Traditional upholstery is the hand method of padding and covering seat furniture using natural materials such as webbing, hessian, coil springs, horsehair, coir fibre, wadding and calico, built up in layers and shaped with hand stitching. It contrasts with modern upholstery, which relies largely on foam, staples and synthetic fabrics.
The craft developed through the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, when stuffed seats were shaped with stitched rolls of hair or grass over webbing. Coil springs became widespread in the early nineteenth century, allowing the deeply sprung, buttoned armchairs, chaises longues and Chesterfield sofas so characteristic of the Victorian period. A traditional upholsterer fixes webbing to the frame with tacks, ties in springs with twine, then builds and stitches firm edges before adding the top stuffing, calico and finished cover. For antique chairs and sofas, re-upholstering in the traditional way respects the original construction and gives the correct silhouette, crisp edges and comfortable, resilient seat. When buying, it is worth asking whether a piece has been re-covered traditionally, as tack holes in the frame can also record the history of earlier coverings.
