I recently had a custom sofa made and this site was an invaluable source of information for me throughout the process. I would have preferred to buy from a known brand, but my narrow stairwell left me with little option—I needed to go the custom route. I'd like to develop a checklist that buyers can use to interview potential makers, and am hoping for your help!
I am guessing frame construction, suspension and cushion types are the main facets of a good sofa, but are there more aspects I'm missing? And am I listing the various attributes of each aspect thoroughly and in complete order? Please feel free to comment and I'll revise this post.
Frame Construction (from lowest to highest quality)
- Softwood (pine)
- Engineered hardwood and plywood
- Engineered hardwood
- Solid hardwood (maple), double-doweled, corner-blocked, screwed & glued
Suspension (from lowest to highest quality)
- webbing
- Pirelli webbing
- no-sag springs (a.k.a. zig-zag)
- drop-in coils suspension unit
- 8-way hand-tied coil suspension (9 coils per seat)
- 8-way hand-knotted coil suspension (12 coils per seat)
Foam (from lowest to highest quality)
- low density (1.5 pounds per square inch or less)
- high density (1.6 pounds per square inch or more)
- high density in feather/down envelopes