Upholstery is where hotel furniture wears out first: seat foam softens, fabric pills at the front edge, and frames loosen at the joints. A contract piece is built so that none of these fail before the next refurbishment. Turkish upholstery factories make sofas, lounge chairs, banquettes and upholstered beds to the designer’s drawings. Rovers prices every line with the Turkish partner factory that fits, approves the frame, foam and fabric as one build, books the fire tests the market needs, and inspects every piece before packing.
What we make
| Item | Where | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sofas and sofa beds | Guestrooms, suites, serviced apartments | Sofa beds use a metal mechanism and a mattress tested with the sofa |
| Lounge and occasional chairs | Rooms, lobby, lounges | Loose or fixed seat cushions; arm caps where hands rub |
| Dining and bar seating | Restaurants, bars | Upholstered seats and backs on timber or metal frames |
| Banquettes | Restaurants, breakfast rooms, bars | Built on a joinery base, fixed to the wall; seat and back as separate panels for re-covering |
| Upholstered beds and headboards | Guestrooms | See beds and headboards |
| Ottomans, benches, bed-end stools | Rooms and public areas | Often the first piece to show wear; tops specified for it |
How a contract piece is built
| Part | What to specify | What we check |
|---|---|---|
| Frame | Kiln-dried hardwood or plywood; joints glued and dowelled or screwed, corner blocks; metal frames welded | Frame drawing approved; joints and moisture content checked before covering |
| Suspension | Serpentine springs, pocket springs or webbing | Spring type and spacing on the shop drawing |
| Foam | Combustion-modified polyurethane foam for load-bearing use, by density (kg/m³) and hardness per part | Density and hardness written per seat, back and arm; BS 3379 sets the UK performance classes |
| Wrap and interliner | Fibre wrap over foam; a fire barrier interliner where the fire test needs it | Built exactly as tested |
| Cover | Contract fabric, leather or faux leather; pattern repeat matched across seams and pieces | Rub count, pilling, light fastness, cleaning code |
| Finish details | Piping, buttons, stitching, glides | Matched against the approved sample |
On the floor, frames are cut and assembled in the frame shop, foam is cut to templates and bonded, fabric is cut on a table (by hand or CNC) and sewn, and the piece is covered and stapled by hand. The first article of each model is checked against the drawing and the approved fabric before the batch is covered.
Strength. EN 16139 sets safety, strength and durability requirements for non-domestic seating for adults up to 110 kg. A hotel brand standard may set its own seat-cycle and load tests; they are priced as a line once named.
Fabric wear: Martindale and Wyzenbeek
Fabric durability is rated by a rub test, and the two common tests do not convert into each other.
| Test | How it works | Contract guideline (ACT, Feb 2025) |
|---|---|---|
| Wyzenbeek (ASTM D4157), used mostly in North America | Cotton duck rubbed back and forth over the fabric, counted in double rubs | 15,000 double rubs for low-traffic private spaces; 30,000 for high-traffic public spaces |
| Martindale (ASTM D4966 or EN ISO 12947), used mostly in Europe | Fabric rubbed in a figure-of-eight pattern under pressure, counted in cycles | 20,000 cycles for low-traffic private spaces; 40,000 for high-traffic public spaces |
ACT notes that there is no correlation between Wyzenbeek and Martindale results, and that a higher count does not predict lifespan on its own. Guestroom seating fits the private-space line; lobby, restaurant and bar seating fits the public-space line. A hotel spec may ask for more, and the fabric is checked against the spec, not the guideline.
Fire standards by market
| Market | Standard for hotel upholstery | Test behind it |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | BS 7176, medium hazard (hotels) | BS 5852, including the crib 5 ignition source |
| United States | 16 CFR Part 1640, which adopts California TB 117-2013; permanent label | Smoulder test of cover, barrier and filling |
| EU | No single EU rule for contract seating; the spec names the test, and EN 1021-1 and EN 1021-2 are the European methods | Smouldering cigarette, then match-flame equivalent |
| UAE and Gulf | The UAE Fire and Life Safety Code accepts British, European and US test methods | For example BS 5852 or EN 1021-1 |
The test is run on the combination that will be built: cover fabric, interliner and foam. If the designer changes the fabric after the test, the test is booked again. That is why the fabric is approved before the test is ordered, and why the test report sits in the order file next to the shop drawing.
Packing and delivery
Upholstered pieces are wrapped in film over a breathable layer so that condensation in a container does not mark the fabric, then boxed or crated with corner guards. Each box carries the item code, room or area and box count. Outside the US we deliver and install; for US projects the scope is manufactured and delivered.
What to send us
Send the drawings or reference images per model, the fabric schedule with the supplier and colour, the quantities per area and the destination. If the fabric is not chosen yet, we propose contract fabrics that meet the rub count and fire test for the market and price each option on the same schedule.
- Association for Contract Textiles: Voluntary Performance Guidelines, abrasion, woven fabrics, indoor (Feb 2025) · accessed 2026-10-04
- VisitBritain Pink Book: fire safety of furniture and furnishings (hotels medium hazard; BS 7176, BS 5852 crib 5) · accessed 2026-10-04
- eCFR: 16 CFR Part 1640, flammability of upholstered furniture (adopts California TB 117-2013) · accessed 2026-10-04
- CEN: EN 1021-2:2014 Ignitability of upholstered furniture, match flame equivalent (part 1: smouldering cigarette) · accessed 2026-10-04
- CEN: EN 16139:2025 Safety, strength and durability of non-domestic seating · accessed 2026-10-04
- BSI: BS 3379:2005+A1:2011 Combustion modified flexible polyurethane foam for load-bearing applications · accessed 2026-10-04
- Dubai Civil Defence: UAE Fire and Life Safety Code of Practice · accessed 2026-10-04