Simple chairs, one of the best starting points when learning upholstery.
A “simple chair” refers to a seat with a fixed upholstered base, meaning the upholstery is directly built onto the chair frame. There is no removable cushion or separate seat element. The structure is straightforward, which makes it ideal for understanding the fundamentals of upholstery: webbing, padding, shaping, and covering.
Because of this simplicity, these chairs allow you to focus on technique without being overwhelmed by complex construction. They are perfect for beginners, but also useful for refining clean finishes and fabric tension.
It’s important not to confuse what we call here simple chairs with drop-in seat chair.
A drop-in seat chair has a removable seat that can be taken out of the frame. The upholstery is done separately on this seat panel and then placed back into the chair. This makes the process faster and often easier, but it involves a different approach and set of techniques.
For this reason, drop-in seats are covered in a separate section.
What you will learn
In this section, you will learn how to upholster a simple chair from start to finish, step by step. Each tutorial focuses on a specific technique that you can reuse on many different types of seats.
You will learn how to:
- prepare and assess a seat before upholstering
- apply webbing correctly
- build padding using foam or traditional methods
- control fabric tension for a clean result
- create neat corners and finishing details
Step-by-step approach
To make things easier to follow, the tutorials are organised in a logical order. If you are new to upholstery, it is recommended to follow the steps in sequence.
- Preparing the seat
Start by understanding the structure and applying the right base.
→ How to web with elastic webbing - Padding
Learn how to build volume and comfort using foam and edge roll.
→ Foam seat with edge roll tutorial - Covering
This is where the chair starts to take shape. You will learn how to stretch and fix the fabric properly.
→ How to cover a little chair easily - Finishing details
Small details make a big difference. This step focuses on clean and precise finishes.
→ How to create a simple pleat on a squared edge seat
Access full tutorials
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