Take your craft to the next levelBecome a member today and get unlimited access to thousands of how-to videos, project plans, and articles-all easier than ever to search and browse. Coffee Break Edit: Michael Cullen's Two Walled Bandsawn Box STL 131: Leg vise lowdown and favorite techniques Sleek and Shapely Coffee Table Drawing an Inlay Pattern in SketchUpSofa Workshop first opened its doors at Maidstone, Kent in 1986 with the aim of giving home owners and renters ultimate design control whilst also producing custom-based options. This ethos is still true today. All of the sofas are hand-crafted across multiple workshops in the UK, where skilled furniture makers use raw materials of beech wood and work with the same piece of furniture from start to finish, even signing their name on the frame once completed for a personal touch. It takes four years to qualify as a British upholsterer and many have been 'on the bench' at Sofa Workshop since they left school, honing their skills.
There is a good, old-fashioned hands-on approach so no hi-tech robots or production lines are seen on site. On request tours of the workshops can be arranged for visitors to really get a feel for the attention to detail that goes into making each piece of furniture. In addition to a useful website there are now 20 stores across the country, from Bristol to Glasgow, where advisors are at hand to discuss requirements. With more than 1000 fabric options and over 56 designs that are customisable, there is plenty to chat about. Whether the alterations are as simple as making a sofa a few centimetres wider than standard or changing the seat filling from feather to fibre, or going one-step further to changing leg colours, heights, depths and installing a bed in the frame the bespoke nature means all sofas can be adapted. As Sofa Workshop has grown so has its reputation and it has an impressive list of fabric collaborations on its books including Sanderson and Christian Lacroix.
This year projects with Liberty Fabrics and Moon have been lined up. Every fabric has a 'rub-test', which means it is rubbed by a little machine thousands of times to see how long it lasts, a practice developed in WWII to test parachute fabric. Unless it hits a certain number it is not deemed suitable for upholstery. Sofa fabrics should be as long-lasting and hard-wearing as possible so this is an important part of meeting UK standards. Investing in these customisable pieces won’t break the bank with many of the sofa prices at the more affordable end of the market. A great example of good value British design. Please Sign in to the right. I am a new customer Don't have an account? Register by answering a few simple questions. Find a dealer within reach. Visit a Hickory Chair Furniture Co. showroom near you. Search for the Hickory dealer nearest you using theStore Locator to the right. find a designer or dealer It is an honor to collaborate with some of our industry’s most talented interior designers.
We invite you to view their beautiful collections and hope to someday make one of their licensed pieces for you.404 Error File Not Found The page you are looking for might have been removed, had its name changed, or is temporarily unavailable.What would you like to see? Perfect for creating extra sleeping space. A luxurious bedroom accessory. A selection a beautifully upholstered chairs. All our wonderful products are handmade in the UK especiallyYou can choose from a whole host of lovely fabrics or even supply your own. The choice is yours! If you are looking for something extra special then our bespoke service is for you. WIth our skilled team of craftsmen and women we can make just about anything from giant headboards and sumptuous ottomans to entire upholstered walls. Whatever you have in mind, our team can make it a reality. So many delighted customersCan't read the text above?Try another text or an audio CAPTCHAText in the box:What's this?
Make It Your OwnAny fabric, any frame. Over 1,000 combinations to choose from. New DesignsStraight from our factory, check out our latest designs ready to customize. Customer Photo GalleryGet inspired and see how other customers decorate their spaces. Joybird StoriesEveryone has a story to tell...we're just here to share it. Watch and read more about our customers, their spaces, and what inspires them. Risk Free In Every WayWe’re guaranteeing exceptional quality and service.365-Day Home TrialIf you don’t love your furniture within a full year, simply return it.HOME TRIALFree Shipping and DeliveryNever, ever, pay for shipping or delivery. No catches or hidden fees.SHIPPING OPTIONSLifetime WarrantyAll of our furniture comes standard with a lifetime warranty on its frame.View the Tivoli range here A simple mid-century inspired sofa, the Tivoli brings a little architecture to your living room with its clean lines and minimal styling, leaving room for you to customise as you wish in one of our gorgeous fabric options.
Dimensions: W: 178 cm D: 87 cm H: 79 cm Seat dimensions: W: 164 cm D: 57 cm H: 41 cm Filling: feathers, polyfibre, foam Removable covers: yes, back and seat cushions Assembly: easy, and all taken care of by our delivery partner Price includes delivery to UK mainlandTwo-man delivery service to a room of your choiceUnpacking and assembly if requiredFree 14-day no quibble returnsGet in touch for delivery outside of mainland UK Our European sofa workshop is renowned for its commitment to quality. Founded 14 years ago in a small town in Estonia, these upholstery specialists put the utmost care into every last detail.Being able to upholster something at home is an incredibly useful skill. Once you learn to reupholster a chair, you can turn all kinds of thrift store throwaways into useful, good-looking furniture. A manual staple gun can work in a pinch to secure fabric, but it’s much better suited to tacking wires or home improvement projects. Some manual staple guns require two-handed use which is difficult to do when working around the confines of furniture, which can be fatiguing.
Upholstery projects are best done using a powered staple gun that will quickly staple through fabric and into hardwood with little effort. Upholstery staple guns are available as electric or pneumatic (air-powered) models. Electric powered staple guns are extremely convenient. They are easy to transport (no compressor to lug around) and setup (just plug it in). With no compressor there is no loud annoying noise. But electric staple guns lack the power and performance of a pneumatic staple gun. The staples will go right through particle board, but for hardwood they often require more downward pressure to ensure good contact. Electric staplers can run into issues with staples only going halfway into wood, which requires you to either pull the staple or pound it in using a hammer. These performance issues waste time and make upholstery work much more difficult. The top rated DuoFast and Maestri (tough to find in the US) electric staplers are probably the best performing but they will cost around $200.
Pneumatic staple guns are air-powered and require a separate air-compressor to run. The staple guns are cheap, from $23 for a basic stapler from Harbor Freight to $80 for a quality Porter-Cable stapler. But an air compressor can set you back at least $100 more. The compressor can be used to run other pneumatic tools like an impact wrench, brad nailer, and spray guns. If portability isn’t an issue, then a pneumatic stapler is the way to go. It’s what the pros use and is hands down the best way to drive staples in the least amount of time. The video below shows a great comparison between an electric and pneumatic staple gun. Note the power and speed from the pneumatic stapler.When shopping for an upholstery stapler, look for these three features. There are many reasons you may want to reupholster a chair, but chief among them is sentimental value. If you have an old worn piece that’s been in the family for years, it’s probably worth reupholstering. A piece of furniture that fits a specific area is also worth saving.
You can start learning on that chair or go to any thrift store, Salvation Army, or Goodwill and pickup a quality fabric covered chair. The older, the better. A chair that is 15-20 years or older and is still standing is a great sign of quality. Inspect the chair by checking the legs and frame for any cracks or splits in the wood. You need a solid base to work from and a chair that is damaged will take even more time to repair. Look for coil springs in chairs and sofas. Press down on the seat and feel for springs and look under the seat to see springs. A quality sofa should be heavy and not easy to pickup which is a sign of solid wood.The best way to learn how to reupholster is by tearing down (taking apart) chairs and sofas. Once you have a grasp of how older furniture is constructed, you’ll have a better idea of how to repair, re-stuff, and re-cover them. The biggest decision during the reupholstering process is choosing a new fabric. Once you’ve made your selection, this chart shows you how much fabric you will need.
A typical sofa uses about 13 yards of fabric and a typical chair uses about 7 yards. Upholstery fabric costs between $20 and $70 per yard or more, depending on quality. So keep in mind the reupholstery of a typical sofa could cost between $260 and $910, or more, for fabric alone. Visit your local Jo-Ann or fabric store and get hands on with the fabric.As you start recovering your furniture, work one section at a time. Line up your new fabric in the piece and use your staple gun to secure it. Make sure there are no gaps and fold and tuck the edges of each piece of fabric to make sure its tight and smooth. Add extra batting and cushioning if needed. Check out the video above to see a professional in action. You can also learn to reupholster is by taking a group class. Students will work on different pieces and everyone learns on multiple types of furniture. Tools will also be provided which saves you from an initial investment, especially if it turns out you don’t like it. Check your local community college or continuing education centers.