Most people choose a sofa or a sideboard by looking at it. Once it is at home, though, they come to know it by touch: the arm a forearm rests on every evening, the front edge of the seat they push against to stand up, the handle they pull many times a day. These touch points are small areas, yet they take almost all of the daily contact, and they decide whether a piece still feels right after years of use.
This guide walks through the main touch points on seating and storage furniture, what to check at each one and which choices you can make when ordering.
Map the touch points first
Before comparing models, list where contact really happens. On most pieces it is concentrated in a few places:
- Arm tops and arm fronts on sofas and armchairs, where forearms rest and hands grip when you sit down or get up.
- The front edge of the seat, which supports the back of the legs and takes the load each time you stand.
- The top of the backrest on dining chairs, used as a handle to pull the chair out.
- Handles, door edges and drawer fronts on sideboards, cabinets and TV units.
- Table edges, where wrists and forearms rest during meals or work.
Arm tops: width, padding and seams
On a sofa or armchair the arm top is usually the most handled surface. Three things shape how it feels. First, width: a slim arm of around 10–15 cm looks light, while an arm of 20 cm or more gives the forearm a full resting place. Second, padding: a firm, well-padded arm keeps its shape when you lean on it, whereas a thinly covered arm lets you feel the frame edge underneath. Third, seam position: a seam running along the very top of the arm sits exactly under the forearm, so it is often moved to the inner or outer face of the arm.
When you look through our armchair collection or a model such as the Platon sofa, study the arm in profile as well as from the front. A rounded arm is softer under the wrist; a square arm looks cleaner but has two edges that take the rubbing. In leather, arm tops collect hand oils first, so a light, regular wipe matters more here than anywhere else; our guide to leather sofa care and cleaning covers the routine.
Seat edges: where you sit down and stand up
The front edge of the seat is touched differently: not by the hands but by the back of the thighs, and under load every time you sit or rise. A crisp, square front edge looks tailored but can press into the legs on a deep seat. A slightly rounded front, or a cushion that rolls over the front rail, spreads that pressure. Seat height matters too. A common range for living-room seating is 42–46 cm; a lower seat feels relaxed but makes standing up harder, and the arm front then has to work as a grip.
The filling decides whether this edge keeps its line. At Sitdesign, seats are built with high-resilience (HR) foam and sprung seating over a kiln-dried beech frame, which helps the front of the cushion recover after it has been compressed. Piping along the front edge is a visual choice, but it is also the first line to rub, so consider a tone close to the main leather.
Dining chairs: the top rail and the arm front
Most people pull a chair by the top of its backrest, so that edge should be easy to grip; a softly shaped top is more comfortable in the hand than a sharp one. If the back is fully upholstered, the top edge will be the first place to show wear, which is a reason to choose a hard-wearing leather or a darker fabric. On a chair with arms, check that the arm fronts slide under the table edge; arms that hit the table make the chair awkward to use every day. A model like the Bellini dining chair is worth judging on these points as much as on its silhouette.
Handles, doors and edges on storage
On a sideboard or cabinet the touch points are the handles and the door or drawer edges. A few practical checks help:
- Leave enough finger room: a common rule is at least 2.5–3 cm of clearance behind a pull.
- Choose handles you can use with one hand while holding a plate in the other.
- Check edge profiles: a slightly eased edge is kinder to fingers than a sharp right-angled corner.
- Notice temperature: metal and marble feel cool, wood and leather feel warm, which matters on surfaces where you rest your wrists.
When browsing our sideboards, look closely at how each door opens: a recessed grip, a leather pull and a metal handle all feel different in daily use.
Test the touch points before you order
When you can see a piece in person, sit down and stand up three times without using your hands, then three times using the arms. Rest a forearm on the arm top for a few minutes. Run a hand along the seams and the underside of the arm. Open every door with one hand. Trade fairs are one place to do this; the leather cushions in this article's cover photo were on our stand at CNR İMOB 2020. If you cannot see the piece, ask for leather samples, then press, fold and rub them with your thumb to judge softness and grain.
Every Sitdesign piece is handmade in our own factory in Büyükçekmece, Istanbul, and details such as arm width or seat height can be adjusted on request. We work only with genuine leather, in 76 colours across 12 colour families, and fabric or your own material (COM) is also possible. Contact us for leather samples and a quote for the piece you have in mind.
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