The My Club Chair manufacturing workshop, craftsmanship for top-of-the-range leather furniture
Discover what goes on behind the scenes of our manufacturing methods: the raw materials we use, the techniques we employ, the different types of comfort we offer and the wide range of finishes available. Here we take you behind the scenes of an age-old craft based on craftsmanship, quality and love of a job well done.
Basane leather selection and processing, at the heart of club chair manufacture
Club sofas and armchairs are traditionally upholstered in top-of-the-range basane leather. Discover the many advantages of this top-quality skin, renowned for centuries for its beauty and durability.
Basane leather, the skin that enhances the club chair
We use 1.4/1.6 mm full-grain sheepskin to make our club chairs. This is the leather that is closest to its raw state. The epidermis has barely been altered by the tanning process. As a result, it retains virtually its original thickness. This characteristic makes it more robust and resistant than any leather of inferior quality. Corrected grain leather, or worse, crust leather, has a surface that has been denatured and weakened. As a result, we select only basane leather for the upholstery of our club chairs.
The sheep leather we use is renowned for its softness and pleasant smoothness. It’s a leather with pearly tones that is extremely soft to the touch. Sheepskin is a natural thermoregulator. It is a living material that adapts to external conditions. In summer, it will radiate coolness, while in winter, it will diffuse heat. And as we all know, it’s a breathable material that absorbs excess moisture. So you’ll never have the unpleasant sensation of sweating when you come into contact with the basane leather of your club chair.
Vegetable tanning of full grain sheep leather
For leather to retain all its qualities and cover our club furniture, it must first go through an essential stage: tanning. Forget the chemical processes that damage hides and the environment. At My Club Chair, we swear by vegetable tanning. This technique may take longer and be more expensive, but it is the most respectful of both man and the planet. It uses only natural elements such as roots, leaves and buds. This type of tanning makes the leather hypoallergenic and rot-proof.
What’s more, this age-old process retains the softness needed to mould the leather directly onto the structure of the chair. This way, the leather will adopt its shape without becoming damaged or creating unsightly creases. This handcrafted technique is carried out in the Toulouse region by an internationally renowned leatherworker. When assembling the club chair, to achieve the best possible result, we wet the basane so that it perfectly matches the curves of the model. We then leave the leather to dry naturally before moving on to the next stage.
The colour and finish of the basane leather
Once the entire surface is perfectly dry, we colour it with the chosen tint. We offer the following colours:
- Regular colours: honey, havana, chocolate, cognac, red, black, antique green and English green;
- Custom colours based on a sample: send us the reference sample by post, with the colour you want to reproduce. The choice is almost infinite: platinum, pink, burgundy, emerald, salmon, etc.
We will carry out several tests and submit them to you, then you can select the shade you prefer.
Once dyed, the leather is patinated and waxed by hand to bring out the roughness of the basane. This step emphasises the elegance and magnificent natural colour of the material. An artificial patina is an art in itself, enhancing and enriching the upholstery and therefore the armchair itself with subtle reflections.
Finally, the leather parts of the backrest are hand studded, for a beautiful vintage effect, or finished with a more sober and discreet leather piping.
Making the structure, the skeleton of the club chair
The structure of a chair is the element on which the different layers of materials (foams, straps, padding, leather, etc.) and the users of the chair will rest. It’s what makes everything stand upright, stable and durable. This is the backbone of the chair. It has to be rock solid. That’s why we’ve chosen solid beech wood for the frame and base of our models. This species of Fagaceae is extremely robust and relatively easy for a cabinetmaker to work with.
Wood is a noble material, but it’s also alive. This means that it changes with time, use and climatic conditions. To reduce the impact of these variations, we kiln-dry the wood beforehand. This extra step stabilises the wood and prevents it from warping with temperature fluctuations, for example.
There are 2 types of frame:
- Frame with fixed front: the frame has a fixed front and nosag springs are fitted under the seat. The weight of the body is cushioned by the seat cushion. As the “floor” of the chair does not move, you sink into the seat less, making it easier to get up.
- Frame with suspended front: the frame has an articulated front and under the seat are bi-conical (hourglass-shaped) springs. Under the weight of the occupant, the seat cushion and springs deform to match the shape of the body. This type of assembly provides additional cushioning. As you sit deeper, it is less easy to get up.
Upholstering a leather armchair, a key step towards comfort
The notion of comfort is relative and personal. Some people like a firm feel, while others swear by softness. To meet your needs, we offer 5 varieties of club chair upholstery that correspond to a certain type of comfort.
- Regular upholstery
- 42 kg/m3 high resilience polyurethane foam (firm comfort) ;
- Fibre flakes laid and partitioned (soft comfort) ;
- Fibre flakes laid flat (medium comfort).
- Upholstery on request
- Horsehair: vegetable or animal ;
- Feather and flakes of moss ;
- Polyurethane foam with pocket springs.
If you have any doubts about the type of upholstery that would suit you best, don’t hesitate to contact us.
A personalised club chair thanks to the flexibility of handcrafted manufacture
Far from the standardised models imposed by industrial production, craftsmanship offers many possibilities for personalisation, adjustment and fantasy! The craftsman is a master in his field, which allows him to adapt, take liberties and offer a range of configurations and finishes that would be unthinkable outside of manual production.
You’ve fallen in love with a club sofa in our collection, but you’d like to change the dimensions or the shape of the back, armrests or base? It’s possible! Do you have a particular model of club chair in mind, but can’t find an equivalent in our catalogue?
Tell us your ideas and we’ll let you know if they’re technically feasible. If you have a particular request for manufacturing, contact us, we’ll study your request and get back to you quickly with details.
“You can’t expect the impossible“… If they are achievable, all your wishes will be granted (well, almost!).
