Cypress Blog & Trends

General Upholstery Cleaning and Care January 06 2015, 0 Comments

Fabric care is an important part of owning upholstered furniture. General care of upholstered furniture depends on the type of fabric used and the construction of the furniture. Care should not require a significant amount of time and effort on your part to keep your furniture looking great. You should not be afraid to care for your upholstery, as even a little effort can go a long way. Of course though, caution should always be exercised so as not to damage.

 

General tips:

  • Know where to look for information. Furniture should come from the manufacturer with one or more tags. These tags are descriptive and often include what kind of fabric was used along with who manufactured the fabric. Follow care instructions on the tag or as listed by the fabric manufacturer for specific or tricky types of fabric such as silk, opposed to a more resilient fabric like a nylon or cotton.
  • Be gentle.
  • Limit direct exposure to sunlight. Sun exposure can cause fading.
  • Be aware of the effects of heat/moisture. Fabric near heating elements or sources of moisture can be subject to adverse effects, such as stretching and shrinking. Carefully plan where you are going to place furniture and be aware of potential hazards.
  • Consider a lint roller for hair and other small bits of debris that end up on furniture.
  • Flip cushions at least monthly. This will distribute wear better over the cushion and extend its life. Not all cushions are designed to be flipped though, so make sure both sides are identical before flipping.
  • Pouf and plump cushions up as needed to fix loft. Pillows and cushions in your furniture behave similarly to those on your bed, meaning occasional plumping will help them better retain form and be more comfortable. Also similar to bedding, down cushions will require more frequent plumping.

 

Cleaning your furniture:

  • It is recommended to vacuum or brush your furniture monthly to remove loose dry debris and dust. Consider the amount of dust on a table top surface that accumulated there over the course of a month. Remember that the same amount settles invisibly on your furniture.
  • Always test cleaning products somewhere inconspicuous.
  • Treat stains and spills quickly, do not allow them to set. Work from the outside edge towards the middle of the stain to prevent rings. Don’t rub or scrub, instead blot. A clean white cloth is recommended for cleaning spots and stains. The type of cleaner used will depend on the type of fabric in use as well as the nature of the stain.
  • Do not machine wash cushions or casings. These often have interior liners that can be destroyed or damaged by machine washing.
  • It is recommended to be proactive in cleaning. If furniture is allowed to become too soiled and stained, it may be impossible to clean and restore, or cleaning might do damage to the material that cannot be reversed.
  • Consider hiring a professional cleaner every 2-5 years. First be sure to check their qualifications. It is also wise to provide them the name of the brand of fabric. Generally this can be found on the attached manufacturers tags.
  • Consider a fabric protection system. These are often spray applications done by furniture companies, but home use applications are also available. These often contain a dirt and moisture repellent but are not the same level of protection as say, putting plastic on your furniture. They will not make your furniture immune to stains and issues, but they will go a long way to prevent damage. At Cypress Furniture we use the NEX system, a natural, orange based spray on application protection system. When buying or reupholstering furniture be sure to ask about these types of systems.
  • Look into reupholstering your furniture if the fabric is starting to tear or is becoming too worn. This is also a great idea to simply freshen up your room with a new fabric pattern.

Seems like only yesterday... May 04 2013, 0 Comments

Seems like it was only yesterday when I last posted something on my blog. I cant say that I am surprised that years have passed since my last posting. I have been very busy and business is doing really well.

 So to bring you up to speed: The factory is running really smooth right now. We have a great team of craftspeople and woodworkers. Everyone really works well together and are very respectful of each others' skills and trades. This has helped us to develop some stronger "looks" in terms of new frame style and development.  With the experience which our team has, it helps to create new frames but also new frames which are comfortable and work with the lifestyles of today.

 We have been very fortunate to work with some great local commercial design firms and their clients. They have helped to push us into new areas of design. There has been a great deal of interest in creating work environments which are relaxed and comfortable and foster collaborative work. They tend to want a "residential" feel. Which is funny because I find lately a lot of the residential furniture design has been looking like the frames we have been building for commercial use.

I have been thinking about finally building myself a sofa for the back sun room at home. The photo here is a sofa we recently completed. This is going to be my inspiration for my home. I am leaning towards a custom sized sectional which has different seat depth and arm widths and heights. But, I seem to always have other projects to work on, so my sofa for home is always on the back burner. One of these days I will get a new sofa! In the meantime, If you have a sofa at home from Cypress, I hope you are enjoying it!


Jim


Integrity and Quality August 30 2010, 0 Comments

I recently had a meeting with a designer whom we have built quite a bit of furniture for over the years. She was having a difficult time on a project and wanted to discuss options on pricing with me. She is working on a large project and the "decorating" committee consists of several women involved with the project. The problem is that the committee has placed their priority on price. They are not at all interested in the differences between my furniture and furniture they have gone online and found.


Of course they have found furniture that is made for about 1/4 the price of mine. Now we all know that in order for furniture to be that cheap, it has to be of a much lower quality. Here is where we get into sticky territory. How does the designer educate her clients without insulting them? They are not experienced in purchasing quality furniture for commercial use. They are looking at the cheapest price. How do you tell them that they will be replacing broken furniture and will eventually end up paying more per item in the long run than purchasing quality built furniture the first time? The designer wanted to know if I would build a cheaper version of the type of furniture we currently build. My answer was an emphatic "NO". I feel like it is almost a "bait and switch" scheme. People buy my furniture because it is expertly constructed and very reasonable. (OK, I know that not everyone can afford my furniture, but if you are willing to save and wait till you can afford it, then you are spending your money on quality furniture. It has a great value and is the better choice.)


I feel or rather I hope that this whole economic turbulence is teaching or reminding us on what it means to save up and buy the best quality we can afford. It is the art of spending wisely and not frivolously. That is true value!


The other point about shopping online, is the effect it has on the Mom and Pop furniture stores. They are rapidly becoming a dying breed. How can you buy furniture online? You don't know how it feels, sits, or actually looks. And the most important part is how it is made. There is nothing like picking up a piece of furniture and feeling its weight, feeling if it is solid. Are we just too lazy to drive to a store? Have we really missed the lessons of making quality, valued buying decisions? And why are we so slow in learning the lessons, again! I was raised to take care of my things and to value them. We need to be smart consumers and buy quality, made in the USA products!