Corner Banquette Design

[azure flower]

Looking for some advice/feedback on this corner banquette.
Details:

• Will likely all be built from 3/4" BB ply, may finish the exterior sides in hardwood or different veneer, it will be anchored to the wall.
• I am planning on a separate toe kick/plinth to level everything
• On top of that will sit two boxes, assembled essentially as frameless cabinets. The 4 panels in front below the seats will be drawers.
• For the seat platform, which is also the top of the cabinets, i planned on cutting the center out and adding jute/upholstery webbing, the seat will be cushioned.
• Similarly for the back, except the back will be upholstered. My plan right now is to upholster the frame before installing it, since I won't be able to access the back.
• Design not finished where the corners meets.

First, I'm curious about considerations I should worry about with this cantilevered cabinet design, it seems fairly standard though. I would also love any advice and guidance on the upholstery frames, and how to attach the upholstered back after assembly. General design ideas, aesthetics, etc. are all welcome. I've built boxes but never seating, and never upholstered anything properly.

[mystic stump]

I think this end cap piece should mimic the angle of the back

Are these cushions going to be removable? I would want to be able to wash them given their proximity to foods and the fact that you appear to be the owner of a small, very competent, mess-making machine

[opal otter]

Not sure if you already have it, but I bought the foam for the exterior upholstery I did a few years ago from foambymail.com, still in good shape, and they'll cut it for you as well so it ends up clean.

[azure flower]

thats a good adjustment, got carried away with the brutalist thing

and 100% yes bottom cushions will be removable! we're planning on having some custom sunbrella cushions made with outdoor foam for the seat, the angle of the back makes cushions more difficult thus why we were thinking the upholstery route

[opal otter]

You can sew sunbrella with a regular machine, but I get farming it out as well. I think I probably saved like 30$ collectively on the cushions by sewing them myself

[azure flower]

nice will check them out, we were planning on outdoor foam

[faint lotus]

I wouldn't leave that corner sharp like that though

it looks good, and it will hurt

[azure flower]

red corner, yellow corner, or both?

[faint lotus]

red worse than yellow imo

[azure flower]

yea that sits mid-back, i do have concerns about that, the main purpose of that piece is just to hide what I expect will be ugly upholstery work, but i want to get away with as little as possible to not make the seat feel closed off, the space opens to the main kitchen

[faint lotus]

rounding the corner to match the upholstery would look good too I think

and create less agony

[azure flower]

changes the vibe a bit for sure but not in a bad way, it appears sexier

[faint lotus]

I'm just one idiot, but that is a bit more functional

imo

[azure flower]

form v function balance is an ongoing discussion, since the seating will mostly be for kids/guests we won't have to be sitting there often, but I am a pragmatist and have a hard time making things less functional

but yea i like it, will run it up the chain

[jaunty spade]

Upholstery is a lot of fun, I’m excited for you! A lot of the amount of work that is required depends on the style you’re going for, and the material you want. Vinyl will likely be the easiest as you can do a “no sew” cushion and it’s very easy to clean. You can order a sample set from marinevinyl.com and see all of their colors and products. If you want to go the woven fabric route you’ll need to do pleated corners or a sewn cushion. Check out faceliftinteriors on YouTube, he has some excellent videos

[azure flower]

something approximating these, but with sane colors. Removable cushions on bottom that we are going to have custom made, and an upholstered back that I currently plan to DIY to accommodate the seat angle. Didn't plan on tufting. Wrapping the upholstery over the top seems easier finish out, but we can't do that because A. The cats must walk there and B: I am relocating two power outlets to the top.

Will check out that youtube channel thanks! 97% of upholstery things I'm finding online are using spray adhesive to attach foam to a sheet of plywood, which I'm pretty sure is not how actual furniture is made.

[faint lotus]

that corner woks better because it's not proud of the upholstery

for whatever that is worth

[azure flower]

yea I just cant figure out how that upholstered back is attached to the frame, i'm familiar with how an upholstered slip seat would attach but in this case I don't see how to secure it once in place

[jaunty spade]

The spray adhesive just holds the foam while applying the upholstery, it’s actually pretty common practice. That upholstered back is likely attached to a piece of plywood screwed in from behind

[azure flower]

yea I was more referring to the foam being glued to a solid sheet of ply, rather than having a suspension system with webbing or springs, I was thinking something like this

re: upholstery being screwed from behind, it seems like I have to choose between anchoring the backrest to the wall/into the studs, or screwing the upholstery in from behind. Given those choices I would prefer to anchor the backrest to the wall, which means I need to attach the upholstery without being able to screw in from behind

[faint lotus]

you can use flush cleats too

attach a z cleat to the carcass and the back, they drop in

[jaunty spade]

For dining I’m not sure webbed seats and backs are necessary. ^that is a good idea

[azure flower]

hmm yea that will probably do it, i was having trouble thinking how I would align those, but I could just do that before installing the frame to the wall

[azure flower]

probably seats, moreso than back, i would presume? I've read that a suspension system makes your cushions last significantly longer. So it was more about extending the life than being necessary, especially for the custom seat cushions that will be expensive.

[jaunty spade]

I cant speak to the longevity, however the expensive part is the cover. If you need to replace the foam it won’t be nearly as expensive as the cushion was initially

[azure flower]

environmental reasons as well, since the foam doesn't biodegrade once its trash, but point taken. It may be unnecessary. I'm going to build a single seat to make sure my dimensions feel good and I wont mess with suspension for that so we'll see how it feels!