Yes its that dreaded quiet summer month again where our Chesterfield sofas come second to the holidays. To try and tempt you into reconsidering us before the end of the summer break, we are currently offering sale prices on stock chesterfield sofas and chesterfield suites such as the Essex range.

And because these sofas are in stock, we can deliver super quick!

Just call or e-mail for more details!

Fancy a chesterfield sofa but need custom or bespoke finishes or sizes?

Talk to distinctive chesterfields!

We are experts in Bespoke and Custom work- in fact over 30% of our business is made up of non- standard orders.

Some recent projects we have undertaken include a 15ft Lime green chesterfield ( above) , a double corner unit in hand finished ivory leather, and a suite consisting of a distressed black Wessex sofa and two Queen anne wing chairs.

A ‘demic’ Chesterfield is a sofa which uses the offcuts of leather and is not made using full hides.

Prior to upholstery, a patchwork or leather scraps is sewn together and laid over the frame. It is then applied- using more buttons that for a usual chesterfield so as to hide the hems.

The frames will usually be of lower quality too, as the point of a Demic Leather Chesterfield is not best quality but cheapest price.

The real problem with a demic, though, will only become apparent over time. The stiching can pull and work loose- leaving unfixed holes on the sofa, which then let in dirt and grime and can rot away the sofa from the inside.

For a comparison- for a full hide 4 seat sofa in good quality antique hide you can expect to pay £1,000- £1,500 whereas the value if a demic of the same basic design is only £300- £400

The old saying does stand true here – you get what you pay for!

The problem with a Leather Chesterfield is that a good portion of the price you pay is for the bits you cant see rather than the bits you can, which is why I decided to write this article to let people know what to look for in a good quality chesterfield sofa.

Firstly, the easy bits to spot-

• Is it real leather? (the easiest way to find out is to ask or smell.)
• Is it a demic?

This is also fairly easy to spot. Look at the arm from the front. Is the last button on the top of the arm or the outside of the arm? if the top then the leather is full hide, if on the side then the sofa is a demic. These are much cheaper in price and quality. I will post more on this later.

Other than that, without pulling the thing apart, check the weight- the heavier the better, and check the reputation of the seller – and bear in mind that many sellers DONT have anything to do with the manufacturing process, they just buy and sell

“What is the difference between an antique chesterfield and an antiqued chesterfield?”

This is a question i am asked often.

The answer is very simple- an antique chesterfield is an old sofa, with an old frame, and old foams and leather. An antiqued chesterfield is a new sofa with a new frame and foams/ springs and leather, which goes through a hand applied antiquing process to give it an aged appearance.

Well which is best i hear you ask?

The answer is different for different people:

Some crave originality and are prepared to live with the comprimise (a sixty year old sofa will not take the same daily use as a new sofa).

Others prefer to sacrifice the originality of an old sofa for a new one which can be used as an everyday piece of furniture, yet still retains the appearance of a used chesterfield.

I was recently asked by a customer, the difference between Antique leather, Premium leather, and Hand dyed leather.

Basically, the Antiqued leather is a corrected grain leather (its pattern is stamped onto the surface rather than it being present naturally) which then has a rub-off coating applied to darken certain areas of the leather. Premium and Hand Dyed leathers are of the same quality, though the finish and dye process is different. These leathers are top grade leathers and the creases and patina are completely natural. for more info, look at this Leather range page.

Steve