Tub Sofa in Carved Teak - 3 Seater Silver Grey with Champagne Frame

One Rail, No Corners

A rectangular sofa is straightforward to build because it is made of straight parts. Cut a back rail, cut two arm rails, join them at right angles, and any imperfection at the joint disappears under the upholstery. A tub sofa removes that safety net. The top rail is a single continuous curve in show wood, visible along its whole length, so it cannot be assembled from short segments with the joins buried, and it has to hold a fair line the entire way round. The eye is remarkably good at finding a flat spot in a long curve, even when it cannot say what is wrong.

What you get for that effort is a different experience of sitting. The enclosure comes round past the shoulders on both sides, which makes a large sofa feel sheltering rather than exposed, and the curve turns the outer occupants slightly inward so three people can talk without leaning forward. It is also why the carving on this piece is deliberately sparse. Heavy ornament along that rail would chop the curve into episodes and destroy the continuity the whole form depends on, so the carving is confined to the centre crest, the arm brackets and the apron. Every part is shaped, carved, finished and upholstered by hand by master Indian artisans.

Specifications: Silver Grey Tub Sofa in Carved Teak

The sofa as photographed is described below. Since it is built to your order, each line is a default that can be changed.

• Frame and carving: solid teak wood, hand-carved and hand-finished by master Indian artisans
• Form: tub sofa, with back and both arms formed as one continuous curved show-wood rail
• Seating: three seats as shown; two, four or a custom length available
• Upholstery: silver-grey herringbone, following the curve of the frame
• Seat: single long cushion spanning the full width
• Carving: foliate crest at the centre of the back rail, scrolled brackets at the arm returns, low carved front apron
• Legs: fluted tapered legs
• Frame finish: champagne as shown, or gold, antique gold, silver or a painted colour
• Upholstery options: herringbone, plain weave, velvet, linen, damask, leather or a fabric you supply
• Cushions: firmness specified to your preference; split cushions available
• 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

Crating a Sofa With No Straight Sides

Standard sofa packing braces against flat back and side panels. A tub sofa has neither, so bracing it the usual way would apply point loads to a curved rail at exactly the places it is least able to take them. This piece travels in a contoured cradle: the crate interior is cut to follow the outside of the curve so the frame is supported continuously around its whole perimeter, rather than being clamped at a few points. No strap is ever tightened across the span of the curve.

The show-wood rail is faced in a soft non-abrasive wrap along its entire length before any padding, since it is visible from every angle and a scuff anywhere on it is a scuff on the main feature of the sofa. The fluted tapered legs, which are slender and project below the frame, are individually wrapped and rigid-guarded, and the sofa is carried on its seat rails so the legs bear no weight in transit. The single long cushion is packed uncompressed and laid flat rather than strapped. Dent-free, unscuffed and with the curve true, or we make it right.

Free Delivery Across India, and What to Measure

Delivery is free anywhere in India with no distance surcharge and nothing added to your invoice for freight. One measurement matters more on a tub sofa than on a rectangular one: its depth. Because the arms curve forward from the back, the piece is deeper front to back than its seat suggests, and it cannot be turned on its side in a narrow corridor the way a flat-backed sofa can. Measure your entrance, your lift and the tightest turn on the route, and send us those numbers at enquiry so the frame can be engineered to break down if needed.

Production begins once your specification is confirmed, since nothing is stocked. On this design the frame takes the time rather than the carving, because the continuous curved rail has to be shaped, faired and finished before any ornament is cut. We give you a realistic window at sign-off and will say honestly at enquiry if a fixed date cannot be met. The sofa ships in a contoured cradle under our dent-free arrival guarantee, our team places it in the room, and we ask that you check the sweep of the rail and the upholstery over the curve with them present.

Warranty on a Continuous Curved Frame

The solid teak frame and joinery are guaranteed for 20 years from delivery, and termite damage is covered for the life of the sofa with no expiry. On a tub frame the critical question is how the long curved rail was made. Ours is built so that the grain follows the curve rather than running out across it, because a shaped member with short grain will eventually break where someone leans on the arm, and on a tub sofa people lean on the arms constantly since that is where the back becomes the arm. Those sections and their junctions are covered for the full term.

The herringbone, the cushion interior and the champagne finish sit outside the structural warranty, as all three wear with use rather than fail through construction. On this form the upholstery over the curved back takes more strain than on a flat one, because the cloth has to be worked round a continuous curve, and a fabric with a strong directional weave will show that. We choose and cut cloth accordingly, and we reupholster our own sofas at any point in their life at an honest price. Keep the piece indoors, out of prolonged direct sun, and do not modify the frame.