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sag springs. Simply, it's a piece of foam wrapped in Dacron. Longwood says, "People put down cushions on a no-sag spring construction, but it's not a good idea because the springs can't recoil fast enough to keep the down fluffed in the cushion. You don't get that bounce back recovery in the cushion. You should use foam Dacron wrap instead." CHOOSING A FABRIC "The weight and weave of the fabric you choose will impact the comfort level of an upholstered piece, too" says Longwood. "A heavier, durable fabric like chenille will create a tighter, firmer seat, while a lighter cotton chintz with a knit backing is a little more cushy and comfortable, but it can also wear out faster." FABRIC REPEATS The experience and quality of workmanship is often reflective in how an upholsterer handles a fabric's repeat. The pattern must be centered on a piece's back, skirt and edge of the seat cushion and requires more fabric to effectively finish. Your designer should bring a large sample of the fabric you intend to use and ask for a variety of prices from different workrooms, as well as fabric quantity quotes. If you're using a fabric with a large pattern (creating a tricky repeat), you'll get an idea of who's hedging their bets, advising you to purchase a lot more fabric to cover their cutter's possible mistakes and costing you a lot more money. KNIT BACK If most upholsterers had their druthers, they'd request many of the fabrics you send them be "knit- backed." Longwood admits, "It's a backing put on by a fabric backing company (at an additional cost averaging about $7 to $10 a yard) that's adhered to the backside of the fabric to give it stability and body. The fabric doesn't stretch, but holds its shape and doesn't wrinkle as much either." The lighter the fabric (silks, poplins, linens), the more vital the need for a knit backing. Warning: Do not use a cheaper acrylic backing on any silk fabrics, as it's likely to discolor the fabric. MUSLIN-COVERED PIECES Some upholstery houses suggest you upholster a piece first in muslin and then again in the fabric of your choice. This will essentially double your costs and isn't really necessary, except in the case where you're creating a slipcover. some instances where you want to sink into a hand- tied spring seat construction but have a firmer, no-sag spring construction at the back. Customizing your upholstered pieces gives you this very option. WHEN IS NO-SAG CONSTRUCTION A GOOD IDEA? In commercial applications, as well as on banquettes, dining chairs, tight seat and lounge chairs where you want a firmer seat. Want to find out what springs lie beneath? Simply reach beneath the sofa, feeling past the frame. If it's solid all over, that's your indication it's made with hand-tied springs. If it's soft and you don't hit anything other than the dust cover on its underside, that's likely no-sag spring construction. This chair is economically constructed with no-sag springs on the seat and back. Created with a Dacron- wrapped foam seat cushion, the back features a blown Dacron pillow (blown to fluff up the Dacron with a center channel to keep the fill evenly dispensed across the cushion). Finally, a 1 1/2-inch cotton edge roll covers the spring's edge and protects the front of the chair. The same chair is pictured with an eight-way hand-tied seat construction and a tighter no-sag spring back. But in this case, we've used a down wrap foam pillow seat cushion — a moderately priced option. Here, that same chair is created with an eight- way hand-tied seat construction and a tighter no-sag spring back. It received the most costly, highest-quality seat cushion called a spring down seat cushion, apropos for this hand-tied seat construction. The back pillow is a channel-wrapped down blend pillow (a mixture of feathers, down and a little silicon treated Dacron to keep the feathers separated and fluffy). THE ARM TEST One of the ways you can ascertain a well-made upholstered piece is simply by pushing on the arms. If you feel wood and it's not obviously intended to be a tighter-style arm design (a rolled arm that should feel cushy not unyielding), it's not padded very well. A look inside three back cushions. From top: A spring down cushion with Marshall units (covered springs) sandwiched between foam. Shielded in plastic for demonstration purposes, this is what the inside of a down-wrapped cushion looks like. (The down is usually covered with a down-proof ticking fabric.). A Dacron-wrapped foam-core pillow. Seat-cushion construction, from top: Dacron-wrapped foam cushion, down- wrapped cushion and spring down cushion. Pindler & Pindler cream-colored cotton velvet covers this pair of slipper chairs upholstered by DFM. Each is edged with decorative tape by Samuel & Sons. SPRING DOWN CUSHIONS Upholstery with spring down cushions is made with what's called marshall units — little coil springs of a lighter gauge, each wrapped in muslin. This highest- quality seat cushion (often paired with hand-tied springs) is then sandwiched between foam. Finally, a down fill surrounds it. DOWN-WRAPPED CUSHION A down-wrapped cushion features a foam core wrapped in Dacron. To take it to the next level, the Dacron is wrapped within a down envelope. These cushions are best placed atop an upholstered piece constructed with hand-tied springs. Incidentally, the best manufacturers use a down- proof ticking in the construction of their down-filled cushions to create an envelope of sorts. Equipped with horizontal channels that span the length of the cushion's seat, the down blend slips inside each channel and doesn't shift throughout the pillow. When that ticking envelope is sewn both outside and inside, the pillow should be made of down-proof ticking, not a thin mesh fabric, or you'll soon discover that the down will travel right through the mesh and settle on the foam's core. The result: a down cushion that's lost its fluff. DACRON AND FOAM CUSHION The least expensive cushion style, Dacron-wrapped foam, is often used commercially along with no- THE THREE STYLES THE CUSHION'S CORE: EXPLAINED. THE FABRICS ANOTHER PERTINENT FACT Do yourself a favor and don't hire the most inexpensive upholsterer a friend of a friend knows. Get it right and work with an interior designer — besides, the best upholsterers won't work with anyone but an architect or designer in the know. WHAT LIES BENEATH? David Longwood Designer's Furniture Manufacturing 713.973.0315 designersfurniture mfg.com Mike Neal Neal & Company 713.956.7100 Alberto Dvorak Designer's Services 713.271.2222 designersservices.com Jim Roman J&J Roman 713.877.9526 TO GO WHERE Henry Lam Hien Lam Upholstery 713.523.3416 hienlamupholstery.com