Are Designer Sofas Actually Different From Standard Designs?
As we go into the twenty first century, designer sofas are becoming extremely popular as more and more people look to invest in their home furnishings. With a number of companies becoming very well known within the luxury market place, innovative new models appearing bi-annually plus a expanding public interest within the field of interior design, this trend appears set to continue in the future. But what precisely do we mean by a designer sofa? To answer this query, it's wise to know the background of designer sofas, their build quality and also their specific look and feel.
Curiously, it wasn't such a long time ago that the idea of a designer sofa was itself a misnomer. Certainly, the beginnings of the modern sofa runs via the Pharoahs of Ancient Egypt to the prosperous merchant families of the Renaissance. It wasn't really until the industrial revolution just over 200 years ago that sofas became an cost-effective mass-market household good. Before this date, each and every sofa would have been individually created on a bespoke to order basis, by modest artisan workshops employing conventional manufacturing processes which had barely changed over the ages.
It was only actually with the advent of the commercial age that the concept of designer emerged as sofas began to become commodities. What was once an exclusive item, was swiftly remodeled into a standard fixture of the typical house. With low cost, reduced quality goods flooding the marketplace, a new demand came about for sofas built in classic types with greater levels of build quality and a more developed visual appeal. These features remain the vital distinction between designer sofas and their mass-manufactured alternatives even today.
When it comes to construction quality, designer sofas are normally manufactured employing a far more labour intensive classic approach rather than in bulk quantities. They will also typically use a higher percentage of premium quality conventional materials such as horsehair to upholster the sofa, which is much more expensive but results in enhanced comfort. This method is also carried forward when it comes to the cushioning of the sofa where natural feather and down is used instead of more affordable man-made padding such as acrylic and foam.
Designer sofas are also far more thought out in terms of aesthetics where greater attention to detail is given to overall finish, individual appeal and discrete detail. As opposed to standard mass-production models, designer sofas are much more considered than mass-produced models which are mostly focused around a smaller sub-set of commercially viable designs. With more area for expression, further particulars such as technical stitching, cushioned flutes or piping are often incorporated to finish the item with a flourish. This type of detail is simply not incorporated when you buy a high street equivalent, mainly as a result of the added expense involved.
Eventually the option between designer sofas and high street models boils down to a question of taste. For some, the concept of paying far more for exactly the same product will never appeal, especially when shopping on a budget. Even so, for all those who wish to express themselves by means of their home decor, designer sofas will always appeal for the reasons we have stated above.
Curiously, it wasn't such a long time ago that the idea of a designer sofa was itself a misnomer. Certainly, the beginnings of the modern sofa runs via the Pharoahs of Ancient Egypt to the prosperous merchant families of the Renaissance. It wasn't really until the industrial revolution just over 200 years ago that sofas became an cost-effective mass-market household good. Before this date, each and every sofa would have been individually created on a bespoke to order basis, by modest artisan workshops employing conventional manufacturing processes which had barely changed over the ages.
It was only actually with the advent of the commercial age that the concept of designer emerged as sofas began to become commodities. What was once an exclusive item, was swiftly remodeled into a standard fixture of the typical house. With low cost, reduced quality goods flooding the marketplace, a new demand came about for sofas built in classic types with greater levels of build quality and a more developed visual appeal. These features remain the vital distinction between designer sofas and their mass-manufactured alternatives even today.
When it comes to construction quality, designer sofas are normally manufactured employing a far more labour intensive classic approach rather than in bulk quantities. They will also typically use a higher percentage of premium quality conventional materials such as horsehair to upholster the sofa, which is much more expensive but results in enhanced comfort. This method is also carried forward when it comes to the cushioning of the sofa where natural feather and down is used instead of more affordable man-made padding such as acrylic and foam.
Designer sofas are also far more thought out in terms of aesthetics where greater attention to detail is given to overall finish, individual appeal and discrete detail. As opposed to standard mass-production models, designer sofas are much more considered than mass-produced models which are mostly focused around a smaller sub-set of commercially viable designs. With more area for expression, further particulars such as technical stitching, cushioned flutes or piping are often incorporated to finish the item with a flourish. This type of detail is simply not incorporated when you buy a high street equivalent, mainly as a result of the added expense involved.
Eventually the option between designer sofas and high street models boils down to a question of taste. For some, the concept of paying far more for exactly the same product will never appeal, especially when shopping on a budget. Even so, for all those who wish to express themselves by means of their home decor, designer sofas will always appeal for the reasons we have stated above.
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If you are browsing for A Designer Sofa, head online to The Sofa And Chair Company, one of the UK's leading online retailers.