Upholstery terms glossary: sofa and chair vocabulary A, Z

A, B

Aniline leather: Leather dyed through with soluble dyes and left without a protective surface coating. It shows the hide's natural grain and feels soft, but absorbs spills and fades in sunlight more readily than protected leather. See types of leather.

Apron: A strip of wood or upholstery running below the seat between the legs, hiding the frame. Common on traditional chairs and tables.

Attached cushions: Cushions sewn or fixed to the frame so they can't be removed or flipped. They stay neat but can't be rotated to spread wear.

Bench seat: A single long seat cushion spanning the full width of a sofa instead of two or three separate cushions. No gaps between cushions, but wear can concentrate where people sit most.

Bonded leather: A material made from leather scraps and fibers bonded to a backing and coated to look like leather. Less durable than genuine hide and prone to peeling.

Bouclé: A fabric woven from looped yarn, giving a nubby, textured surface. From the French for curled. Loops can snag on claws and jewelry.

Box cushion: A cushion with flat top and bottom panels joined by a boxing strip, giving squared edges. Often finished with welting along the seams.

Bun feet: Rounded, flattened ball-shaped feet, usually turned wood. Typical of traditional and some mid-century styles.

Bustle back: A back made of loose, stacked pillows or a double-layered back cushion that looks gathered or tiered, giving a soft, deep backrest.

C

Camelback: A sofa back with one or more humps rising to a peak, usually in the center. A classic traditional silhouette, often paired with rolled arms.

Chaise: An extended seat long enough to stretch your legs; on sectionals, the long section at one end. Short for chaise longue, French for long chair.

Channel tufting: Upholstery stitched into parallel vertical or horizontal channels, each filled with padding. Common on headboards and retro-inspired seating; our Sipario bed uses a tall channel-quilted headboard.

Chesterfield: A sofa with deep button tufting, rolled arms the same height as the back, and often nailhead trim. Traditionally upholstered in leather.

Cleaning code: A letter on the care label indicating how upholstery fabric can be cleaned: typically W (water-based), S (solvent-based), W/S (either), or X (vacuum only).

Club chair: A low, deep, fully upholstered armchair with thick arms, traditionally leather. See our armchair guide.

Corner block: A small, usually triangular wooden block glued and screwed into the inside corners of a frame to brace the joints. A marker of sturdy construction.

Cushion core: The inner filling of a cushion, usually foam, sometimes springs or a foam-and-coil combination, before any wrap or cover is added.

D, F

Deck: The platform under the seat cushions, covered in a plain fabric. Its suspension (springs or webbing) supports the cushions.

Distressed leather: Leather finished to look worn or aged, with variations in color and texture. Marks blend in rather than standing out.

Double rubs: A measure of fabric abrasion resistance from the Wyzenbeek test, used mainly in the US. A machine rubs the fabric back and forth; 15,000 or more double rubs is commonly cited as suitable for heavy residential use.

Dowel: A wooden pin glued into matching holes in two frame members to join them. Dowelled and glued joints are stronger than stapled ones.

Down blend: Cushion filling mixing down (soft underfeathers) with feathers, often around a foam core. Soft and relaxed, but needs regular plumping.

Dust cover: A thin fabric sheet stapled across the underside of a sofa or chair to keep dust out and hide the frame.

Eight-way hand-tied: A traditional suspension system in which individual coil springs are tied by hand with twine in eight directions. It gives even, durable support and is labor-intensive.

English arm: A low, slightly rolled arm set back from the front of the seat, typical of the English roll-arm sofa with its tight back and deep seat.

Feather wrap: A layer of down and feathers, or a down blend, wrapped around a foam core. It combines foam's support with a softer surface.

Fiberfill: Polyester fiber filling used in back cushions, pillows and as a wrap around foam. Soft and inexpensive; can flatten over time.

Full-grain leather: Leather that keeps the hide's whole outer grain layer, unsanded. The most durable grade; it shows natural marks and develops a patina.

G, M

Gauge: The thickness of spring wire. With springs, a lower gauge number means thicker, stiffer wire.

High-resilience (HR) foam: Foam with an irregular cell structure that springs back quickly and supports well. Commonly described as having a density of about 2.5 lb per cubic foot or more.

IFD / ILD: Indentation force deflection (or load deflection): the force needed to compress foam by a set percentage. It describes firmness; higher numbers feel firmer. Separate from density.

Kiln-dried: Wood dried in a controlled chamber to a low moisture content, commonly around 6 to 8%, so it moves less once in a heated home. Kiln-dried hardwood frames resist warping. See how to tell quality furniture.

Lawson: A sofa style with the back cushions separate from the frame and arms set lower than the back.

Loose back: A back made of separate, removable cushions. Easy to rearrange and re-plump; the opposite of a tight back.

Loose cover: The British term for a slipcover: a removable, often washable fabric cover fitted over the upholstery.

Martindale: A measure of fabric abrasion resistance used mainly in Europe and the UK. A machine rubs the fabric in a figure-eight pattern; results are given in cycles. Not directly convertible to double rubs.

Mortise and tenon: A joint in which a projecting tongue (tenon) on one piece fits into a cavity (mortise) in another. One of the strongest traditional wood joints.

N, R

Nailhead trim: Decorative metal-headed nails or tacks set in a line along arms, frames or edges. Some are applied individually; others come as strips with occasional real nails.

Ottoman: An upholstered footstool, often doubling as extra seating, a table with a tray, or storage. Lift-top versions open for storage.

Patina: The softened color and sheen leather and wood develop with use and age. Prized on full-grain and aniline leathers.

Pillow back: A back made of loose, plump pillows, usually filled with fiber or down. Relaxed and soft; needs regular plumping.

Piping: See welt.

Pleating: Fabric or leather folded into regular, stitched pleats, often on chair backs or skirts. The Sartoria armchair uses pleating across its high back.

Pocketed coils: Individual springs sewn into fabric pockets so each moves independently. Used in seat decks or inside cushions for responsive, contouring support.

Protected leather: Leather with a pigmented surface coating that resists spills, stains and fading. Also called pigmented or finished leather. Practical for families.

Rolled arm: An arm that curves outward and over, like a scroll. A traditional shape found on Chesterfields and English sofas.

S

Seat depth: The distance from the front edge of the seat to the back cushion. On sofas it is typically about 20 to 25 in; deeper seats suit lounging. See sofa dimensions.

Seat height: The distance from the floor to the top of the seat cushion, typically 17 to 19 in on sofas.

Semi-aniline: Aniline leather with a light protective coating. It keeps much of the natural look while resisting stains better than pure aniline.

Sinuous spring: A continuous zigzag wire spring running front to back across the seat, also called an S-spring or no-sag spring. Durable and cost-efficient; quality depends on gauge and spacing.

Skirt: A fabric panel hanging from below the seat to the floor, hiding the legs. Can be straight, pleated or gathered.

Slipcover: A removable fabric cover made to fit a sofa or chair. Often washable, and useful for homes with children or pets.

Slipper chair: A low, armless upholstered chair with an upright back. Compact and good for bedrooms or as extra seating.

Split leather: Leather from the lower layers of the hide after the top grain is removed, often embossed and coated. Less durable than top-grain.

T, Z

Tight back: A back upholstered directly onto the frame with no loose cushions. It keeps a crisp, tailored shape and needs little maintenance.

Top-grain leather: Leather from the outer layer of the hide, lightly sanded or corrected and usually finished. Durable and uniform; easier to clean than full-grain.

Track arm: A straight, squared arm, usually narrow and the same height or slightly lower than the back. Clean and space-efficient; the Piazza uses track arms.

Tufting: Upholstery pulled in and secured at regular points, often with buttons, to create a patterned surface. Diamond tufting is the Chesterfield pattern; see also channel tufting.

Turned leg: A wooden leg shaped on a lathe, giving rounded profiles such as bulbs, rings or tapers.

Tuxedo arm: An arm the same height as the back, creating one continuous line around the sofa. Often straight and clean-lined.

Upholstery: The padding, springs, webbing and covering applied to furniture, and the craft of applying them.

Webbing: Interwoven straps, either elastic or jute, stretched across a frame to support the seat or back. Elastic webbing enables slim, modern profiles.

Welt: A fabric-covered cord sewn into a seam to define and reinforce it. Also called piping. A self-welt uses the same fabric as the upholstery; a contrast welt uses a different one.

Wingback: A chair with a tall back and side panels (wings) at head height, originally to shield sitters from drafts.

Wyzenbeek test: The US abrasion test that produces a fabric's double-rub rating. See double rubs.