What to Know When Creating Luxury Custom Furniture in Toronto
The perfect furniture is a balance between utility and aesthetics. When choosing furniture for your home, often the first thing that catches your attention is the build or upholstery. From here, it’s important to also consider the functionality of the frame and fabric so you can be sure it’s the right fit for your home.
Trying to find the right piece of furniture that matches your aesthetic considerations while also meeting your functional expectations can be challenging. For this reason, many people are choosing to design custom furniture. There are several things to be aware of when deciding to create your own custom luxury furniture. Below are some key considerations from our experts.
General Upholstery Terms
When looking for furniture in a furniture store, you will often come across terminology regarding different furniture that can be hard to keep up with. When it comes to fabrics, these are some key terms that you might see and what they mean:
Bias-Cut
This is where the fabric is cut diagonally from corner to corner. This cut is also used to modify checkered fabric and alter the draping of certain fabrics. The downside to this cut is that it requires more material, adding to the furniture’s cost.
Colourway
This is the range of colours available for a particular material. For example, you can ask the store representative about the colourway available for a set of dining chairs that have a great design but are not your preferred colour.
Fabric Backing
This is a layer of material attached to the back of certain fabrics like chenille that tend to sag and stretch. The backing helps to prevent this and improves the piece’s functionality.
Ground
This is the base colour of printed upholstery that serves as the background of the prints. The scale and density of the pattern will impact how dominant this colour is.
Interlining
This is a method used to stabilize lightweight upholstery fabric. An additional material is sewn between the inner foundation and outer material to help increase the durability.
Tight-Back
This is often used in reference to the construction of upholstered chairs and sofas. If it does not have loose or semi-attached cushions, it is called tight backed. This construction method can make furniture look more tailored, but it can also make it less comfortable and harder to clean than furniture with detached cushions.
Welting
This is a cord covered with material and sewn into the seam. It helps to give more definition to the silhouette and strengthen the seams. Smooth welted seams are a sign of high-quality construction and upholstery.
Custom Furniture Upholstery Types
It is important to know what you want when you go to a furniture store, particularly if you are looking for custom furniture. These are a few popular upholstery types to choose from:
Leather
There is a wide variety of leather available. It can be categorized in terms of treatment, grade, price and quality. Common categories include:
- Full-Grain Leather – Made from the whole animal hide and not layers of it. The natural imperfections and marks are left in to enhance the texture. It is the thickest, highest quality and most expensive leather available.
- Top-Grain Leather – The second-best quality of leather available, it is also made from animal hide.
- Corrected-Grade Leather – Natural leather that has been processed and treated to remove any imperfections and create a uniform appearance.
- Split Leather – Made from the drop split or underside of the hide. An artificial surface layer of bi-cast leather is laminated to the surface.
Linen
An extremely strong natural fibre made from flax that is noted for its smooth and soft surface texture. It is also very durable and naturally resistant to abrasion, pests, and pilling. It is often blended with cotton to achieve a more elastic product commonly used in tufted armchairs and dining chairs.
Velvet
A heavy, luxurious material noted for its short, thick, lustrous pile and rich colour. It can be made from both natural and synthetic material. This elegant and durable option is a popular choice for accent chairs and button-tufted headboards, although it can be difficult to clean.
Cotton
The cotton typically used for upholstery is often blended with linen, nylon, polyester, and other materials to make it more stylish and durable.
Wood vs. Steel Frames for Custom Furniture
When looking at furniture options, particularly custom furniture pieces, it’s important to consider what material to use for the frame. Although plastics and other composite materials are available, wood and steel are the most popular options. Below are key factors to help you decide between the two options:
Cost
Both materials are available at various price points, allowing you to find options within your budget. With wood, the cost can go up when looking at more luxurious selections like teak and mahogany.
Aesthetics
This is entirely based on individual taste. Steel is an incredibly dynamic material that can be easily shaped and finished in unique ways to achieve a more contemporary look. On the other hand, wood has aesthetic qualities that evoke feelings of warmth, luxury and richness that is hard to replicate.
Durability
Both steel and wood frames are impressively durable. However, the durability of wood is dependent on the type of wood and the quality of construction. Steel is an incredibly strong material that doesn’t have the same weakness. It can stand up to constant use, so if durability is your primary focus, steel is the best choice.
Cleaning
Both wood and steel frames can be wiped down and cleaned easily. However, steel tends to be more resistant to pests and bacteria. When cleaning wood, you must be careful about the type of cleaners you select. The wrong choice can ruin the finish and damage the wood itself. Ultimately, steel requires less maintenance overall.
Flexible Design
If you are looking to create custom furniture, steel offers limitless design options in all sizes and shapes. This allows you to easily express your creativity. Wood is also incredibly flexible, although it has some inherent design limitations.
Sustainability
Generally, wood is considered a sustainable material as long as it is gathered with sustainable harvesting practices. Steel is recyclable and can be used many times for a variety of different products. This makes both options great, environmentally friendly choices for your furniture.
Bottom Line
Although both wood and steel frames have some unique variances, they offer a wide range of advantages, and neither has any real disadvantages. To choose between a wood or steel frame, focus on finding the right balance of features that meet your needs. Both materials are equally effective in creating truly beautiful and unique pieces.
Custom Made Furniture Types Available at Carrocel
If you are looking for custom furniture in Toronto, Carrocel is an excellent choice. Our designers and artisans will work with you to understand your needs and turn your vision into reality. The selection of custom pieces we carry includes, but is not limited to, the following:
- Sideboards & Buffets
- Dining Tables
- Console Tables
- Dining Chairs
If you have a truly unique idea in mind, our designers can help you create your own custom furniture pieces.
Visit Carrocel for High-End Custom Furniture
Whether you are looking to create custom furniture or modify a vintage piece, Carrocel is the ideal place. Our skilled team will guide you through the process, and you can also draw inspiration from the extensive collection of furniture in our 20,000 sq. ft. furniture showroom. Contact us today to discuss your ideas and schedule a consultation for your project.
Pair of Custom Modern Lounge Chairs by Carrocel
Comfortable textured linen with distressed leather accents- Finished in hand-polished black lacquer
- Pair of Custom Modern Lounge Chairs by Carrocel
Custom Modern Walnut Dining Table Art Deco Inspired
Original art deco pedestal design- Walnut and pinstripe banded tabletop
- Custom Modern Walnut Dining Table Art Deco Inspired
Carrocel Custom “Amara” Elegant Modern Parson’s Dining Chairs
Custom made set of 10 dining chairs- Fully upholstered curved back
- Carrocel Custom “Amara” Elegant Modern Parson’s Dining Chairs
