This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Arts & Entertainment

Upholstery Never Too Tufted

Tufted upholstery is taking furniture show rooms by storm.

Everywhere I look I see tufted upholstery. Inspired by the sleek tailored style of mid-century modern interiors - think Mad Men - tufting is turning heads in area show rooms.

Tufting is a sewing technique that results from pulling a cord through a deep cushion, yielding contrasting high and low puffs of padding.  Depending on how the cord is drawn, tufting can yield diamond, biscuit or square shapes. When buttons are attached to the cords, the detail is called button tufts.  

What makes today’s tufting more fun is the array of vibrant colors, fabrics and styles available. Unlike grandpa’s stuffy tufted executive leather office chair, today’s tufted upholstery is funky, jazzy, even cool.

Find out what's happening in Clarendon-Courthouse-Rosslynwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Like the Rocco tufted ottoman at Mitchell Gold.  Available in extra large and small round or square, the Rocco ottoman is suitable for a Queen or teen. You can use it for seating or as a coffee table. 

The super-sized show room of Room and Board is filled with tufted upholstery.  The Andre, available as a sofa or chair, features a button-tufted back, smart welting and a stretcher base.  This sofa is ideal for a bachelor pad.

Find out what's happening in Clarendon-Courthouse-Rosslynwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

More modern and minimalist is the Sabine, with button-less tufts and a stainless steel base. Room and Board’s classic Wells, with vintage button tufting and classic wood base, looks like it was carried off the set of Mad Men. 

Mitchell Gold’s Quincy collection has a similar profile to the Sabine, but with a sculptural scoop arm. The armless Rennie sofa has a smaller footprint, making it ideal for tight spaces.

The Axissofa and chair are among many tufted offerings in the showroom at Desi Living Innovations at Pentagon Row. In fact, there seem to be more tufted sofas than non-tufted. 

Use tufting as sparingly or as generously as you like. I've seen it on headboards, swivels, benches and stools. Whether parring a non-tufted sofa sectional with a tufted ottoman or vice versa, no amount of tufting seems to be too much. 

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

More from Clarendon-Courthouse-Rosslyn