Ivory and Gold Sofa in Carved Teak - 3 Seater with Burgundy Accents

Gathering Cloth by Hand Under the Seat

There is a strip of frame on every sofa between the underside of the seat cushion and the top of the apron. It is a few inches deep and almost nobody thinks about it. Most makers cover it with a flat panel of stretched fabric, or leave it as bare rail, and either way it reads as a hard horizontal line cutting the piece in two. On this sofa that strip is gathered by hand into close vertical pleats so the cloth falls in soft folds along the entire length, which takes several times the fabric of a flat panel and a great deal more of the upholsterer's time.

What it buys is continuity. The gathered folds catch light down their length and break the horizontal, so the eye reads the upholstery running down into the carved apron instead of stopping abruptly above it. Combined with the burgundy accent, which appears only in the recessed sections of the frame and never on the fabric, the sofa holds together as ivory and gold with a dark line drawn through it rather than as three colours competing. Both decisions are about restraint rather than addition, which is the harder discipline on a piece this ornate. Everything is carved, gilded, gathered and upholstered by hand by master Indian artisans.

Specifications: Ivory, Gold and Burgundy Carved Sofa

The sofa as photographed is described below. Because it is made to your order, every line can be changed.

• 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
• Frame finish: gold, with burgundy set into recessed sections of the frame and base rail
• Back: pierced carved crest rising to a centre cartouche, above a deep-buttoned ivory panel with damask wings
• Seat: long cushion in ivory and gold damask
• Valance: fabric hand-gathered into close vertical pleats beneath the seat, running the full length
• Apron: pierced carved gold front rail
• Arms: rolled over carved gold volutes
• Feet: carved scrolled feet
• Upholstery options: damask as shown, or velvet, silk, linen, leather or a fabric you supply
• Accent options: burgundy as shown, another colour, or omitted entirely for a plain gold frame
• 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

Transporting Gathered Cloth Without Crushing It

Gathered upholstery is the one element on this sofa that cannot be packed under pressure. Pleats held compressed against a padded surface for several days on the road come out flattened on one side and take a long time to fall properly again, if they ever do. So the valance travels with a standoff: a light rigid guard is fitted just clear of the gathered strip along the full length of the sofa, so packing material bridges over it and nothing rests against the folds at any point.

The two pierced runs, crest and apron, sit in foam cut around the openwork so nothing bears on the cut-through sections, and no strap crosses either. Gold carving is faced in a soft non-abrasive wrap since a burnished surface cannot be spot-repaired invisibly, and the burgundy recesses are treated the same way. The ivory damask travels against clean undyed material that cannot transfer colour, with no strapping over the buttoned back panel. The seat cushion is packed uncompressed. Dent-free, unmarked, with the pleats hanging and the carving intact, 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 nothing added to your invoice for freight. Production begins once your specification is confirmed. Two stages set the timetable: the pierced carving on the crest and apron, which is slow and unforgiving work, and the hand-gathered valance, which cannot be produced quickly because the pleats have to be set evenly along the whole length by eye. We give you a realistic completion window at sign-off and will say at enquiry if a fixed date cannot be met rather than accepting the order and missing it.

The sofa ships in crated packing with a standoff guard over the gathered valance, 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 you to check the pleats, the buttoning and both pierced runs with them present so anything you are unhappy with is raised on the spot. Tell us at enquiry about narrow entrances, small lifts or tight stair turns so the frame can be engineered accordingly.

What Is Covered on This Sofa

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. The seat rails, arm junctions and carved feet are structural and covered in full, with joints cut and pinned rather than screwed. The pierced crest and pierced apron are decorative and are covered against manufacturing failure rather than impact, which is the honest distinction on cut-through carving. Termite cover runs indefinitely because teak resists termites through the oils in the timber rather than through any surface treatment.

The damask, the gathered valance, the cushion interior and the gold finish sit outside the structural warranty. The valance deserves a specific mention: gathered cloth held in pleats will relax slightly over the years and can be pulled or snagged by a vacuum head or a pet, more readily than a flat panel would be. That is inherent to the technique rather than a fault. We re-gather, reupholster and re-gild our own sofas at any point at an honest price, and we can redo the valance alone without touching the rest of the piece. Keep the sofa indoors and out of prolonged direct sun.