Saturday, August 24, 2013

How Do Designer Sofas Differ From Discount Models?

By Kevin Heywood


As we say hello to the 21st century, designer sofas are becoming extremely popular as more and more individuals look to invest in their home furnishings. With a number of companies becoming really well known in the luxury market place, revolutionary new styles appearing bi-annually plus a expanding public interest in the field of interior design, this trend looks set to continue in the future. But what precisely do we mean by a designer sofa? To answer this question, it's wise to understand the history of designer sofas, their build quality as well as their specific look and feel.

Curiously, it wasn't so long ago that the concept of a designer sofa would have been a misnomer. Certainly, the early origins of the modern sofa runs by means of the Pharoahs of Ancient Egypt to the wealthy merchant families of the Italian Renaissance. It wasn't actually until the industrial revolution just more than 200 years ago that sofas became an affordable mass-market household good. Before this date, each and every sofa would have been individually designed on a bespoke basis, by small artisan workshops making use of conventional manufacturing processes that had changed little over the ages.

It was only really with the dawn of the industrial age that the notion of designer came about as sofas started to turn into commodities. What was once an exclusive item, was speedily remodeled into a regular fixture of the standard residence. With reduced cost, reduced quality products flooding the marketplace, a new demand arose for sofas built in classic types with higher levels of quality and a much more sophisticated look and feel. These features remain the important distinction between designer sofas and mass-manufactured alternatives to this day.

With regards to construction quality, designer sofas are normally manufactured using a more labour intensive traditional approach rather than in bulk quantities. They will also usually use a larger percentage of premium quality traditional materials like horsehair to upholster the sofa, which is much more expensive but results in enhanced overall comfort. This approach is also carried forward with regards to the cushioning of the sofa where organic feather and down is used rather than more affordable artificial padding such as foam and acrylics.

Designer sofas are also much more considered in terms of look and feel where better attention to detail is given to overall finish, personal appeal and discretionary detail. Unlike standard mass-production models, designer sofas are far more planned than mass-produced models that are primarily focused around a smaller sub-set of commercial styles. With more room for expression, added details including technical stitching, cushioned flutes or piping can be integrated to finish the item with a design flourish. This sort of detail is just not incorporated if you buy a high street alternative, mainly due to the additional expense involved.

Eventually the choice between designer sofas and high street models boils down to a question of taste. For some, the notion of paying more for precisely the same item will never appeal, particularly when purchasing on a budget. Nevertheless, for all those who wish to express themselves through their home decor, designer sofas will constantly appeal for the reasons we have stated above.




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