Savoir-Faire
The anatomy
of a perfect seat.
An upholstered seat is an engineered object. Every layer — frame, suspension, garnissage (padding), fabric — contributes to comfort, durability, and beauty. At Bespirit, we have spent thirty-five years mastering each one.
Chapter One
The Frame —
where durability begins.
The frame is the skeleton of every seat. It determines longevity, stability, and — when properly engineered — the difference between furniture that lasts two years and furniture that lasts twenty.
At Bespirit, we use kiln-dried solid beech (Fagus sylvatica), selected for its density, strength, and resistance to warping in varying humidity conditions. Kiln-drying — a process that reduces moisture content to 8–12% — is essential for furniture destined for air-conditioned hotel environments, where atmospheric changes would otherwise cause untreated wood to crack or deform over time.
Each joint is assembled using a combination of mortise-and-tenon joints, corner blocks, and stainless-steel fasteners. Corner blocks — triangular reinforcements glued and screwed at opposing 45° angles — are the critical detail that prevents frame racking under repeated loading. Our frames are load-tested to 200kg compression before assembly continues.
Metal reinforcement is used sparingly, and only where the carcass calls for it. Some frames, like the Sonoma lounge, are built as an assembly of multiple pieces and benefit from steel inserts at the joints — the highest stress points in high-frequency contract seating. Others, like the Eaton chair, use no metal at all: the carcass relies on continuous one-piece rear uprights running from floor to backrest, incorporating the curve for ergonomic recline, which increases the rigidity and strength of the whole frame on its own. This case-by-case engineering — not a fixed formula — is the defining difference of true contract manufacturing.
Suspension Systems
Interwoven Elastic Webbing: Across our range, suspension is built with interwoven elastic webbing stretched and secured across the frame — offering excellent resilience, a lower seat height, and strong resistance to the pulling forces of chair legs across hard flooring, without the added weight or complexity of a spring system.
Frame assembly — solid kiln-dried beech, corner-blocked and tested to 200kg before upholstery begins
Chapter Two
Garnissage —
the art of the upholsterer.
Garnissage is the French term for the upholstery padding process — the layering of materials between frame and fabric that determines how a seat feels, how it ages, and how it holds its shape over years of intensive use. It is where an upholsterer's experience is most visible, and most consequential.
Base Layer — Recycled-Fibre Webbing
After the frame is complete, a covering woven from recycled thread is stretched and secured across the suspension, creating a stable base for all subsequent layers. This seemingly simple step sets the tension profile of the entire seat.
High-Resilience Foam — Precision Cut
The primary comfort layer is high-resilience (HR) foam, specified by density (28–40 kg/m³) and firmness (ILD rating) according to the seating application. A lobby lounge seat receives different foam specification than a restaurant dining chair. Each block is precision-cut with a bandsaw and hand-shaped at the edges — the edge-roll technique that gives upholstered seating its characteristic clean profile.
Dacron Wrap — The Final Softness
A wrap of Dacron polyester fiber is applied over the foam to soften the profile, fill small imperfections, and give the seat its final rounded silhouette. The tension and thickness of the Dacron layer is adjusted by hand, seat by seat — a step that cannot be automated and is the mark of quality upholstery.
Final Upholstery — Direct Application
On most projects, the final fabric or leather is applied directly over the Dacron or foam, without an intermediate muslin (calicot) layer. The exception is projects with strict fire-safety norms, where an interlining is still stretched taut across the piece before the final upholstery to meet certification requirements.
— Master Upholsterer, Bespirit, Zaragoza
Finishing Techniques
Hand-piping: Cord-filled fabric piping is hand-sewn along all principal seam lines — the defining mark of quality upholstery. Piping requires machine-cut bias strips, careful joining, and hand-insertion that cannot be replicated by machine.
Tufting: Button-tufting — pulling fabric and padding into geometric diamond or square patterns — is one of the oldest and most demanding upholstery skills. Each button is tied with traditional linen twine through all padding layers to the frame.
Hand-folding corners: The corners of every arm, every back, every seat are hand-folded with a hospital-corner technique. There is no machine substitute for this step — it is where the experience of the upholsterer is most visible.
Garnissage in progress — HR foam and Dacron build up the seat profile before final upholstery
Chapter Three
The hospitality project —
from brief to opening night.
A hospitality furniture project is unlike any other. The stakes — financial, operational, reputational — demand a process that is simultaneously rigorous and flexible. A hotel opening cannot move. A restaurant launch cannot slip. We have built our entire operation around this reality.
FF&E Brief & Specification
Every project begins with the FF&E (Furniture, Fixtures & Equipment) brief produced by the interior designer or hotel group. We study floor plans, mood boards, and existing FF&E schedules to understand the full scope — room quantities, circulation constraints, fire certification requirements, and aesthetic direction.
Bespoke or Model Selection & Customisation
Bespoke or selection from our catalogue of 150+ models, we identify best-fit candidates for each space. Dimensions are verified against the floor plan. Frame details (leg finish, back height, arm style) are customised. Fire certification grade is confirmed — typically EN 1021-1 & EN 1021-2 for European hospitality, BS 5852 Parts 0 & 1 for UK projects. Fabric specifications are established using our sample library or the designer's COM/COL.
Prototype & Mock-Room Approval
Before full production begins, we manufacture one or more physical prototypes for client approval. For major projects, we equip a full mock-up room — dressed with the actual furniture, lighting, and finishes — so the client can evaluate the piece in its intended context before committing to production quantities. This step, often underestimated, eliminates the most costly errors.
Production & Inline Quality Control
Full production with mandatory quality checkpoints at three stages: frame completion, garnissage, and finished upholstery. Every batch includes random pull-aside testing. Our project manager provides weekly production reports with photographic documentation. Deviations from specification are flagged and resolved before the affected batch advances.
Coordinated Delivery & Installation
Furniture delivery is coordinated with the site construction programme — typically timed for the final two weeks before soft opening, when floors are complete and other trades have vacated. For occupied hotels (renovation projects), we plan phased deliveries by floor or zone to minimise guest disruption.
Botanic Sanctuary Antwerp, luxury 5-star hotel — coordination of 280 pieces (sofas, armchairs and banquettes) delivered in three phases over six weeks
Key certifications we deliver
Chapter Four
Our range —
Bespoke or 150+ models, four categories.
100% Bespoke
If none of our 150+ models is exactly right, we design from scratch. Your brief, your dimensions, your silhouette. We have done it for palaces — we can do it for your project.
Chapter Five
Materials —
over 500 fabrics, one library.
Our material library is curated from Europe's finest fabric houses — Lelièvre, Casamance, Vescom, and others. Every reference is pre-vetted for contract suitability before it enters our catalogue.
FR certified. Tested to 100,000+ Martindale abrasion cycles. Woven for continuous hospitality use. Available in 300+ colourways.
Full-grain, semi-aniline and corrected-grain options. Sourced from ECCO Leather and certified Iberian and Italian tanneries. Available in 25+ colours.
Hospitality-grade velvet and bouclé with FR treatment applied post-weaving. 80+ colourways. For statement seating in suites and public areas.
Customer's Own Material or Leather. Bring your interior designer's specification and we manufacture with it — subject to technical validation for contract use.
