Friday, August 16, 2013

Traditional London Sofas - A Guide To The Chesterfield Design

By Bernie Hanks


The City of London has a rich history spanning more than 2000 years from Roman origins right up to its present standing as the 2012 Olympic host and financial capital of the globe. Just a single small part of this outstanding story is London sofa upholstery, the city's special contribution towards the field of interior design and style in the 18th and 19th century. It truly is a outstanding story full of surprises, of custom and invention, which goes on to this day.

London sofa production actually traces its roots to a comparable industry involving the sewing of fine garments. Within the 18th Century, the tailors of Saville Row, now globally distinguished as the location for bespoke tailoring, creating a brand new type of Gentleman's attire focussed on detail and fit as the new way to showcase wealth, taste and refinement. Combining technical expertise with modern technological advances, upholsters soon implemented these principles to create items of home furniture which advance subtly, class and style.

Among the fine examples of a London inspired sofa is the traditional Chesterfield, which features a deep buttoned design, rolled armrests plus a natural leather cover. The Chesterfield was initially created by the Earl of Chesterfield, who created the buttoned effect in an effort to secure padding firmly to the frame of the sofa. This feature, together with the rolled armrests and leather covering, have been specifically designed to stop the creasing of a Gentleman's clothing when sitting for extended periods, a common problem at the time.

Upon its release as a luxury product, the Chesterfield grew to become hugely popular with the British elite who quickly incorporated Chesterfields into their townhouses, country residences and workplaces. Indeed, such was the cachet associated with the Chesterfield that the deep-buttoned style was adopted for the benches of the Houses of Parliament where it continues to feature to this day. At a time when the British elite administered an empire extending all over the globe, the Chesterfield was crowned the supreme statement piece in the apex of refinement, quality and style in home decor.

Although its original objective, to prevent the creasing of attire, is no longer a essential consideration informing the purchase process. The attraction of tapping into the design and style heritage of London sofa upholstery has become a important selling point for the Chesterfield, specifically for buyers from emerging markets who're specifically enthusiastic to buy into vintage European luxury as a lifestyle. With London emerging as a twenty first century global city, there is certainly an added allure to London Sofas when it comes to the city's vibrancy and energy.

The Chesterfield is now a legendary London Sofa style that is renowned, admired and copied all over the globe. Traditional Chesterfields are still produced in small workshops by upholsterers employing original techniques. More recently, the Chesterfield style has also been adapted with materials such as Sheepskin being used to add a modern fringe to a classic design. London's rich style heritage continues with regions such as Chelsea Harbour becoming key centres of influence upon the worldwide interior design stage.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment