Thursday, September 5, 2013

How Do You Design An Ottoman?

By Ben Heywood


Ottomans make exceptional additions to any living room set with a array of styles, shapes and designs available to purchase from leading furniture producers. Originating from Turkish heritage furnishings, the modern day ottoman was developed in the late 17th and 18th centuries by French upholsterers as an alternative to the conventional footstool which allowed much more room for original design and craftsmanship. Popular with the general public from their inception, ottomans stay extremely common to this day with a variety of companies specialising in this item.

The tenets of building an ottoman are really comparable to that of a sofa. Firstly, a frame is constructed which forms the skeleton of the piece and defines its shape as an item of furniture. This is usually constructed using a hardwood such as beech-wood which is placed together by a group of carpenters. This initial stage of construction is remarkably important as defects and imperfections at this point will grow to be evident at a later stage if quality control procedures aren't properly in place by the manufacturer.

Following the completion of the ottoman frame, cushioning is then applied to develop the furniture item. Traditionally, organic materials such as horsehair would be used though these days it really is much more common to work with artificial fibres which are much more sturdy and affordable to obtain. Immediately after wrapping the material tightly around the framework, it is then cut to size and bound together to ensure a close fit. For rectangle-shaped ottomans this procedure is fairly straightforward, while rounded ottomans call for close attention to detail to ensure an even curvature is created.

The third stage of the production process would be to apply a cover over the padded body which gives the ottoman its exterior appearance. Traditionally, leathers are used although fabrics are more and more popular and offer much more diversity with regards to style and design. When operating with either, precise measurements should be used to ensure that that the textile can be cut before fixture to the body. It's also incredibly critical to make sure that the material meets a minimum amount of thickness to make sure that it is suitable for either home or commercial use.

After the cover has been put on, the final stage of constructing an ottoman is to finish the item. Depending on the desired style, this might either be a deep buttoned finish, pulled stitch fine detail or piping to emphasize the outline of the furniture . Often, the choice of finish can make all the difference to the overall look and feel of an ottoman . By way of example, deep buttoned detail is a markedly traditional look while drawn stitch-work adds a contemporary touch , even where a classic leather cover is used.

This is a simple overview of how ottoman footstools are produced, though there's a terrific deal more to each of the phases of manufacture then this general overview suggests. To find out far more about furniture manufacture, why not arrange a workshop tour with one of your leading furniture producers?




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