The Solid Truth Most wood furniture sold today, and especially at the luxury end of the scale, is constructed using veneers, which are thin layers of wood that are cut from a log and applied to a core substate called medium density fiberboard (MDF). Solid wood is used for certain areas of a case piece, such as a carved post or foot, or in some cases, on drawer fronts or decorative moldings. Unlike solid wood, where the woodworker is restricted to using small pieces that are glued together, veneering allows for larger sheets to be used across a large surface with little to no seams.
Many consumers often associate solid wood construction with better quality. And solid wood furniture is of exceptional quality, but in the luxury end, high-quality veneering is the tried-and-true way of making luxury wood products, and has been for centuries. The way that the veneers are extracted from the log provide a beautiful pattern that can be applied to a table, dresser, door panel or drawer in a way that allows the artist to match the grain patterns and attract and refract light and accept stain in a uniform fashion. It also allows for different species to be used and inlaid to provide a very rich look. Today, there are even more choices in materials than ever before with cast metals and other polymer materials that are being used for decorative doors, drawer fronts and table bases. This is an exciting time in the furniture industry, where innovation and design are coming together in ways never before realized.
Material Fact When it comes to wood furniture, so much depends on the material selection. We noted earlier about the difference between solid wood and veneer construction, but there are a number of other material selections, both within the chassis of a case product, and atop it, that add to the quality of the piece. Whether in solid or veneer form, the species of the wood can drive cost and provide enhanced beauty. Materials such as American Cherry, Walnut, Ash, Elm, South American Mahogany, and Rosewood are all prized for their tone and depth under finish. But, as important as the material is, equally important is how it is cut from the log to create intricate grain patterns, or to minimize them entirely.
Within the chassis of a case piece is a series of support structures that serve as the frame of the case. These parts can be made of solid wood or engineered wood (MDF) and form the support mechanism for the sides, top and drawers of a case piece. Along the front of the case, and creating the space for the drawers, are a series of parting rails that separate and define the drawer space. Very often you will find drawer sizes that graduate in size as you move down the case. This is for visual design effect as much as it is to provide larger drawers at the bottom for larger items like blankets and sweaters.
What is in your Drawers? The drawer of a case piece is often a window into the quality of the item, and drawers can and should be removed and inspected for quality queues. The body of the drawer itself is often three or four-sided, not counting the drawer front itself, which can be the fourth side of the drawer, or applied to the fourth side of the drawer. The drawer box can be made of solid wood (often oak or other hard wood) or in some cases, out of a high-quality plywood. The drawer box base will be made of a thinner material than the sides, but will have support structures underneath to provide rigidity. Each of the drawer sides in a quality case piece will utilize an English dovetail joint to connect it to the other pieces, and to the front of the drawer. This inter-locking joint is the best way to join two pieces of wood together for a long-lasting, non-moving fit. The drawer body on quality case pieces should be well-finished and very smooth to the touch to protect delicate items.
The drawer mechanism itself will utilize one of a number of options. The highest-end case pieces still use a hand-fit wood-on-wood glide on the bottom of the drawer, and often side guides as well for stability. These drawers are hand-fit into the drawer cavity and are designed to fit only that space, with each numbered accordingly. In more recent years, metal self-closing ball-bearing glides have become more prevalent, due to their use in high-end kitchen cabinetry. These drawer mechanisms are very strong, smooth and convenient, butthe mechanism should be out of site and underneath the drawer whenever possible.
The Finish Line Great finish starts with a great substrate. Once a quality substrate is selected, the preparation of the material through a series of sanding processes to prepare the material for finish is often what separates a great finish from a good one.
Time to “D-Stress”. One of the actions taken during the finishing process is to take a beautifully clean piece of wood and to create the look of wear through a process called distressing. Here the artist will purposely dent and ding the wood to create places for the finish to “hang-up”, which creates depth and layers in the finish. The artist does this with metal tools and distressing equipment to emulate what occurs in natural wood and in some cases, to simulate time-worn use. Technique terms such as “worm-holing” and “fly-specking” are utilized, and provide a beautiful result when done properly. Finishes, whether stains or paints, are applied using a spray gun and then the piece is hand-wiped by a group of artisans, and the finish is built-up through a series of sanding and further stain applications until the desired color and clarity is achieved; eventually a urethane coating is applied for protection.
The softer side of hardware One of the most prominent items on a case piece is the hardware. Hardware can include decorative drawer pulls, knobs, hinges, handles, etc…, and can range from the ornate to the almost hidden. Hardware is made from a variety of materials (mostly metals) and can completely change the look of a piece of furniture. First and foremost, hardware is functional and typically serves to assist in opening a drawer or door, but the hardware also has a character and story of its own.
Designing and manufacturing great hardware is part art and part science. In the time-honored way of “lost wax” hardware design, it starts with the carving of a design from a block of wax (formerly done by hand, and now often done from a CAD design and machine carver), and then taking that carving and making a sand cast, then heating the cast to melt the wax, and then pouring molten metal (often brass) into the void to create the form. The hardware form is then filed and finished and polished. Very ornate forms (often called filigree) can be created using this process, as can more simple forms like knobs and bar pulls. The finishing process can involve heat, finish material, distressing, gold and silver leafing. Quality hardware can really separate a case piece, and add to the quality of the item.
SCALE and proportionality in design is a critical aspect of any project. Whether a grand room with 20’ + ceilings, or a smaller city condo with lower ceilings, the proportion of the design will often determine its success for the client.
Proper scaling can be achieved in a number of ways and throughout the design of the space. With ceilings, for example, you may choose to highlight them or to draw attention away from them. Ceiling treatments, such as moldings and contrasting colors are intended to draw the eye upward, whereas continuing the wall color through the molding and ceilings will help to direct more attention downward to the furnishings and floors. The scaling of the furniture used in the room, whether through tall bookcases and cabinets, or a tall headboard are clever ways to bring the ceiling height down and to help fill in broad space. Another tip is to use large vertical artwork or even framed fabric panels to bring color and interest to large wall space.
In a bedroom, the height of bedside pieces, chests, dressers, etc…should all be somewhat proportionate to the bed. In a living room, the same can be said for the upholstery, tables and wall pieces chosen. A smaller scaled sofa (80-92” for example) may be completely appropriate for a smaller room dimension, but can be lost in a larger space. Sofas from higher-end manufacturers are offered in a variety of lengths, widths and depths and can be customized in dimension. Sectionals are excellent ways to fill a room as these modular pieces can be connected infinitely and in different geometric patterns to fit the space just perfectly. Glass top tables are a great option to open up the room and let the color or the rugs and upholstery show through. High quality manufacturers will match your fabric beautifully as it moves from the front and sides to the back, but this is open space is a great opportunity for a console or sofa table to adorn the back of the sofa, which gives another great place for accessories to draw interest. These console tables are available in shallow depths such as just 10-12”. If you have a 100” sofa, a console table filling 80-90% of the back of the sofa is appropriate.
AREA RUGS Ahh, area rugs; often the center point of a room, and the foundation on which many room designs are made.
A high-quality rug could be a family heirloom or simply the place where the design begins with new purchase. Starting with the rug is an excellent way to begin the process of pulling color and tone to the room, and can lead to the wall colors, fabrics, finishes and accessories chosen for the project. Area rugs can be used atop any flooring surface, but caution should be taken to use the appropriate rug pad, depending on the underlying surface. Certain rug pads are designed to be used on carpet to prevent color transfer, and all rug pads help to prevent bunching of the rug and slippage.
Rug-making is an art that has been done for thousands of years, originating in countries mostly on the Asian Continent. Quality rugs are made by hand (and hand-knotted) by families in villages over several months or made by hand by artisans in dedicated factories. The use of quality materials such regional wools and silk assure longevity, texture, and rich color for many years. When using the rug as the starting point for a room, it makes the fabric and finish selections so much easier. It is much harder to find the perfect rug for a room once the fabrics and finishes have been selected. By starting with the rug, you can pull subtle colors and tones out of the rug with your fabric, finish and accessory selections.
UNDERSTANDING THE CLIENT’S MOOD AND STYLE When approaching a project with a client, much care must be taken to understand the objectives for the particular room; how it flows with other areas of the home, and how it will be used by the client.
For Sally Bentley, owner of Designing Women in Hickory, NC, this begins with a conversation about the space and the lifestyle of the client. She asks questions about their children, pets, and entertainment frequency and type. As Sally likes to say, “We can make it beautiful, but it has to fit their lifestyle”. Sally will ask her clients to bring photos of rooms that appeal to them, whether from personal photos, or magazines, etc… This will help to define the “language” of the client, as words like “transitional” or “contemporary” have different meanings to different people both in and out of the industry. The lines between the more structured design styles have been blurred in recent decades, and new ones have emerged, such as, “farmhouse” and “industrial”. It is important to understand what the client identifies with regarding their style preference, and an understanding of the terminology they use is critical. Once the basics of the project are understood, Sally is very transparent about the budgeting for the project, which can direct the choice of product lines selected for the project. Transparency about budgeting can avoid awkward conversations at the time the project is presented and allow the designer to prioritize where to invest in higher quality and perhaps where to save in a project. An area that should certainly be invested in is products that you sit in, particularly with upholstery and dining chairs. Sally likes to take her clients through a “tush test”, so that the client can sit in the various cushion and frame options from her suppliers, educating her clients on the benefits of each suspension and cushion type, and what to expect in quality and tailoring from each supplier. The fabric and finish selections are left to the end in Sally’s projects. Once she has a client excited about the fit and feel of their product selections, it is time for the fabrics and finishes to be applied, which Sally calls the “little black dress” for the furniture frames. From there, the art and accessories are added, and become the “jewelry” to the project.
ACCESSORIZATION Once a project’s wall, flooring and furniture selections are made, it is often the accessories that provide the finishing touches to a project.
In a bedroom, the bedding ensemble can be a critical component, whether purchased or made specifically for the project. There are many high-quality bedding ensembles available, but your designer may choose to use this as a custom opportunity with selected fabrics, making this one-of-a-kind. The use of contrasting fabrics and high-quality materials and pillows will make your bedroom beautiful and very comfortable for you or your guests. Accessorization is much more art than science.
There are some general rules about color usage in a room and accessories can certainly help to bring those together, but the density and awareness that the designer brings to the room with their accessory choices can truly be their signature. Wall art is a typical place to start, and as we said earlier in our Scale segment, this provides an opportunity for a designer to use larger-scaled artwork to fill voids and to draw someone’s eye upward and provide proper proportion to the room. Framed artwork is an area where a designer can spend a lot, or a little, depending on the project budget. There are many high-quality art companies that offer excellent framed oil work that won’t break the budget. Other wall accessories such as sconces, mirrors and wall clocks should not be overlooked. Lighting is one of the most important aspects of design. Often the primary lighting for a space will be in the form of installed overhead lighting in the ceiling, but to provide a dramatic and artistic effect, a chandelier or other beautiful table and floor lamps can be used to accentuate and provide the proper tone of illumination to the space. An over-lit room can be just as detrimental as an under-lit room, so finding that balance is what the designer on your project is paid to achieve. Rounding out the table accessories should be a compilation of items that tell a story about the person who lives there. A certain book, items collected from journeys, jewelry boxes, an old typewriter, a vintage telescope, etc…, can all provide clues about how a person lives their life and the things that they love. These table accessories should accompany the design, not overwhelm it.
Bodycloths, Pillows, Trims and Finishes; oh my!
This is truly the fun part of a room design; utilizing all of the many options available from manufacturers, or in many cases, providing your own material (COM) to the manufacturer and letting them apply it to your chosen products as you see fit. Most upholstery manufacturers will have 1000 or more fabrics available for you to choose for their products, and these can be applied in many different techniques for a beautiful design. However, any fabric suitable for upholstery can be sent to higher-end upholstery factories for application as well. Upon check-in of your fabric, the factory will roll out and inspect your fabric, looking for defects and pattern repeat for measuring, as well as to determine if a fabric backing is necessary. These backings can be a thin fabric, or often an application of a thin latex coating on the back to give the fabric additional support.
A typical sofa will have a number of pillows that are included with the frame and you can choose a matching or contrasting fabric often free of additional charge. You will have options on these pillows, such as the welting you would like applied and whether that should match or contrast, and you will have many options (often at a charge) to change the pillow as well, whether in size, or in type. You will have endless options on the techniques used on your pillows and sofa, such as trims, cording, skirt types, etc…This is truly where the design work is done on a piece. Higher quality pillows will have an internal muslin-encased pillow core filled with responsive, yet luxurious fill materials, such as down (the feathers from certain species of geese). These feathers provide a weighty feel to the pillow, and help it hold its shape within the fabric casing. Good quality pillows should be plump and hold their shape when fluffed from either side. For upholstered products with exposed wood and metal (whether just a foot or the entire arms, etc…), quality manufacturers will allow you to select the wood or metal finish of your choosing, and some will even allow you to select your own finish to apply. Keep in mind the material that you are finishing, as certain species of wood will accept stain colors differently (i.e. a heavy grained oak or ash, versus a clean-grained maple).
FRAME: Frame It Up. Upholstery frames today are made from either solid wood or furniture grade plywood. Each of these two materials are excellent for high quality frame-building. The material used in a frame is important, but a material is only as good as the joint connecting it to another piece of the frame.
Solid wood frames are used less and less these days and typically more for certain portions of the frame where shape is very important, such as a slender arm, or exposed leg. Solid wood frames are made from hardwoods and are joined together with quality joinery such as mortise and tenon and finger-joints. Glue, screws, dowels, and staples are used as additional support for the joinery, not the primary support. Plywood frames are often stronger and heavier than their solid wood counterparts. At the lower-end of upholstery manufacturing, plywood is of lower quality, has less layers, has many material voids that create weakness, and are joined poorly with heavy reliance on staples. At the luxury end of the scale, plywood has many layers, is often 21mm or 13/16“ thick, and is of exceptional quality with little voids in the material. Quality joinery work is also done with these high-grade plywoods and these frames are exceptionally strong and have no movement between joints, which is what creates annoying squeaking noise when you sit or move around.
SUSPENSION: Keeping you in suspense. The “suspension” in upholstery refers to what the cushions are “riding” on to create comfort and support. The suspension system can come in a variety of forms, and are all connected to the lower area of the frame just above the floor. Most all suspension systems use metal spring coils, but there is also a system that uses hi-quality rubber straps that are individually connected to the frame and woven both across and up and down the frame in a webbing formation.
Drop-in pocketed coils (called a Marshall Unit) are used where a series of connected spring coils are individually encased in fabric and rest atop a semi-rigid polypropylene decking and is then attached to the frame. These individual coils work in unison with the cushions above to provide excellent comfort and support and do a good job of balancing the user without substantial voids in support. A good way to test for voids in support is to sit near the arm of the sofa to see if you lean substantially toward the arm. 8-way Hand Tied is the tried-and-true method used by most all higher-end upholstery makers. Here the polypropylene decking is connected to the frame, often with steel straps supporting it. Then, large steel coils are affixed to the decking in rows across the entire seating surface. Next, a skilled tying expert will connect each of the coils to one another and to the frame itself with upholstery grade twine in a series of 8 knots placed strategically across the top of the coil to create a web of support with no support voids whatsoever. Anything less than 8 knots will not complete the support pattern.
CUSHIONS: A Cushy Job. The cushion is the most recognizable component of the sofa and the one that our bodies mostly come in contact with; OK the part of our body that can most appreciate a comfortable seat. Cushions are encased within the fabric or leather casing and come in a variety of forms.
First of all, foam seat cushions are a petroleum derivative. Mixed with other polymers, this foam is formed and cut to order to fit specifications from upholstery makers. Foam cushions, depending on their formula, can be more or less dense which affects their resiliency (or return to form) and comfort. Density in foam cushions is measured on a scale of pounds per cubic foot with a typical range of 1.5 to 3.5 with the higher number meaning more density and comfort.
The cushion itself can either be entirely foam, or have springs imbedded within the cushion for added support and comfort. Some cushions, are made firmer or softer. The cushion works in concert with the frame and suspension system to create comfort. While the frame and suspension system cannot be adjusted, the cushion is where a consumer can customize their sit. The fabric choice can also impact the feel of a cushion as well, depending on how the fabric breathes and reacts to draping around the cushion.
Seat cushions at the higher-end of upholstery are bagged in a sewn muslin cover and often surrounded by bags filled with goose feathers (down blend) or other luxury loft material on either side, which are kept neat and tidy within sewn channels. The entire cushion is contained within the fabric or leather casing, which is closed with a quality zipper for access. Turning cushions regularly (monthly at minimum) is a critical part of keeping upholstery cushions looking fresh and new. These luxury materials like goose feathers, need fluffing to keep their loft and shape.
FABRICS: FABulous Fabrics. Now comes the color, texture and tone of upholstery, the fabric! The choice of fabrics can be the most daunting part of the upholstery selection process. Each supplier has 1000 or more fabrics available in their line with varying materials, colors and patterns. At Good’s we shop the High Point Furniture Market bi-annually and see the fabrics and correlates that will be in the marketplace in the coming 6 months to a year. These fabrics are selected by some of the most experienced textile experts in the world, and made available to you before anyone else through our online and in-store trunk shows.
Upholstery fabrics have had tremendous innovation in recent years, particularly with Performance Fabrics. But, be careful with that word, as “Performance” can mean a number of things (more cleanable, more fade-resistant, more durable, for indoor and outdoor use, etc...). It is just important to understand the properties of Performance Fabrics to ensure that they are fitting the needs in your home. Performance Fabrics are tremendous alternatives for families with an active lifestyle, but they sometimes come with a price, and that price is in the “hand” or feel of the fabric, which can sometimes be more rigid and less luxurious feeling. If you are concerned about cleanability and protection, your best option is likely to use our Guardsman Protection Plan to both protect your investment, and perhaps more importantly, to help you with your fabric selection. This program allows you to select the fabric of your choice, and to allow you to really enjoy the feel of luxury fabrics without having to worry about stains or damage.
Making the Grade. In upholstery, the grading of the fabric is what controls the price of the piece more than anything else. A particular frame will have a starting grade price and then a number of pricing tiers (grade 10, 20, 30, 40,… is typical). The grading of upholstery fabrics is done based on a number of factors (material costs, weaving/milling costs, etc…), but the biggest factor in grading fabrics for upholstery use is the amount of fabric waste created to upholster an item in that fabric.
TAILORING: Tailored to a T. Once you have made your fabric selection, how that fabric is cut and ultimately applied to the upholstery piece is what really sets higher-end upholstery makers apart. Yes, their frames, suspension systems and cushions are superior, but it is the tailoring that mostly distinguishes finely made upholstery.
Tailoring speaks to everything from the initial cutting of the fabric, to the sewing of the parts, to the tufting, inside/outside upholstering and foam fill, and nail head and trim application. The craftsmen and women that perform these various tasks in the factory are skilled artisans.
Something seams off. Well, sometimes it is what you don’t see that really matters. Very often, poor tailoring falls under the category of, “you will know it when you see it”. Conversely, great tailoring is most notable along the seams. How a seat casing fits on a cushion, or how a welting is applied above a skirt or along a cushion, or how the foam fits around an arm, are all general indicators of good tailoring.
The hanging of a skirt is one of the more tell-tale signs of great upholstery tailoring. How a skirt hangs to the floor and falls from the edge of the seating surface is an artwork that is under-appreciated. The use of techniques to keep a skirt hanging properly, such as weighted skirt edges, or turn-backs in the fabric, allow a fabric to drape beautifully, no different than a clothing designer of a gorgeous wedding dress.
Pattern matching is another key way to identify great upholstery tailoring. Patterns are cut for component parts with the center point of the repeat properly centered on the part, but getting the pattern on that part to match up to the adjacent parts is the real artistry of upholstery tailoring. Quality upholstery should see a “flow match” of the pattern down from the seat back, through the cushions and to the floor. Along the sides of the piece, the pattern should match as it rolls across the arm and down the side of the piece to the floor, and lastly across the back of the sofa in the same fashion.