The Most Comfortable Chair!

At the end of the day, you just want to relax in the most comfortable place ever, right? 

I talk about the art of sitting soft a lot but what am I really talking about? Of course we want our special chair to be beautiful and unique. It needs to fit your home and your design style. It needs to be the place where you are free to be yourself, safe and secure, a sanctuary! A place surrounded by your family and loved ones! And it needs to sit soft! It wraps you up in its comfortable arms and holds you dearly!

So how do you get this amazing chair that sits soft? Two words… custom upholstery! My passion! 

You see custom upholstery is not just about picking out pretty fabrics and maybe a fresh coat of paint or stain. It really starts deep down, beneath it all with the foundation. Let’s take a tour of the art of sitting soft…

Eight-way Hand Tied Springs 

The most comfortable chairs ever are built on eight-way hand tied springs. Correctly tied, this foundation will provide lasting comfort for decades.

The springs are attached to webbing and tied in a uniform formation that creates an even and comfortable support system. For comfort, always go with this option!

Modern Upholstery Materials

Once the springs are complete, I use modern upholstery materials such as synthetic burlap and cotton, deck padding and edge roll and Dacron to further build a solid foundation. Each of these products have their purpose. Whether it is to protect the padding from springs or to add support and shape, these products are long lasting. They continue to bring the comfort factor. 

Foam

To know foam is to love foam. And there is much to know about foam. First and most important, ALL FOAM IS NOT CREATED EQUAL! An upholsterer that is interested in creating a comfortable long lasting chair will only use high quality foam. This means it is high resiliency foam! 

As someone that only wants to sit soft you don’t need to understand the numbers, but you do need an upholsterer that does. You want a seat foam that is just cushy enough but still provides support. The back foam should be just a tad softer so you can sink back and relax! But absolutely understand that softer doesn’t mean less quality or shorter life span, if the numbers are right! And that foam on the arms needs to be thin but firm enough so that your arms never hit the frame of the chair while they are resting there!

Good foam is not cheap but it plays one of the most important roles in delivering comfort AND longevity!

Appropriate Upholstery Fabrics

If you know my work, you know I love to mix and match fabrics! And that I love to use non-traditional upholstery fabrics on my chairs. Like grain sacks, linen hemp sheets and mud cloths and Kantha quilts and wool blankets.

But you’ll also find that I place all textiles strategically so that lighter weight textiles are used on the backs and outside arms where they are not rubbed against or sat on. Seat cushions and arms will only be a very sturdy but comfy fabric. These are the areas that get the most contact and will wear out quicker! A traditional upholstery weight fabric with a good abrasion factor is most often used for these areas. But I’m all about having a cozy fabric to rest your arms on! A good upholsterer should be able to provide guidance on fabric that is appropriate for your project. 

Comfy Cushions 

So how do you get the most comfy seat cushion? You start with the perfect foam core then wrap it in a down fill envelope! This provides the perfect support and cushy comfort! If you don’t like down there are wonderful non-down alternatives. A down wrapped cushion just eases you into a comfortable lull! It’s one of my favorite add-ons for a cushy tush!

The Art of Sitting Soft

So why am I sharing all this technical beneath the covers stuff with you? I want you to understand what it takes to get the chair that will provide you years of sitting soft. There is both art and science as well as skill and knowledge that go into amazing upholstery.

Even within the upholstery trade, its not everyone’s goal to make chairs that sit soft. But for me, it’s the only way I do it. My chairs work really hard at sitting soft! And if you really want to kick it up a notch, you get an ottoman to match!

Are you ready to find your perfect sit soft? Just let me know!