The frame of a sofa is made most often wood, though newer
options include steel, plastic, and laminated boards or a combination of the
above. Kiln-dried maple wood deemed free of knots, bark, and compromising
defects is used under the upholstery. The show wood of the legs, arms, and back
can also be maple, but sometimes mahogany, walnut, or fruitwoods are used for
carved legs or moldings.
Padding is primarily made from animal hair, particularly hog
or horse. Other paddings used in mass production are foam and polyester
fiberfill wrap. Some preprocessing may be necessary, as with the prematted
rubberized hair, where animal hair is arranged and bonded into shape with glue.
Cushions are fashioned from polyurethane foam, polyester
fiber, down, cotton, latex, or cotton-wrapped springs.
A sofa may be covered with any choice of synthetic, natural,
or blended fabric. Wool and nylon are the best choices in their respective
categories of natural and synthetic fibers, but cotton, acetate, rayon, and
polyester have their own functional properties. Exterior fabric may be finished
with a protective anti-stain coating.
When used, springs are made of tempered steel. A typical
sofa calls for 15 yd (13.71m) of burlap and at least 10 yd (9.14 m) of muslin
for the interior. All materials are fastened with approximately 1,000 or more
tacks, over 200 yd (182.8 m) of twine, and hundreds of yards of machine sewing
thread.
Design
Sofas come in three major sizes. The full sofa is 84 in
(2.13 m) wide. Smaller versions like the two-seater and love seat range between
60-80 in (1.52-2.03 m). Variations on the standard sofa include modular items
and sofas with special uses such as daybeds or convertible sofa beds.
Ornamental designs are not necessarily less durable, but they do not invite
casual use. The design of a sofa can be adjusted to the use that will be made
of it, and the average size of the people who will use it most. A deep seat,
for instance, is good for taller people but does not easily accommodate shorter
individuals. The style of a sofa is generally set by its arms, which double as
artistic statements and rests. Some styles of seating furniture are known by
the names of these arm designs. The overstuffed sofa is called that in the
trade in order to indicate the use of more than one layer of muslin in the
foundation.
The Manufacturing Process
A single sofa takes up 300 to 600 hours of skilled labor to
make. Even small companies and individuals avail themselves of power saws and
other motorized machinery, yet specialized hand tools are still applied to
detail work. These include the regulator for stuffing, the "ripping
tool," and a type of pliers called diagonal cutters.
After President Abraham Lincoln's assassination, his wife,
Mary Todd Lincoln, purchased an expensive parlor suite for use in her new life
as a widow. The suite included a sofa, table, two arm chairs, and several side
chairs, and was probably manufactured by J & J.W. Meeks of New York.
Epitomizing the Victorian era, the sofa represents the
ultimate in mid-nineteenth century comfort and decoration. The technology of
the time allowed for the use of coil springs, giving the seat a cushion-like
softness that returns to its taut shape as soon as pressure is removed. New
technologies also gave way to the lavishly carved show wood on the back.
Ordinarily, the almost three dimensional fruit and flowers design would split
the wood, however thin layers of rosewood were cross-directionally glued
together to form a stronger wood laminate able to withstand the carving. Once
glued together, the entire lamination was steamed and forced to curve with the
back of the sofa.
The bent plywood system would be utilized again (100 years
later) by Charles Eames in order to create his famous chairs. They would be the
stylistic antithesis of Mrs. Lincoln's ornate Victorian sofa, but just as chip
and crack resistant. So if you want to buy sofa,chairs and sitting furniture
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