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Friday, April 21st, 2017
Hooker Furniture Living Room Jared Swivel Recliner
The very first reclining chair was believed to be the one owned by Napoleon III. Tit was the two American cousins named Knabush and Shoemaker who have gained the patent on the wooden recliner, though.
Background
The recliner is an upholstered seat that comes with metal mechanism. This mechanism has to be activated by the user so that the back will be pushed out. The foot rest also rises up and serves as a rest for the lower legs.
A lot of recliners are armchairs. Upholstered seats and backs make the comfortable chair into what it is. This mechanism is also what led to this seat being called motion furniture. There are a few recliners that can be activated when the person pulls the lever; others activate it by pushing the chair back with a little force.
One of the earliest recliner designs was published in 1813, Ackennann’s Repository of Arts, a British periodical. This reclining patent chair served as a prototype for a lot of chairs that followed throughout the next centuries.
In the late nineteenth century, the Morris Chair came into existence. A different mechanism was used where a series of pegs or rod was used. The frames were made of wood and were often massive. Upholstered cushions were also added for the seat and the back. This chair was advertised as a comfy seat just as all recliners are being marketed these days.
Recliner Materials
The primary parts of the recliner include a metal activating mechanism, frame, foam (upholstery padding), and upholstery fabric. These materials depending on who manufactured them. There are also different styles to choose from.
The frame is often made of wood, often hardwood. And since the chair moves a lot or the weight shifts from a conventional chair to a recliner often, this frame is reinforced with bolts, metal nuts, and steel corners. There could also be some fiberboard that’s used as a minor frame support.
Upholstered backs of recliners are made with a foam that is sculpted (often polyurethane foam). All the hard corners of the foam blocks are softened and padded.
There are also exposed wood on the feet, arms or the back of the recliner. The fabric used on the upholstery varies from one company to the next. If there is one thing in common with their recliners, it is the fact that they are all fairly durable. This is needful since the chair is pushed and pulled many times during its lifetime.
Recliners are often upholstered in cotton, leather, or natural synthetic fibers.
Recliner Benefits
You might have considered a recliner as an alternative to a sofa and an ottoman. More than space reasons, there are even more benefits to this more than you know. There are many ways that the recliner can benefit the body.
Studies have shown that there are a wide array of health problems that come from stress – from migraines to heart disease, to depression to asthma. Stress triggers a lot more these illnesses and this is one reason that the recliner can be beneficial.
Here are other recliner benefits –
Tags: McCreerys, McCreerys Home Furnishings, recliner, recliner chair benefits, recliner sofa, recliner sofas, recliners
Posted in Furniture, Interior Design 101, Interior Design Elements | Comments Off on The Recliner: Your Comfy Throne
Wednesday, June 15th, 2016
Hooker Furniture Living Room Isadora Vineyard and Isadora Hickory Recliner
The recliner is what’s known in the furniture world as an upholstered chair complete with a mechanism that can be activated by the user. This metal mechanism controls the back of the chair to be pushed out while the foot rest rises. Many recliners have arms which make them a lot more comfortable.
Motion Furniture History
One of the first designs of the reclining chair was featured in Ackennann’s Repository of Arts, a British periodical. This prototype in 1813 became the pattern for hundreds of others that were manufactured throughout that century.
Ash and Browne, both upholsterers and cabinetmakers from New York introduced the improved recliner in 1855. Soon enough, cabinetmaker George J. Henkels also featured a recliner that could be manipulated by the sitter himself.
By the late nineteenth century, the recliner was called the Morris Chair named after William Morris who owned the Morris and Company manufacturing firm.
The rest is history as others contributed to the chair’s improvement. Other mechanisms were simple involving basic rods and pegs. The frames are often made of wood and the cushions are upholstered to make the chair one comfortable seating unit.
Recliner Prototyping
Product development teams take the recliner from mere sketches to the working prototypes. These prototypes, once tested, will then be handed over to the manufacturing department. More often than not, the team consists of the upholstery designer, pattern layout technician, sewing technician, wood technician, and the CAD engineer.
Recliner Raw Materials
The essential components of the recliner are its frame, the activating mechanism, the upholstered foam and the upholstered fabric. The materials used greatly vary depending on the manufacturer’s style and preferences. Generally, though, the materials used are as they are described. Where the frame is made of wood (often hardwoods) complete with metal nut reinforcement, steel corners and bolts; there may also be some fiberboard used to support the back.
The activating mechanism is often made of metal more specifically stamped steel. The springs used in the upholstered seat are also made of metal.
The padding for the upholstered backs may or may not be sculpted. All the hard corners are padded for safety. Back in the day, foams contained CFCs or chlorofluorocarbons but, these days, for ecological reasons, manufacturers have already abandoned such materials.
For manufacturers who create recliners with exposed wood arms and feet use more expensive types of wood such as oak or maple. This is either varnished or stained for added beauty.
The style of the upholstery fabric varies dramatically. Are all fairly durable since the recliner has to be pushed and pulled many times during the furniture’s life span. Recliners are also upholstered with cotton, leather, natural or natural-synthetic fiber combinations. The synthetic fiber types are the easiest to clean and are known to be fire resistant.
Each of these parts is assembled in phases where the components are installed in sections.
Flexsteel Living Room Fabric Power High-Leg Recliner 501R-503M
Recliner Quality Control
Unlike furniture used in public buildings, businesses or schools, pieces that are used in residential areas are not required to undergo consumer tests. The manufacturers do inspect each piece, though, visually through careful inspection. While the inspectors are all trained to look for puckers, protruding nails and such, they are still human and could miss some manufacturing defects.
This is where you come in. You should be able to check the quality of recliner based on the features mentioned here. Check how far the fabric would stretch, if it is colorfast, if the materials used are readily flammable, and other such specs. Take the time to check out the recliner if you want your seating piece to withstand the rigors of daily use.
Tags: history, history of motion furniture, McCreerys, McCreerys Home Furnishings, motion furniture, recliner, recliner chair, recliner chair benefits, recliner sofa, reclining chair
Posted in Furniture, Interior Design 101, Interior Design Elements | No Comments »
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