To Tuft or not to Tuft?

You may like the look of a tufted headboard or sofa, but what are the pros and cons?

Tufting is really a personal choice, you either love it or hate it, it's not really a take it or leave it style. So lets have a look.

Pros:

• Tufting looks great, but only if you like the look. If you like it, you like it.
• It is an ornate look, but not over the top.
• Depending on the fabric pattern, it can add details. 

Cons:

• It is more expensive to have an upholsterer do the work (more labour intensive.)
• Depending on the fabric, it may be too much or disrupt the pattern of the fabric and you will lose the details of both the pattern and the tufting.
• The tufts can accumulate dust after awhile, so may be an asthma/allergy risk.
• Takes longer to complete and is not as straightforward (hence the increased labour costs.) 
• Harder to keep clean (those tufts are magnets for grime and crumbs.)
• If you like a clean, simple minimal look, tufting is not the way to go.

There are more points to consider here of course. You may want a deep tufting, or you may want a lighter button tufting. It depends on the piece, depends on what you like and also depends on the other furniture in the room. A deeply tufted rich sofa would look a little out of place in a room that is all white, minimal and has simple lines (unless the sofa of course is the centre piece of the room and then it may work.)

You can also adjust the look of the tufting,and the look of the pieces by changing the number of tufts. You could space the tufts fairly close or a wide distance apart, and also adjust the number of of rows. My suggestion is to a find a picture of a piece you like and give that to your upholsterer, so they can see what you are after. But do ask your upholsterer for their advice, as they will be working on your piece and will know what would work and what wouldn't.

So do you like the look of tufting, or do you prefer a smooth more contemporary look? If you have any questions about tufting or upholstery, feel free to get in contact, we always love to help.