Buying Guides

Getting your furniture right for your room

Start with shapes that you love, this may sound obvious but trust your own eye. Consider the room as a whole and think about what the main elements are, be practical and ensure that you provision space for side tables and lamps (you need places to put your drinks and books), if you do this you’ll have a good idea of how much space you can allot to your upholstery pieces.

Consider the age and location of your property. Country homes and urban homes need different solutions and we like to think that we cater for both.

It’s how the pieces work together that counts, try to avoid three-piece suites, they create heavy blocks in a room, presenting everything on the same level and missing opportunities for something more interesting. Think about the leg heights, it might be good to have some pieces with longer legs as they tend to have a lighter visual impact. Also, consider that we are all different shapes and heights, so think about how you prefer to sit when you’re relaxing. If you like to have your legs up, then make sure the sofa seat is deep enough to accommodate this if it isn’t you might need a sofa with a chaise end or an ottoman. If you like to lie down on your sofa, make sure it is long enough for you to stretch out. Consider that some family members or friends may want to sit higher or lower, have head support, read by the window etc. so it’s really useful to have some upright chairs or small sofas that can be pulled into play when needed. In our range Hawthorne, Rickman and Boodle tick these boxes and in addition, add a lightness to the overall effect with their relatively low arms and high backs.

Think about the lines that you like; soft and rounded or crisp and angular but keep the arrangements loose and have fun putting together mixtures of new pieces and old. The aim is to create balance and harmony and reflect your family’s personality.

Always measure the space where your sofa is going to go carefully. It’s so disappointing to go through the process only to find that something doesn’t fit. Make sure you measure up your door frames and allow for any tight angles, radiators, bannisters or other architectural impediments. Some of our sofa legs are removeable to help deal with access issues and there’s a detailed guide here.

A sofa is one of your most important furniture decisions. Make sure that it’s comfortable to you. Even cheap sofas cost a lot of money and frequently end up in landfill so it is really worth spending time to get your decision right. Ideally, your sofa will serve you for a long time before being passed on to future generations, so always buy the best that you can possibly afford. Good sofas improve with age as the cushions soften with use, regular plumping of seat and pillow cushions will improve their longevity.

Once you’ve chosen the shapes you like, you’ll be ready to think about fabrics.

This information will help ensure that the furniture you select fits in your home. Use this step by step guide for an easy transition to creating a beautifully furnished home.

Step One – Take note of the main dimensions

Note the key dimensions of the furniture as follows; width, height, depth and diagonal depth. You will find this information within the Specifications on our website.

Step Two – Plan the space where your new furniture will live

If you know where you want to position your new furniture, check the dimensions of the space and make sure that the item fits into the allocated spot. We recommend that you use a floor plan and/or mask out the width and depth of the item using low-tack decorating tape.

Step Three – Check your access

Bearing in mind that the height dimension of furniture tends to be the smallest and so, therefore, the furniture may need to travel through parts of your home sideways, work out the best route through to the destination. You will need to measure every doorway, hallway, staircase and lift that the furniture will need to pass through. Be sure to measure ceiling heights, lift openings and any wall to wall dimensions where the furniture needs to be turning a corner. Your furniture width and diagonal depth must be less than the width of any doorway, stairway, hall or lift through which it must pass.

The colours, patterns and textures you choose for your room can tell a story of understated luxury, playful exuberance, a formal or relaxed approach and all stages in between. Fabrics create connections between the elements of a room, they don’t have to match so you get to decide how loose or tight you like your associations to be. A mixture of textures in similar tones generally looks more formal, urban and calming, with further interest added by introducing leather or an accent colour that pulls out a tone from a treasured painting, rug, vase etc. Whilst a more relaxed mixed and mismatched assemblage of colour and pattern can evoke the comfortable, generational layering of the classic English country home.

The way our fabric range is put together allows you to build your scheme and layer it to fit your story. Let practicality play its part; think about how you live and who uses the furniture (dogs, cats, red wine spillers). Some of our fabrics have a stain repellent finish which will go some way to keeping things looking good. Pieces in high-traffic areas such as family or living rooms will need durable fabrics, while furniture treated to less wear and tear, such as a bedroom chair, can sport any type of textile.
Your budget will obviously guide you too and we have ensured that we offer fabrics to cover a range of options without compromising on style or performance.

Think about it as layering and for example; select your base texture (Rembrandt for a relaxed feel, a more structured texture such as Tarn for a polished feel) and add to it a piece in Gio for urbane sophistication, and a scatter in Selena for some tactile luxury.

Browse our fabrics here here.

Thank you for purchasing a piece of John Sankey furniture. All our furniture is handmade in Britain by craftsmen at our own workshop in Derbyshire.

Please take time to read the following instructions to ensure that your furniture is kept in the best possible condition. With the correct care it will give you many years of comfort.

Enjoy!

Cushions

To keep your cushions in good condition and prolong their lifetime, plump them regularly. Vigorously plump and pat your cushions into shape if they contain fibre or feather. Cushions with foam content will lose some of their hardness within a few weeks of wear. Regularly turning reversible cushions and changing their position helps maintain shape and prolong life.

If the cushions are not turned and plumped regularly they may begin to look out of shape. If this happens unzip the cover, reposition the interior and follow the steps above.

Cushions will need replacing from time to time over the years depending on how you use them. Please contact us if you require any serviceable parts.

Cover

Avoid direct sunlight, sharp objects and spillages. Sunlight can cause the covers to fade, discolour and rot. Protect your fabric by drawing curtains or blinds. Similarly, direct heat from radiators, heaters or fires can cause these effects; reposition your furniture away from any of these possible sources. All fabrics can be snagged or scratched. Cat’s claws, jewellery, buckles, rivets etc. are the most common causes. If a snag appears tuck it in but do not pull it or cut it.

Velvets

Avoid getting velvets wet as it can permanently damage the appearance of the pile and any finish that the velvet may have.

Regular cleaning

Vacuum clean your upholstery at least once a week; dust removal may be improved by pre-brushing with a soft brush. Accumulated dirt will accelerate wear and dull colours.
Your furniture has been hand-made and engineered to last for years, treating it carefully will help prolong its life and look. Do not allow the furniture to be used as a trampoline, climbing frame or any other such use. Likewise do not sit on the arm or edge of the cushions, as they will wear prematurely.

Stains & Spills

With spillages, act quickly. Absorb the spillage with dry white kitchen paper or a dry white cloth. Do not rub or soak the fabric or allow the stain to set. Do not use proprietary cleaners or any other household cleaners. Contact professional upholstery cleaner.

Professional upholstery cleaning

Sooner or later your upholstery may require cleaning. At that time, have it cleaned by a bona fide upholstery-cleaning specialist. We would advise that you do not attempt this yourself as the cleaning materials and methods are specific to the fabric type. The weaving, dyeing and finishing of upholstery fabrics is complex and technically particular to the type of fabric.

Zips

The zips on your upholstery and cushions are not necessarily there so the covers can be removed, but as a method of effectively fitting interiors during manufacture. Your upholstery has been made in accordance with the relevant fire retardancy legislations and this might mean that the cover has a back-coating treatment that may be removed by the improper dry-cleaning process.

Show wood

Most modern furniture is finished with a hard-wearing lacquer to give protection. All timbers can alter slightly when exposed to light; some tend to darken and some may lighten and these changes should be expected.

Avoid extreme changes in room humidity, and never place a piece of furniture directly next to a heat source or in direct sun light. For best cleaning results first use a soft, clean damp cloth then buff with a soft, clean dry cloth. Never use polishes, solvents or abrasive cleaners as these can damage the lacquer.

Remove any spillages immediately.

General

Every effort is made to represent colours accurately in photography, CGI and samples. However due to the natural materials used on our products and the batch nature of fabric manufacture, shade variations can occur. We have a policy of continual product development and improvement so therefore reserve the right to make any changes to our materials and finishes.

Troubleshooting

Should you have a problem, report it to your dealer immediately. Please have available your sales invoice and the unique identity number which can be found on the underside of your upholstery product. Describe the problem as accurately as possible. Your dealer will help you and if necessary, arrange for your furniture to be inspected so that the appropriate course of action can be agreed.

A Guide to Comfort

Comfort is a huge factor when choosing furniture, but how do we create comfort in the first place? And then describe what is essentially a physically immersive experience?

There are arguably few pieces of furniture more important than your sofas and chairs. As comfort is so subjective and depends on height, weight and personal preference, we offer a wide range of sitting experiences, so it’s best that you sit in our furniture before buying.

The quality of materials and craftsmanship used, go hand in hand in delivering comfort and longevity.

The Key Ingredients

At John Sankey, we strive to achieve a balance between support and softness, whilst also and effortlessly, looking tantalisingly beautiful… here’s how we do it.

The Frame

The frame is the essential foundation – if you will; the bones of the piece. Frames set out the overall ergonomic design and support of all the springing and softening elements. A well-constructed frame supports the back, facilitates the comfort derived from the padding layers and improves the longevity of everything that is laid on top. Many of our frames are enveloping and curvilinear, which can really enhance the overall finished comfort. All of our frames are made on site in our Derbyshire workshop. They are dowelled, glued and screwed and are absolutely rock steady and fit to support the layers that follow.

The Springs

The springs work to deliver a combination of support and resistance, they let you in to the furniture and also tell your body when to stop sinking. They are the ligaments and tendons of the piece and at John Sankey we use one or a combination of the following:

The yielding of the sit is enhanced on a John Sankey piece by seat interiors that use a soft foam and feather combination to create the ultimate casual, relaxed experience.

Serpentine springs: These springs are made up of heavy-guage metal wires that are fashioned into wavey zig-zags and tensioned by affixing to strengthened rails at the front and back of the seat. They tend to give a firmer support and are useful when creating a shape with a light feel and longer legs, when used with our foam/feather interiors they can also be called soft and supportive.

High Performance Elasticated Webbing: Elastic rubber is encased with coiling, super strong polyester fibres to create stretchable, robust webbing. The webs are interlaced to create a strong, flat surface that is relatively firm when compared to coil or serpentine springs, and for this reason, we generally reserve this for the tops of our foot stools.

The Padding

Now we know that we have a sturdy frame and spring construction, we can move on to another important part of the finished piece… are we stretching the analogy too far if we say that this part is like muscle? The layers of foam that we use combine high resilience with softness to ensure that the musculo-skeletal performance of the shape will last for years to come. When the padding is quilted and buttoned, extra sumptuousness is achieved… especially when laid over curving, enveloping lines.

The Seat Cushion Filling

The seat cushions enhance the function of the springs underneath, making the shape look inviting with their volume and softness… they are the all-important sub cutaneous/ fat layer.
We like them to be soft and supportive and to recover their shape when released from the pressure of our bodies. For this reason, we use high density foam with feather wraps as we feel that this combination delivers the softness with recovery that most people are looking for. If you need something different to this, we can also offer a hypoallergenic fibre option.

A Note on Seat Depth

The optimum seat depth depends on your proportions and preference.

For example, a shallow seat can help you to sit upright with your feet flat on the floor, while a deep seat might cause your feet to dangle above the floor. A deep seat is preferable for the person who enjoys a laid back, slouchy or curled up position.

To enable you to understand the proportions of each of our pieces, we have included both seat height and seat depth within the dimensions on our product specifications.

A Note on Back Height

Low-back models tend to look sleek and modern and because they are combined with deeper seats, encourage a laid back, slouchy sit and really suit open-plan spaces, where they don’t overly block or dominate the view. High-back sofas tend to look more formal and can offer support to the back, neck and head – especially when combined with a shallow seat. High backs are better suited to those of us hankering after extra support and also in rooms with high ceilings. The angle of the back also plays a part, for instance; our Tolstoy has a deep seat with a back that is relatively reclined and we’ve combined this with a coil-sprung seat unit to allow the sitter to really sink in and relax.

Putting the Cherries on Top

Pillows: adding pillows allows you to position yourself, creating your own personal nest that gives you extra support exactly where you need it.

Ottomans and footstools: Places to rest your feet or pop a tray are essential in a comfortable home. Our extensive range of ottomans/benches/foot stools create a central point of interest and can be beautifully co-ordinated to unify your scheme, we like to think of them as the soft alternative to coffee tables.