Restaurants
Cafe Beluga in Bonn: a continuous Chesterfield sofa along a mural wall
For Cafe Beluga at Clemens-August-Straße 51A in Bonn we made one long Chesterfield-style seat, covered in red velvet and run along the whole wall of the main room. We set the length and the division into modules for this particular wall, not for a catalogue size.
Scope of the project
| Element | Details |
|---|---|
| Furniture | continuous Chesterfield-style booth, made to measure |
| Fabric | velvet in deep red |
| Finish | tufting characteristic of the Chesterfield style |
| Division | modules fitted in length to the wall of the room |
| Location | Bonn, Germany |
In a café velvet works to a different rhythm than faux leather in a club
A café guest sits down with a coffee and stays an hour. They do not spill drinks, do not squeeze between the table and the backrest in a crowd, do not lean on the seat while standing. The surface wears more slowly and differently than in a night venue.
In such conditions velvet gives what faux leather never will: depth of colour and softness to the touch that you notice during longer sitting. In a club we would advise against it without hesitation; here it was the obvious choice. Material is chosen for the rhythm of the venue, not for its category in a price list.
Furniture as the only calm surface in a decorated interior
The wall the seat stands against is covered with a mural. The interior has a lot of detail and a lot of colour, so here the furniture had the opposite task to usual: not to add, but to bring order.
The saturated red of the velvet is the only large, uniform surface of colour in this room. The seating completes the decor instead of competing with it, and at the same time organises the placing of tables along the whole wall. A sofa running in one line does in such an interior what a frame does around a painting.
What "continuous" means for furniture that travels in pieces anyway
No run of this length enters a venue in one piece. We build it from modules, as standard of one metre or 1.2, at most 1.4 linear metres, because that length fits through standard doors and staircases.
So continuity is a question of where the joints fall and how they are made. We plan them at the drawing stage, choosing the division for the length of the wall, not the other way round. With Chesterfield tufting this matters even more, because the pattern has to match where two segments meet; otherwise the break catches the eye more than the gap itself.
A café counts differently from a restaurant
A café sells a seat for longer at a lower bill, so occupancy is counted differently there than in a restaurant serving lunches. A run along the wall is more efficient in such a venue than tables with chairs on both sides, because it does not reserve space for pushing chairs back.
One linear metre of seating gives roughly two seats. For longer meals that drops to one table for four per 1.2 to 1.5 metres, because a guest needs more space around a plate than around a cup.
An order for Germany
Bonn is not an exception. We also deliver upholstered furniture to other venues in Germany, and beyond that to France, the Czech Republic and Hungary. We run the project exactly as we do at home; the difference lies in the transport logistics and the installation date.
Frequently asked questions
Why velvet rather than faux leather?
A café has a different rhythm of use than a night venue. Guests sit longer and more calmly, so softness and depth of colour matter more than resistance to spilled drinks.
Can a booth run along a whole wall without breaks?
Yes, although physically it is made of modules up to 1.4 linear metres long. We plan the joints at the drawing stage and make them so that the tufting pattern matches where segments meet.
Do you make Chesterfield-style furniture to measure?
Yes. In Bonn we made continuous seating with Chesterfield tufting, fitted in length to the wall. Our catalogue also has the Chesterfield sofa as a starting model.
Do you deliver furniture to Germany?
Yes, and not only there. Besides Germany we have furnished venues in France, the Czech Republic and Hungary.
How many seats does one linear metre of such seating give?
About two. In a restaurant with longer meals, allow rather 1.2 to 1.5 metres per table for four.
See our other projects for cafés and restaurants or explore our range of custom upholstered furniture.
We write more about fabrics and finishes on the upholstered booths page.
We will advise on dimensions, fabrics and seating layout - free of charge and with no obligation.