| General term for household fittings, hangings,
curtains, cushions, and covers. It refers to stuffed, padded, and
spring-cushioned furniture, such as chairs and sofas, or to the usually
decorative materials and fabrics that cover them. The first furniture
upholstery was probably leather, stretched on without padding. Italian
Renaissance chairs were cushioned with leather, velvet, or embroidery;
the French made ornate chairs covered with tapestries and embroideries;
England developed upholstery in Elizabethan and Jacobean reigns. The use
of springs is comparatively modern. Hair, fiber, flock, foam rubber,
down, and kapok are used for padding in modern upholstery, and woven
fabrics, plastics, leather, and synthetic leather serve as coverings. |
