Made in America: inside our upholstery department

While many people know us for our luxury bedding, our benchmade furniture is just as notable. Our woodshop and upholstery workrooms are entirely in-house and our dedicated team of Chicago craftspeople loves bringing your custom designs to life.

So what does “benchmade” mean? If an item is benchmade, it was made by hand and the maker can ensure the highest quality craftsmanship. The opposite of benchmade would be assembly-made which is when an item goes to a different machine or person for each step of production. This style of manufacturing largely eliminates the need for skilled artisans and the end products are usually replicas of each other. Our upholstery department comprises three woodworkers, and similarly small teams are dedicated to upholstery and other finishing details. . Building and creating our custom furniture is a collaborative process and each member of this well-established team knows how to carry out each stage in the process—even though they each have a specialty. Together, the upholstery department creates beautiful, one of a kind, American-made furniture.

The wealth of experience and knowledge our upholstery team brings into every project gives us the confidence to promise quality and high end craftsmanship with every item - whether that be a bed, bench, or ottoman. Ian Dwight, our furniture designer, explains:  

“I wish more customers knew how knowledgeable the entire production staff is. For example, they have backgrounds in antique restoration or men's tailoring, which gives them deep knowledge on fabrics and helps us treat any project with an acute attention to detail.” 

This expertise makes for a dynamic, adaptable working environment. “A custom style or size doesn't set back their schedules or affect the quality of their work.”

We often adjust details like the height of our headboards or the size of the side rails to fit the customer's needs. Maybe there is a window you don’t want to block, or you want a more low-profile design. Perhaps instead you want to make the headboard taller to better suit the high ceilings of your bedroom - almost anything is possible when it comes to designing your own furniture. With the seemingly endless opportunities for customization and new designs constantly in the works, there are options to suit any style, function, or desire. This fall we released our newest bench design, Humboldt. It is a sleek update to our well loved storage benches and many customers have already jumped at the opportunity to design with a new bench style.

Getting the perfect pattern

The upholstery department has honed seam-matching to a science; even the most complicated print matching looks easy to such a talented group. When a customer orders a bed with a fabric that has a large repeat, we also consider how the side rails are going to match up and what is going to be visible - if there is a possibility to line up the print on the side rails with the print on the headboard, we will. Before anyone begins cutting fabric, all the cuts are planned and measured to ensure the print will seamlessly match along the face and sides. The precision used to match seams maintains the benchmade quality we wholeheartedly embrace. Companies that use laser cutters and machines to upholster do not have the infrastructure to consider seam matching the way an American, custom, workroom can.

Upholstery details made by hand

Our tufting is done by hand which may seem like a small detail, but it allows us to ensure the correct placement, feel for the appropriate tension, and maintain uniformity - something an automated machine can’t do. We also apply nailheads by hand. Many upholstery workrooms have switched to using a strip of nailheads but those products have a large margin of error and nailheads are often placed crooked or uneven. Those kinds of issues are easily avoided when applied by hand. It may take longer, but that is a sacrifice we are willing to make to preserve benchmade quality. Tufting happens to be Dwight’s favorite aspect of our upholstery process.

“The depth of the tufting on our headboards and ottomans is rarely seen now and helps our product stand out with timeless beauty.” 

We use different types of foam depending upon the headboard or ottoman style. A thicker foam works well on tufted headboards because it helps create deep, pronounced creases. However on an untufted style, the ticker foam sticks out too far and looks bulky.

We also upholster the backs of our headboards using the same fabric as the face. Although we don’t expect all clients to place their bed away from the wall, this creates a more uniform, polished look from every angle. Additionally, all beds are test fitted prior to packing to guarantee everything fits together and to affix the hardware that attaches the side rails to the head and footboards. Overall, our beds are easy to assemble but we can also deliver with white glove shipping to assist with assembly.

Quickship furniture

A small selection of pre-designed headboards are available for Quickship but other than that, all of our headboards and beds need to be custom-ordered. Our designers frequently create benches and ottomans to accompany bedding collections but there is still a large range of custom options available for ottomans and benches. If you do find yourself designing a new bed, consider creating a custom set with the addition of a bench or ottoman. Coordinating the welts or fabrics will give a designer feel to the room and elevate your custom upholstery even further.

Besides the headboards that are available for Quickship, all of our upholstered items follow the same 4-6 week lead time as the rest of our products. So if you want to refresh your home for the new year, a custom ottoman can be at your door in less than two months! 

Order benchmade furniture online

We encourage customers to design their own furniture using the online rendering tool. However, if your ideas go beyond the limitations of the program, you are more than welcome to send customer service an email detailing your request. You may even find it beneficial to include images or drawings to help guide customer service and the upholstery department. 

Eastern Accents is proud to offer a wide selection of benchmade furniture. As a company that specializes in luxury bedding we understand the importance of a good headboard and we love seeing the creativity of our customers come to life. To learn more about some aspects of our furniture line, check out some of our other blog posts about Lucite furniture legs and Tudor Leather.If you have any questions about our upholstery department, customization options, or order inquiries, please contact customer service.