Monday, November 30, 2020

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!

http://www.cocorepublic.com.au/

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!

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