Over here in England, however, a davenport with arms and back of the same height in buttoned leather may also referred to as a Chesterfield sofa. While some believe the term is adopted, others say that the fourth earl of Chesterfield – Philip Stanhope (1764-1773) was honoured by the commissioning of a piece of fine furniture, in this case a leather Chesterfield.
Elsewhere, others say ‘Chesterfield’ originally referred to the style of buttoning of the leather, shape of the sofa back, and even the height of the seat.
Made by proud craftsmen for proud customers, the Chesterfield remains as iconic today as it was hundreds of years ago, and whatever the reason behind the name, a leather Chesterfield by any other name would today seem somewhat strange.
Below, one of our former apprentices Scott takes you through the early stages of Chesterfield manufacture in our busy workshop. Take a look here:
Keep your eyes peeled on the Distinctive Chesterfields blog, as we’ll be bringing you some more videos taken in our workshop very soon.
