Unique Tufting as an Option for Modern Living?

To tuft or not to tuft, that is the question, and today some serious tufting is going on all around the country. A calculated throwback to an early American furniture trend? Absolutely. A couch reminiscent of that leather monstrosity your Uncle Harry had in his downtown insurance office? Not a chance.

Today more than ever, people are going nuts for the buttons, as contemporary furniture is taking yet another twist on a past winner and combining it with a totally modern feel. Now the look is interesting, the furniture comfortable, and the sensation, classical and cool.

What exactly is tufting, you may ask… you’ve seen it, you’ve sat on it, and you might have even rejected it for reasons like the one above (visiting Uncle Harry again.) But tufting is actually a thrilling craft that requires threading through layers of upholstery fabric, and then securing these puckered layers with a knot or a button to create a repetitive pattern. Originally used to secure cushioning to the seats and backs of furniture, the use of the tuft made sofas, chairs, ottomans, and headboards look more solid and defined.

Here you might be channeling Aunt Helga, with her flower-patterned headboard that matched the now fading floral design in her ancient wallpaper. Forget it. Let’s obliterate Harry and Helga’s take on décor for a while and fast forward to the present where those haunting images no longer hold true.

Yes, there are tufted headboards, but not like anything you’ve seen before. Now they are chic and classy, upholstered in muted colors or even something more vibrant, but on beds that rise to a thoroughly modern occasion.

At Viesso, our love of tufting is evident in a few of our signature pieces as well as some classic favorites. Let’s explore a few together!

Take a gander at our absolutely contemporary tufted versions of Helga’s monstrosity. Now that’s a headboard, right? Look at the sleek lines and how the dimension created by the threading gives way to something absolutely sophisticated and classy.

When you take a streamline design and add tufting as a feature, you’ve suddenly created something far more rich and interesting – at least we believe that’s true! Today this mid-century design is creating a lot of excitement in décor circles, along with trendy people who want to combine traditional with more modular styling.

Viesso has been playing with tuft-appeal for a while. Our designers recognized early on that a little bit of tuft can really highlight the fabric, giving it a depth that stands out in the crowd. Hey, how about those velvets? Classic and sexy, there’s nothing like a velvet tufted couch when it comes to sending an invitation to relax and let your hair down! And leather? (Please forget Harry!) There’s nothing that highlights this material more than well placed tufting that brings out its luster.

The cool thing about tufting is that it doesn’t have to be used all the way through. It can be strategically placed with playful elements like contrasting buttons or piping. Take a look at our Fiftynine Sofa Bed if you want to see how it’s done. This piece has a really great design with super clean lines that incorporate some wit with those adorable muti-colored buttons that put zing in the back.

While scouting around to hear what real people out there in the world think about tufting, what comes up first is that nifty respect for the Chesterfield sofa of yesteryear. Now this is a design from the past that no one seems to distain, ourselves included. Like a sturdy and reasonable friend, the Chesterfield still lends itself to fantasies of the perfect leather-lined study, filled with important books, Persian carpets, and a faint whiff of pipe tobacco and brandy.

So a lot of you out there have this wonderful reference, which is really a great start. Let’s take a look at a few other samples of what can be done when imagination and creativity are applied to our former vision of tufting.

Check out the Dublexo Deluxe Chair or Deluxe Sofa Bed from Viesso. Here our designers have taken a bow to the best of mid-century furniture design, creating a beautifully modular idea and quilting it with either red or dark grey iFelt. Mounting it on a matte black powder-coated metal frame and steel legs takes it to a completely new level.

The Old School Chair is really reminiscent of a Chesterfield design, but in this case it is wholly fresh and contemporary. And how about the Henry Ottoman that stands up as either a bench or a coffee table? With its brushed stainless steel base and a frame made of 100% FSC certified wood, one of our eco-friendly trademarks, the upholstering makes a completely modern statement. You can put the Henry in any living room and it will pop out as the featured star, highlighting whatever else you choose to put around it.

Then there’s the Luna Arm chair, 70” Loveseat Sofa, 78” Condo Sofa, or One-Arm Sofa with Chaise. We swoon at the sight of that double button tufting on the back. This is really great use of tufting at a PhD level. The Luna is especially close to our hearts, what with those wide arms, that deep seat, and those gorgeous wooden legs. Can’t you picture any one of those in your New York loft?

Okay, okay, we know we wax way too romantic when we mention these pieces, but let’s talk about one more, please. It’s only because the Spencer Chair might just be the quintessential example of what we’re talking about when it comes to tufting magic. Look at the seat and back of this chair. It’s flawless. And forgetting about the upholstery magic, what about the way the base is recessed from the sides to make this baby look like she’s floating on air? It’s a study in perfection, that’s what we say.

So, what’s our point? If you’re planning on redecorating or adding something new to your pad, you just might want to consider buying a piece that’s tufted for comfort, chicness, class, and cool.