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What
Makes A Classic Chesterfield?
As with any hand made product,
there are many contributing factors to achieving the high standard
of craftsmanship every Distinctive chesterfield is built
to.
Frame Assembly
The starting point for any
Chesterfield or Club Chair is the frame. This is constructed of
only the finest hardwoods, selected for strength and longevity. The
Chesterfield frame components are hand formed, by time served
craftsmen, to give us the ready components. These components are
then assembled by hand, using dowels, screws, and corner blocks for
added strength. Once the Chesterfield frame has been fully
assembled, it is then quality checked for squareness and shape. The
frame is then passed to the polisher to apply the next
process.
Padding
This is the stage in the
process where the Chesterfield or Club Chair will really take
shape. Depending on the style of Sofa or Chair being built, the
first thing is to spring the frame. This is a painstaking process
of applying individual coil springs or serpentine springs to the
frame, prior to the seat pad and other padding, so as to ensure a
long lasting shape to the piece of furniture. Once this stage is
completed, the padding is made to pattern to suit the item and is
applied, panel by panel until the Chesterfield or Club Chair has a
finished shape.
The Upholstery
It is now time to upholster
your Chesterfield or Club Chair. Firstly, we select from our
leather stores, fine grain hides in the required finish. Templates
are then applied to these and the panels cut by the dedicated
pattern maker and passed to the upholsterer, to be applied to the
chesterfield or club chair. Depending on the level of complexity of
the model you have selected, this process can take up to 3 days to
complete.
Polishing
At this point, we
have a fully assembled Chesterfield or Club Chair frame. It is now
time to start the first finishing process. This is known as
polishing- or French polishing. This finish is applied any part of
the Chesterfield or club chair frame which will be exposed at the
point of completion- such as legs, feet, etc. It is applied by
hand, in several coats. The polish must be then allowed to fully
harden, so is stored in a temperature controlled environment for
around 48 hours.
The Finish
The final stage in the
production of your Chesterfield or Club Chair is the finish. This
stage involves the buttoning and studding of the piece. Unlike many
other manufacturers, Distinctive Chesterfields still use
traditional methods. ! The whole piece is then buffed or rubbed
off- depending on the selected leather finish and then sealed so as
to protect the look achieved.
This process from start to
finish is performed under one roof - no single element being
outsourced or mass produced.
When you buy a distinctive
Chesterfield, you are buying a Hand Built, Hand crafted piece of
fine Australian furniture.
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