Know Your Sofas: Tufted

Upholstery is a huge and varied topic, but for this installment of Know Your Sofas, let's look at an upholstery detail that can define a sofa: tufting.

Simply, tufting is passing a thread through a base, like a cushion, to make a depression. When done with thread only, this is often referred to as blind tufting. But the practice of adding a button to the depression is--you guessed it--button tufting.

Because it is without any ornamentation, blind tufting lends a more contemporary, sleek sense to furniture, especially if it is done in a grid pattern, like this sofa below.

But buttons can be unobtrusive and blend in with a mid-century modern look as well...

...this button tufted single row, below, unmistakably references mid-century modern.

On the other hand, a diamond tufted pattern really feels a lot more luxurious and traditional. It can look great on a camel back sofa...

...or on a classic Chesterfield!

Then there is another type of tufting that is executed in a row called channel tufting. This detail can speak to a few different time periods like Art Deco...

Pavel Vozmischev/Getty Images

...or the 70s!

Happy designing!

The Four Basic Types of Sofa Arms

There are almost as many sofa arms as there are sofas, but this primer on the four basic types of sofa arms will help you narrow down styles when sofa browsing. There are many variations on these four, but you'll be able to see the bones of each in whatever you see.

Roll Arm
This style is called a roll arm for obvious reasons. The arm literally rolls out from the body of the sofa. It is a very traditional arm and appears not only on most sofas, but also on different shapes like the Chesterfield, seen in the second photo below (I previously wrote an entire post about the Chesterfield sofa here).

English Roll Arm
A hallmark of the English roll arm is that it is typically much lower than the back, and much closer to the seat deck.

Scoop or Slope Arm
This arm features a gentle curve or slope downward to the seat deck, lending a sensuous, curvaceous appeal to a piece of furniture. In the first photo, the beautiful scoop arm sofa in a living room by Redmond Aldrich Design boasts extra elegance with chrome nailheads.

Track Arm
A track arm's linear quality is contemporary and can lend a Mid-Century Modern feeling, as seen in this sleek room below.

Despite being contemporary in nature, a track arm is neutral enough to exist alongside traditional elements like antique furnishings and a coffered ceiling.

A track arm does not have to be slim, either. Often times, especially in Italian design, track arms can be wide and substantial.

Even though we have seen a track arm in a variety of settings, some sofa arms go better with certain room styles than others. In the market for a new sofa but overwhelmed by choices? Give me a call!

Happy designing!

Know Your Sofas: Chesterfield

Originally of English origin in the late 1700s and early 1800s, the Chesterfield sofa is an icon of design. There is much supposition and little fact to attest to its name. Some say that the first Chesterfield sofa was commissioned by the 4th Earl of Chesterfield, Lord Phillip Stanhope (1694-1773). Whatever the origins of the name, the sofa itself can be identified by its generous rolled arms which are the same height as the back of the sofa, along with deep seating and an abundance of button tufting. Its tailored look, traditional leather upholstery, and classic shape lends itself to a den, a luxurious office, or a gentleman's retreat.

But in other colors, it looks playful and fun in a family room, or unique and eclectic in a living room.

As you can see below, it does not have to come in leather.

In a different upholstery and color, a Chesterfield can fit into a clean, modern sensibility.

And with a fun English Union Jack upholstery treatment, a Chesterfield can be downright jolly.

If you are looking for a classic kind of sofa for an elegant room, or if you want to reference a bit of history into a contemporary space, a Chesterfield might be the right sofa for you!

Happy designing!