Sofas & Stuff was founded with one guiding principle: to offer a level of choice and personalisation not found elsewhere in the sofa market. Since then, we’ve extended our product range but have maintained the same commitment to handcrafting timeless, enduring pieces of furniture which uniquely reflect their dwelling.
Below is your guide to designing a custom Sofas & Stuff piece and all of the personalisation options available to you. From custom corner sofas to bespoke bed frames, these made-to-measure details make each piece truly one of a kind.
Why choose bespoke furniture for your home?
Our founder, Andrew Cussins, proposes the following philosophy for buying furniture:
“People should buy things that they love, that are well-made, and that are going to last”.
We know that personalisation is integral to this. When you buy with Sofas & Stuff, you are investing in a handcrafted, made-to-order piece of furniture designed for you and your home; our skilled makers will know your order by name.
This level of customisation means that you’ll never have to compromise on your design vision. By tailoring each detail to your lifestyle, and your home’s distinct personality, your custom piece will be more likely to delight you every time you step into the room or sink in after a busy day.
We have a team of furniture makers and upholsterers based in our very own Preston factory, who make each customised piece with care and ensure quality in every detail. This, combined with the personalisation potential of every piece, gives rise to furniture that is designed to last in both construction quality and in the story of your home.
Customisation options across sofas, chairs and beds
We encourage our customers to consider the big picture when they purchase one of our custom-built pieces. From lifestyle nuances down to the mood you wish to evoke when you walk into a room, every detail counts to create a piece of furniture you love.
The below customisation options help create furniture that is perfect for your home. Our showroom teams will be thrilled to explore these in more depth if you decide to pay us a visit.
Upholstery fabrics
At the heart of our customisation options is your freedom to choose the upholstery fabric – or indeed fabrics – for your sofa or bed frame. We have curated an expansive fabric library, full of inspiration for all kinds of homes and lifestyles.
Choosing your upholstery fabric is quite like selecting a new piece of clothing. While colour and material are without a doubt important, considering how a fabric makes you feel, its texture and its longevity can all help to guide you towards the perfect choice.
Come and visit our showrooms to leaf through our many fabric books and speak with our knowledgeable team. This is a brilliant way to find inspiration or to happen upon the exact fabric you envisioned. Once chosen, your fabric will be diligently upholstered on your selected silhouette by our skilled team in Preston.
Design consultant top tip: “Think of your furniture as more than just functional pieces; they contribute to the soul of your home. Choosing the perfect fabric for you is key. It should reflect your style, feel right, and make you happy every time you walk into the room.”
Suzanne Musemeci FittleworthCustom scatter cushions
Our custom scatter cushions are filled with the downiest duck feathers and are available in any of the myriad fabrics in our library, including our exclusive collaborative collections with the RHS and the V&A.
Not only will a scatter bring extra softness, comfort and warmth to your sofa but they are also a simple way to enhance the look of your piece. Whether you decide to match the fabric of your sofa, select a different complementary hue or even layer different shades and patterns with multiple scatters, they are a truly excellent way to dress your couch.
Choosing how many scatter cushions is naturally down to personal preference, but we tend to recommend between 2-4 on a standard 3-seater sofa, allowing you to achieve a symmetrical look without overcrowding the seating area.
Piping
Piping is the curved edging around the seams of an upholstered piece of furniture or a scatter cushion. It neatly outlines the shape and finishes the upholstery off beautifully, bringing the piece to life.
In many cases, our customers choose to incorporate contrast piping into their sofa design, selecting a contrasting colour to emphasise the lines of a silhouette. This can be particularly effective for our more structured pieces, such as the Chesterfield-style Haresfield.
Alternatively, piping can be designed to blend into the colour of your chosen upholstery fabric to create a cohesive, more subtle look, such as in the Leyburn below.
Leg finishes
The legs of a sofa are a significant part of its look, influencing its formality and how it fits into your existing décor. All of our sofas have solid oak legs and are available in a variety of stains and finishes. Many are also available without castors, which add their own distinctive look.
By specifying the stain you would prefer for your custom sofa, you can achieve your desired finish, complementing your upholstery fabric as well as tailoring your piece to match any existing wooden flooring.
Buttoning
Buttoning on the back and/or arm of your sofa creates a classic, tufted look. It is a highly skilled technique whereby fabric covered buttons – which can be in the same or a contrasting material as your sofa – are pressed into the upholstery, at regular intervals. Buttoning can be shallow or deep.
The finished look is neat and traditional and can add firmness to the back or arms of your piece. Many of our sofa and bed silhouettes are designed in this buttoned style – such as the Arncliffe sofa and the Pentlow bed frame – but you can speak to our design consultants should you wish to incorporate it into an otherwise unbuttoned design.
Fringing
Custom fringing has risen in popularity with our customers and in interior design trends in recent years. It is a fantastic way to create a really unique piece of furniture and can be incorporated into anything from small scatter cushions to your full sofa or bed design.
Traditionally, fringes were used in clothing to prevent a cut piece of fabric from unravelling if it wasn’t hemmed. Now, it is typically made separately and sewn on. Choose a complementary or contrasting colour for a cohesive or more statement look.
Customisation options specific to sofas and armchairs
The below personalisation options apply specifically to our sofas, including corner sofas, chaise sofas and armchairs, tailoring both the comfort and look of your made-to-order piece.
Cushion interiors
As well as looking the part, we design our sofas to offer superior comfort. Just as with aesthetic customisation, we believe in making this comfort individual to you and your home. As such, you are free to customise to your notion of comfort by choosing from three interiors for your sofa cushions.
These options are duck feather, Quallofil Blue eco fibre and ‘3F’ – feather and fibre around a foam core. Each of these cushion interiors offers varying levels of support and ‘pillowiness’, ranging from luxuriously soft duck feathers to more supportive fibre. You can read our cushion interiors blog to find out more about each option or speak to our design consultants in-store.
Custom sofa depth
Another way to adapt the comfort of your custom sofa is to specify a tailored sofa depth. Many of our sofa, armchair and snuggler models can be crafted with a deeper seat, which can be more comfortable for those who are taller. Please visit your local showroom and discuss your requirements with our design consultants who can advise on how we can help.
Customising the depth of your custom piece can also help it to fit more comfortably in your space, accounting for more unique nooks as well as existing furniture.
Loose covers
A loose cover is a type of customisation option available on a range of our sofa and armchair models. Loose covers are removable covers which can be placed over your sofa.
They might be used for aesthetic reasons only, such as adding a skirted look around the bottom of the sofa, or to give a more flexible option for the upholstery of your piece. In these cases, they offer a way to change the fabric of your sofa without the need for full reupholstery.
Come and visit our showrooms for more inspiration
Our showrooms are your space for creativity, imagination and inspiration. The place to go for bespoke sofas, armchairs and beds, you’ll be invited to take your time to browse a selection of our models and over 200 fabric books on location.
Above are just some of the main ways you can customise one of our pieces to your individual vision. Speak with our friendly and seasoned design consultants to explore the options on offer, or uncover new ideas, and make your final decision with confidence. You can also view our range of sofas and other custom-made furniture on our website, where you’ll be able to order up to 8 free fabric samples to start your customisation journey.