12
Aug

Idea & Concept

Furniture designs, finds, and selections. This is what many people consider the fun part –and it is, but the uninitiated may also be surprised to learn that this process also involves a mind-boggling myriad of details that have to be considered, dreamed-up, designed, engineered, and managed before they can be realized.

Buying, ordering and commissioning the production of furnishings. The process from order to completion of a single piece of furniture often takes 6 months or more. Every piece ordered requires much thought and many decisions all of which have to be effectively communicated to the artisan, craftsman or supplier. For example, here’s a rundown of some of the details that go into ordering a single sofa:

  • Select the style and type of frame.
  • When customizing to a particular client’s body type or comfort profile, we will often make a series of modifications including seat height and depth, type of seat and cushions and the type of fill for each, overall back height, back cushion height, back pitch and arm height.
  • Select wood or metal finishes for legs or exposed portion of the frames and determine whether or not to use nail heads, passementary trims, welts, or no welts.
  • Then there’s the upholstery. Fabrics and leathers each have their own unique requirements. If using leather, what size are the hides? How much waste will be involved? Is the finish on the leather suitable for the application? What kind of seaming and stitching is appropriate for the use and style? For fabrics, is there a pattern? How will it be oriented and positioned at each section of the sofa? Again, what kind of seams and how will those seams be executed? If all of these considerations go into the ordering of a single sofa, multiply that process by the number of pieces in a home and you begin to understand the complexity involved.