Linen Sofa in Carved Teak - 3 Seater Oatmeal with Champagne Frame

Restraint on the Surface, Complication Underneath

Judged by ornament alone, this is the quietest sofa we make. Judged by the frame, it is one of the more difficult. Almost nothing on it is straight: the front rail bows outward, the arms curve forward in plan and roll over in section, and the back rail is shaped along its top edge. Every one of those members has to be cut to a curve rather than sawn from straight stock, which raises both the timber cost and the failure rate, because a shaped section loses strength wherever the grain runs out at the surface and has to be laid out to keep the grain following the curve.

The reason to accept that cost is what the shape does when people sit down. A bow-fronted seat is deeper in the middle, so the person in the centre is not pushed forward relative to the two beside them, and forward-curving arms turn the outer seats very slightly inward towards each other. The result is a three seater on which three people can actually hold a conversation rather than sitting in a row facing the same wall. The quilted panels on the outer arms follow the same thinking: on a sofa that will often stand away from a wall, the outside is as visible as the inside, so it is finished as carefully. All of it is carved, finished and upholstered by hand by master Indian artisans.

Specifications: Oatmeal Linen and Champagne Carved Sofa

The sofa as photographed is described below. Because it is built to your order, treat every line as a default.

• Frame and carving: solid teak wood, hand-carved and hand-finished by master Indian artisans
• Seating: three seats as shown; two, four or a custom length available to order
• Upholstery: oatmeal linen, with a buttoned centre back panel
• Seat: single long bench cushion with piped front edge
• Front rail: bowed outward, so seat depth is greater at the centre than at the ends
• Arms: curved forward in plan and rolled in section, with quilted diamond panels on the outer faces
• Carving: crest at the centre of the back, scrolled brackets at the arm bases, pendant on the front rail
• Frame finish: champagne as shown, or gold, antique gold, silver or a painted colour
• Upholstery options: linen in any colour, or velvet, damask, silk, cotton, leather or a fabric you supply
• Cushions: firmness specified to your preference; split cushions available in place of the bench seat
• Size: custom sizes made to order; final measurements confirmed in writing before production
• Warranty: 20 years on solid teak frame and joinery; lifetime cover against termite damage
• Delivery: free across India with guaranteed dent-free arrival

Packing Curved Rails and a Long Bench Cushion

Shaped frame members do not sit flat, which changes how the piece has to be crated. A bowed front rail laid on a flat base bears on its two ends and takes any strap load at the point of maximum curve, which is exactly where a shaped section is least able to resist it. This sofa travels on a contoured support that follows the bow, so the front rail is carried along its whole length, and the forward-curving arms are cradled individually rather than being clamped against a straight edge.

The single bench cushion is packed uncompressed and laid flat rather than strapped, because a long cushion held under a strap for several days on the road takes a crease along that line and linen holds a crease far more stubbornly than velvet or leather. The linen surfaces travel against clean undyed material that cannot transfer colour, with no strapping across the buttoned back panel or the quilted arm faces. Champagne carving is faced in a non-abrasive wrap and the carved brackets and front pendant are contour-padded. Everything is rigid-crated and strapped. Dent-free, uncreased and unmarked, or we make it right.

Free Delivery Across India on This Made-to-Order Sofa

Delivery is free anywhere in India, with no distance surcharge and no freight line on your invoice. Production starts once your specification is confirmed, as nothing is held in stock. On this design the frame takes longer than the carving does, because every shaped member has to be laid out and cut to its curve before any ornament is touched. We give you a realistic completion window at sign-off and will tell you at enquiry if a date you need cannot be met rather than agreeing and missing it.

The sofa ships in contoured crated packing under our dent-free arrival guarantee and we keep you informed from dispatch to arrival. Our team places it in the room and we ask that you check the linen for transit creasing, the buttoning and the champagne finish while they are still present. A sofa with forward-curving arms is wider across the front than its back measurement suggests, so measure your entrance door and stair turns against the widest point, and tell us at enquiry if access is tight so the frame can be engineered accordingly.

Warranty on a Shaped Sofa Frame

The solid teak frame and joinery carry a 20-year warranty from delivery, and termite damage is covered for the life of the sofa with no expiry. On a frame where most members are curved, the warranty question is really about short grain: a shaped rail is only as strong as the way its grain was laid out around the curve, and a badly cut one will eventually fail at the point where the grain runs out. Our shaped members are set out to keep continuous grain following the curve, and they are covered for the full term, as are the joints where the curved arms meet the seat and back frames.

The linen, the cushion interiors and the champagne finish sit outside the structural warranty. Linen is a beautiful upholstery cloth and a demanding one: it creases, it relaxes into the shape of the people who sit on it, and it marks more readily than a synthetic blend. That is the nature of the fabric rather than a defect, and we would rather say so plainly than let you discover it. We reupholster, replace cushion interiors and refinish our own sofas at any point at an honest price. Keep the piece indoors, out of prolonged direct sun, and do not modify the frame.