UPHOLSTERY

CRAFTED BY OUR TALENTED DESIGNERS IN SARASOTA

What Is Upholstery?

Upholstery involves taking soft materials (like fabric or leather, webbing, padding, and/or springs) and using that to cover different types of furniture or ornamental items. Upholstery is an especially popular treatment for chairs and seats from classic chesterfield chairs to a retro-modern tub chair since it adds the comfort of padding and a splash of style; however, modern upholstery fabrics can be used on a variety of furniture and décor pieces with either functional or decorative intent.

What Can You Use Upholstery For?

Upholstery serves many purposes from conservation to design innovation, and the diverse options for customizations are unmatched by standard furniture selections. The design experts of Beginning to End can help with your next upholstery project whether you’re looking to enhance your interior décor or save a treasured heirloom.

Furniture Repair

Save a piece of furniture from the perils of the landfill with upholstery services that can fix torn, worn, or broken pieces and reinvigorate well-worn items. Reupholstering a piece of furniture instead of buying a new item is an environmentally friendly way of enhancing your décor.

Increase Comfort

Upholstered seats increase the comfort of that specific piece of furniture, and it helps create an overall feeling of comfort in the space as well. And with a modern understanding of ergonomics and design, upholstered chairs can provide seating that’s eons beyond being merely superficially comfortable, it can be physically healthier for your body to sit on.

Revitalize Antiques

Preserve a beloved family heirloom or restore a cherished antique with multifaceted upholstery fabrics that breathe new life into old furniture. Whether you want to restore the piece to its original glory or restyle a classic to better suit your modern style or personal tastes, upholstery offers a way to be design forward while still appreciating the past.

Enhance Interior Décor

The material of couches, sofas, chairs, and other upholstered pieces helps create the visual identity of the décor and affects how each piece relates to the other items in a room and contributes to the style of a room as a whole. Upholstered pieces can be designed to anchor the style of a room with a rich neutral base or spice up décor with accent colors and patterns, and with custom upholstery, you can be assured the style will be uniquely your own.

Increase Durability

Modern upholstery fabrics and synthetically enhanced materials can increase the longevity of your furniture by creating a more durable surface covering. Enhanced durability features can include being stain resistant, water repellent, or being engineered with a tighter weave to better withstand the rigors of heavy use.

Office and Commercial Applications

Upholstered furniture isn’t just something we see in residential homes, it’s also prominent in business settings where you might see upholstery in meeting rooms, waiting for areas, office spaces, and conference centers as well as more commercial spaces like retail locations and restaurants. Businesses value upholstery because when strategically styled it can hold up to high traffic areas and yet also maintain a finished look that’s comfortable to use.

Top 10 Styles of Furniture Ideal for Upholstery

  1. Chair
  2. Sofa, couch, or loveseat
  3. Chez lounge
  4. Settee
  5. Hope Chest
  6. Bench or stool
  7. Ottoman
  8. Patio or outdoor furniture
  9. Bed (headboard, side rail, or footboard)
  10. Lamp or lighting fixture

Top 10 Styles of Chairs Ideal for Upholstery

  1. Armchairs
  2. Recliner
  3. Wing-backed chair
  4. Eames lounger
  5. Tub chair
  6. Club chair
  7. Dining room chair
  8. Desk or office chair
  9. Rocking chair or glider
  10. Detachable chair cushions

What to Consider When Choosing Upholstery Fabrics

Once you’ve decided that upholstery is the way to preserve, enhance, or rejuvenate your special piece of furniture, the next major choice is what fabric to use. When making this decision it’s important to keep in mind both the function of the piece as well as your aesthetic and lifestyle. So, as you ponder the abundance of choices there are for upholstery fabrics consider these three key points.

Type of Use

First consider what kind of use the piece of furniture will have. Is it part of a high-traffic living room set or a rarely used decorative item for a guest bedroom? Are there young children or pets in the house or are the residents a pair of retirees? Use affects fabric selection because certain upholstery fabrics lend themselves better to different applications. For instance, silk might be stunning on a settee in the bedroom of the retired couple but an absolute disaster for a rocking chair in a child’s nursery. So, consider the type of use as the first step in upholstery fabric selection to ensure your new piece will hold up for long-term enjoyment in your home.
Upholstery Sarasota, Florida (FL) Discover how upholstery fabrics can renovate antique furniture and tired décor

 Maintenance Routine

Since upholstered furniture is meant to last for a long time, the second thing to consider when choosing upholstery fabrics is their maintenance requirements. Some materials, like silks, are harder to clean and need more labor-intensive cleaning regimes to maintain a pristine appearance, while other fabrics are specifically designed for easy clean-up and low maintenance care. So, finding a balance between what upholstery needs to keep up its appearance and the time you’re willing to devote to maintaining it can help narrow the selection when it comes to choosing an upholstery fabric.

Size and Shape

The dimensions of a piece will also help determine the kinds of upholstery fabrics that would work best not only functionally but also stylistically. Larger pieces like sofas or couches often work best in neutral or earth-tone fabrics, which can then be used to anchor interior design and color schemes in a room. Smaller pieces like side chairs or ottomans are a great place to play with bolder patterns and colors for a decorative pop of style.
For all your upholstery questions or needs, Beginning to End is ready to help with a vast inventory of upholstery fabrics and a team of friendly and knowledgeable design experts. Beginning to End can not only guide you through the entire upholstery process, we also offer a range of interior design services to help you craft a chic piece of furniture or design an entire home. Contact Beginning to End today to request a consultation. Beginning to End is located near Sarasota, FL, and serves the greater Sarasota area along Florida’s central Gulf Coast.