The Origin of Furniture Upholstery

According to many experts, the art of furniture upholstery came into existence from the craft of tent-making. And it seems quite a likely development because several branches of the tent-making trade were actually carried out by professional upholsterers years ago. The very first developments which took place during the later half of 15th Century included draperies around beds and at windows and wall hangings. These were very elaborate and often heavily trimmed.

The first ever signs of comfortable upholstery for chairs appeared along with the production of cushions, and later evolved into stuffing during the era of Queen Elizabeth I. From then onwards, upholstery gained some serious traction and reached its peak in the Edwardian and Victorian era. The standard of versatility and workmanship became absolutely magnificent, and gave rise to the profession of what came to be known as ‘journeyman upholsterer’.

The work of journeyman upholsterers was to create padded furniture with stuffing out of frames. They even undertook to fix, measure and cut blinds, draperies, loose covers, swags, and pelmets. Even floor coverings were fabricated and repaired by these upholsterers, including linoleum, art felts and carpets. Some professionals also were entrusted with the job of lining coffins. All of these jobs may sound quite absurd in the present days of prefabrication and mass production. But many contemporary professionals dealing with furniture upholstery in Sydney are sometimes required to perform such tasks as a part of their apprenticeship.

In the modern times, a great number of tedious tasks have got removed from the trade of upholstery due to the manufacture of ready-shaped padding, rubberised hair and spring units. Also, there are machines which can help in delivering high-quality work. However, manual labour still plays a crucial role in top class jobs where the skill of eye & hand and patience is necessary. Workshops that carry on the traditional skills and traditions still exist. And the best part is that these traditions are also taught in technical colleges providing degree courses to aspiring upholsterers.

Furniture upholstery encompasses quite a sense of creation that is very different from that of metalwork or woodwork. Most professionals associated with the trade claim that they derive great satisfaction after completing an intricate project with a sound foundation. This is because learning and excelling in the fundamental techniques of furniture upholstery is an achievement in its own right. Turning out a quality upholstered furniture piece requires extensive hard work and experience.

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