Highland House: American-Made Upholstery You Can Specify Your Way
Highland House is an American upholstery house known for refined proportion and detailing that holds up through years of real use. Sutter & Vale carries the full line, and the reason designers return to it is straightforward: every piece is made to order, which means the fabric, trim, and cushion fill are decisions you make, not compromises you accept. The Highland House collection is built that way by design.
What Is Highland House, and Why Do Designers Specify It?
Highland House makes American upholstery and casegoods with the kind of construction that earns repeat specification. The frames are proportioned to look considered from across the room and comfortable enough for daily life. The detailing, welt placement, topstitch, nail trim, skirt or no skirt, is where the character lives. You notice it on the second look, which is exactly when it matters.
What Does "Made to Order" Actually Mean for a Highland House Piece?
Every sofa, chair, and chaise is built after you choose it, not pulled from warehouse stock. That means the choices are yours at the point of specification.
Across the line, you will typically be selecting from:
- Cover: Highland House's own fabric program, from plain weaves to textured and patterned cloth
- Finish: wood legs and bases in the house's standard stain options
- Trim detail: welt, topstitch, nail trim, or plain seams, depending on the frame
- Cushion fill: down-wrapped or ultra-down options on applicable frames
- Skirt or no skirt: several frames are designed specifically around the skirted silhouette
Lead time is a real factor in any room schedule. Plan for it before you commit.
How Do the Trim Details Differ from Frame to Frame?
Trim is where Highland House frames develop their individual character, and the differences are worth knowing before you finalize a specification.
The Barrow 88" Sofa ships standard with welt on the base only and button tufting, with nail trim optional, giving it a more traditional attitude. The Hackney Sofa, at 90" wide and 39.50" deep, ships standard with plain seams and nail trim optional, which reads as cleaner and more contemporary. The Marcel Skirted Sofa ships standard with topstitch. The Atwood skirted frames, offered in 86" and 96" widths, ship with no welt at all.
If you are matching or contrasting an existing room, the distinction between welted, topstitched, and plain-seam frames is often the deciding factor.
How Do You Size a Highland House Sofa to a Room?
Seat height and depth matter as much as width. Here is a quick reference across the sofas Sutter & Vale carries:
| Frame | Width | Depth | Height | Seat Height |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barrow | 88" | 36" | 28" | 18" |
| KBB | 90.5" | 36" | 32" | 19.5" |
| Robert | 88" | 38" | 34" | 18.5" |
| Verona Skirted | 84" | 41" | 34" | 20" |
| Marcel Skirted | 90" | 40" | 36" | 20" |
| Hackney | 90" | 39.5" | 33.5" | 18" |
A 36" depth reads as a standard seat. Frames at 40" or 41" deep, like the Verona and Marcel, are built for rooms where lounging is the priority. The Marcel Skirted Chaise, at 34" wide and 68" deep, pairs naturally with the Marcel Skirted Sofa if you want a coordinated grouping.
As a standard rule, allow at least 18" of clearance between the sofa and a coffee table, and confirm that your entry points can accommodate the frame's width on delivery day.
What Makes the Cushion Specification Worth Discussing?
Fill affects how a piece looks in five years, not only on delivery day. The KBB Sofa uses ultra-down fill over CertiPUR-US certified foam, a construction that offers immediate softness while the foam core maintains shape over time. Frames with loose seat and back cushions give you more flexibility in upkeep than tight-back or tight-seat configurations.
If you are specifying for a heavily used family room, review the fill options available on your chosen frame before committing to a cover.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I order a Highland House sofa in my own fabric?
Many Highland House frames accept customer's own material. Yardage requirements vary by frame size and configuration. Confirm COM availability and the required yardage with Sutter & Vale at the time of specification.
How long does a Highland House made-to-order piece take?
Lead times on made-to-order upholstery vary depending on the frame and current production schedules. It is standard practice to allow several weeks from order confirmation to delivery. Sutter & Vale can provide a current estimate at the time of order.
Are wood finish options consistent across all Highland House frames?
Finish availability is frame-specific, and some frames offer a broader range of leg and base finishes than others. Review the options for your chosen frame before finalizing your specification, particularly if you are matching existing casegoods in the room.
The Sutter & Vale Team
