now in many modern sofas, since Pirelli webbing allows for support for sofa models that cannot accomodate the depth of an 8 way hand tied spring unit. However, it is considered a *better* support system, but not the finest. Why? Because, over time, it will sag, as it is made of rubber. You won’t have to worry about this for many years, normally, unless your sofa or chair gets an unusual amount of wear and tear, but it’s why Pirelli webbing is not considered the *finest.*

Here is an example of what can happen to Pirelli webbing, over time, with a lot of wear and tear: On the left is the before, on the right is the after. This is what will never happen with 8 way hand tied innerspring interiors, but, since, as mentioned, 8 way hand tied innerspring interior units are too deep to set into sofas or chairs with thinner , more modern profiles, Pirelli webbing is used, by even the finest manufacturers, when they have a sofa or chair in their collection that will not allow for the use of a 8 way hand tied innerspring unit.

Our advice? Ask your manufacturer for their warranty on a sofa or chair with Pirelli webbing so you will know what to expect.

And, although a sofa or chair with Pirelli webbing will, eventually, need to have the webbing replaced, every upholsterer will be able to work with Pirelli webbing, so don’t worry if you have your heart set on a beautiful, modern or Danish modern, piece of upholstery that sits up off of the floor. Go ahead and buy it and enjoy it for years to come.

Here’s a graphic, from Kindel Furniture, that summarizes the benefits of investing in the finest quality sofa or chair structure you can.

UPHOLSTERY PADDING

Now, let’s look at upholstery padding. There are two main types of inner upholstery padding used: horsehair and cotton or foam and dacron or foam and down. In most fine antique furniture, you will, if you open it up, see horsehair. as shown below.

Why is horsehair considered the finest upholstery padding? Because it’s springiness and durability are second to none. A seat stuffed with horsehair can last for centuries and when it’s time to re-upholster a piece stuffed with horsehair, it can usually be washed and re-used. It is the most expensive furniture fabric in the world and only a few factories in Europe are still producing it.

If you’re having a custom workroom manufacture your sofa or chair specifically to your dimensions, and you want the finest horsehair interior, ask them about double-stop stitching. Double-stop is the style of stitching that is used when the inner padding is made of horsehair. This is what a double stop stitch looks like.

There are many additional options for seat cushion upholstery padding, though, that are less expensive, the most common ones being foam, coconut fibre, vegetal fibre, and other types of animal hair. Most of these fall in the *better* category, depending on the quality of material. Most furniture you might see in a retail store or showroom, will be filled with foam, or a combination of foam wrapped with Dacron or down. Foam is another subject all in itself, and could be the subject of a future post, if you’d like to know more - please let us know in the comments.

One caveat: make sure to consider whether you have any allergies before proceeding with selecting your filling materials.

We hope, Hadley Court readers, with this information, you will now have the beginnings of being able to make informed decisions about what’s best for your family when it comes to one of the biggest investments you will make in furnishing your home - the upholstery you will use everyday.

Whether it’s to gather with a group of friends for a conversation, to formally entertain, to watch a movie or simply to read a good book, we urge you to invest in the best - for your family’s well being, as fashion scion and philanthropist, Tory Burch, the mother of three sons and three step-daughters has done in her Southhampton home, photographed for VOGUE magazine, as seen below.

Readers, what other questions do you have about how upholstery is made? Please let us know in the comments and we’ll be happy to try to answer your questions so you can feel confident when thinking through your options.

Leslie Carothers

for

Leslie Hendrix Wood
Decorator
Midland, Texas
&
Founder, Editor In Chief

Hadley Court

Gracious Living. Timeless Design. Family Traditions.
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Images: All images courtesy of Kindel Furniture, the Hadley Court team, or referenced and linked to in the post except:
Image 5, 6, 7 , 9, 10, 11

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