SO HOW IS FURNITURE ACTUALLY MADE?
THE INSIDE STORY
SO HOW IS FURNITURE ACTUALLY MADE?
THE INSIDE STORY

WHERE IT ALL STARTS



Inside the Office

“Order in the house!” is a phrase commonly echoing the halls of Temple’s main office building. Once an order is received (usually via fax or e-mail), it is then keyed into our system and scheduled. Each scheduling ticket has little stickers that are distributed to the factory workers which provide the details pertaining to their individual jobs. As you can probably guess, it is very important for the orders to be keyed correctly so that each part is produced according to what the customer ordered.
WHERE IT ALL STARTS



Inside the Office

“Order in the house!” is a phrase commonly echoing the halls of Temple’s main office building. Once an order is received (usually via fax or e-mail), it is then keyed into our system and scheduled. Each scheduling ticket has little stickers that are distributed to the factory workers which provide the details pertaining to their individual jobs. As you can probably guess, it is very important for the orders to be keyed correctly so that each part is produced according to what the customer ordered.
FRAME WORK

Inside the Router Room

Perhaps one of the coolest parts of production is preparing the frame. This all takes place in the router room, which is a big factory with a machine what will essentially “print out” the parts of a frame needed for a sofa (or whatever style is being made). Those parts are then assembled by skilled craftsmen to produce the finished frame.
FRAME WORK

Inside the Router Room

Perhaps one of the coolest parts of production is preparing the frame. This all takes place in the router room, which is a big factory with a machine what will essentially “print out” the parts of a frame needed for a sofa (or whatever style is being made). Those parts are then assembled by skilled craftsmen to produce the finished frame.
CUTTING AND SEWING

Inside the Plant

Another essential step in furniture production is cutting the fabric. Each piece needs to be cut accurately in order not to waste material and for the sewers to have the correct pieces they need. The fabric is cut with the aid of a cutting machine.  Then, sewers are given their cutting bundles so that they can stitch together each piece to form casings for cushions and pillows. Once casings are cut and sewn properly, they are then stuffed with cushions. With each step, it is very important for workers to read their tickets. Sometimes, customers request patterned fabrics to be applied a certain way or cushions to be upgraded, so employees must make sure they are paying attention to the details. 

CUTTING AND SEWING

Inside the Plant

Another essential step in furniture production is cutting the fabric. Each piece needs to be cut accurately in order not to waste material and for the sewers to have the correct pieces they need. The fabric is cut with the aid of a cutting machine.  Then, sewers are given their cutting bundles so that they can stitch together each piece to form casings for cushions and pillows. Once casings are cut and sewn properly, they are then stuffed with cushions. With each step, it is very important for workers to read their tickets. Sometimes, customers request patterned fabrics to be applied a certain way or cushions to be upgraded, so employees must make sure they are paying attention to the details. 

MAKING IT STURDY

Inside the Sofa Seat

One of the most important parts of furniture manufacturing is making it strong and sturdy enough to hold a significant amount of weight. Temple Furniture and Parker Southern have mastered the art of “eight-way hand tying”, a technique that involves tying the springs together in a way that provides superior support.

MAKING IT SOFT

Inside the Sofa Frame
There is a lot of work that goes into “adding the meat to the bones” if you will. The frame represents the “bones” of the sofa, the foam represents the muscle or “meat”, and the upholstery is like the outer “skin” that covers it all. Staging is the process of adding foam to the out arm and back of the frame, and upholstering is covering that foam with precut fabric. This makes the sofa look and feel very nice.
There is a lot of work that goes into “adding the meat to the bones” if you will. The frame represents the “bones” of the sofa, the foam represents the muscle or “meat”, and the upholstery is like the outer “skin” that covers it all. Staging is the process of adding foam to the out arm and back of the frame, and upholstering is covering that foam with precut fabric. This makes the sofa look and feel very nice.
WRAPPING IT UP

The Final Steps

After the finishing touches are added, the sofa must pass final inspection. At this stage, the sofa is elevated and thoroughly examined to make sure it meets desired quality standards. Once approved, the piece then moves on to the wrapping stage. Every inch of the sofa is wrapped thoroughly to protect it from damage during the shipping process. This brings us to the final step, which is shipment. Each carefully wrapped piece is stored in a warehouse until it is time for it to be shipped.
~THE TAKEAWAY~
 
Seeing a finished product is so much more satisfying when you actually know a little bit about how much work went into creating it. From order processing to frame production to cutting, sewing, upholstering and final details, there is a great deal of labor involved in the manufacturing of all of our furniture pieces. From order entry to shipment, most pieces take about 2 weeks to prepare for both Temple and Parker Southern. The end result could certainly not be accomplished without our dedicated employees doing their specialized jobs. We hope this article has given you a better understanding of how our furniture is made and more importantly, an appreciation for the process. To the employees of Temple and Parker Southern: thanks for all you do!