Piping and Buttons of The Barcelona Chair

Piping:

Piping may be made in a variety of different ways, the earliest of which was by simply folding long strips of fabric or leather over cord or thin rope and then hand or machine stitching as closely as possible to the encased cord, leaving the double thick margin to be tacked and then sewn into the cushion itself through four thicknesses of leather. Plastic tubing is most often used today, because it provides a consistent and regular tube. However the highest quality manufacturers still use rope. Knoll has over the years used both hemp, cotton and acrylic rope.

Covered buttons:

Two part hollow metal buttons, comprised of a top and a bottom section, both covered in leather are then pressed together so that the bottom half snaps or fits snugly into the top half. A metal loop which is an intrinsic part of the lower level is then attached via stout generally sythetic, high tensile thread, through the cushion by means of a button hook to a matching button on the other side.