Solid beech hardwood and proper joinery: Why we build Schplendid sofa frames the old-fashioned way
Posted posted on September 26, 2025
Our sofas are guaranteed for life because we build our frames in a way that’s now almost vanished from the sofa industry…
Every sofa has a skeleton. Most are flimsy, hidden things, stapled together with the hope you won’t notice.
Schplendid’s are built from solid FSC-certified beech hardwood, dovetailed and dowelled like the finest furniture of 200 years ago. That’s why we guarantee them for life (and possibly another one).
The secret life of sofa frames
You don’t often see a sofa’s bones. Which is why most companies quietly cut corners. Underneath all those pretty fabrics, you’ll usually find cheap softwood, MDF, or plywood held together with a staple gun and a prayer.
We take the opposite approach. Our frames are made from FSC-certified solid beech hardwood — the traditional sofa timber. Why? Because beech has naturally low moisture content, doesn’t warp or twist, and has been the furniture maker’s choice for centuries. If you stripped a Howard sofa from 200 years ago, you’d find beech. And those frames are still standing.
Built on responsibility
Strength isn’t enough — sustainability matters too. That’s why every stick of our beech comes with FSC certification, meaning it’s grown and harvested in responsibly managed forests in Austria, Germany and Bosnia.
So when you stretch out on a Schplendid sofa, you’re lying back on a frame that’s both rock solid and planet-friendly.
Serious, old-fashioned joinery
Staples on their own aren’t enough. That’s why we add dovetail joints in key load-bearing corners, plus dowels, screws, glue, and yes, staples where appropriate. It’s belt, braces, and a decent pair of trousers.
The result is engineering overkill by modern standards. Which is exactly how we like it.
The Lifetime Test
Frames are invisible once a sofa is upholstered. But they carry every flop, bounce, and nap you’ll ever take. So we build ours to outlast you — and then some. That’s why we back them with a lifetime guarantee.
If by some miracle a Schplendid frame does go wrong, we’ll put it right. No quibbles, no small print.
Why beech beats the rest
Beech isn’t the cheapest option — far from it. That’s why hardly anyone else bothers. Pine is cheaper. MDF is cheaper. But they’re also weaker, less stable, and prone to sagging. Sofas made that way simply don’t last.
Beech is denser, tougher, and keeps its shape. It’s heavy, yes — but we balance that with a touch of birch ply in non-stress areas so you don’t need a forklift to move your sofa around the living room. And because it’s FSC-certified, it’s also a long-term win for forests.
How we make using this wood - and method - affordable
Solid FSC-certified beech hardwood isn’t cheap — and neither is dovetail joinery. That’s why most brands either avoid them completely or only use them on sofas that cost an absolute fortune. So how can we?
Because we don’t play the usual sofa industry markup game. Most companies multiply every cost by a percentage margin, so an extra £50 of something here or there can magically become £200, £500, even £1,000 added to your bill.
We keep it simple. If a better ingredient costs us more, we pass on just the exact difference — nothing hidden, nothing multiplied.
That’s how we can build frames from the finest FSC-certified beech and join them the old-fashioned way, while still keeping our sofas at prices you don’t need to remortgage for.
The Schplendid difference
Most sofas are built to fail, heading to landfill within a decade. That might be good for the industry, but it’s bad for your wallet, and terrible for the planet.
Our beech frames are built the old-fashioned way: to last. Invisible, yes — but essential. They’re the reason we can say, with total confidence, that your Schplendid sofa will not fall apart. Not in your lifetime. Possibly not in your children’s either.
Why not use ply, pine or MDF like everyone else? Because they twist, crack and sag. Beech stays true. It’s why museum pieces and antique dealers are still selling beech-framed sofas from the 19th century.
Isn’t hardwood overkill? Not if you want a sofa that lasts more than a decade. Most sofas limp through ten years before collapsing. Ours are designed for generations.
What do the joints add? Everything. Dovetails lock corners together so they can’t pull apart. Dowels reinforce the grain. Screws and glue add permanence. Staples hold where they should, not where they shouldn’t. The mix of all four means your frame won’t budge.
How long will my frame last? We guarantee it for life. If something does go wrong (unlikely), we’ll put it right.
Doesn’t this make the sofa ridiculously heavy? Not ridiculously. Solid beech does add weight, but we use it intelligently — only where strength really matters. That means you still get a sofa you can deliver through the door without knocking the paint off.
Where does your timber come from? Our beech is sourced from FSC-certified forests in Austria, Germany and Bosnia. That way we know every sofa starts from a sustainable tree.
Comparison: Schplendid sofa frames vs. the Rest
Feature
Schplendid
Most High-Street Sofas
Timber
FSC-certified solid beech hardwood
Pine, plywood, MDF, chipboard or uncertified softwood
Solid beech hardwood and proper joinery: Why we build Schplendid sofa frames the old-fashioned way
Our sofas are guaranteed for life because we build our frames in a way that’s now almost vanished from the sofa industry…
Every sofa has a skeleton. Most are flimsy, hidden things, stapled together with the hope you won’t notice.
Schplendid’s are built from solid FSC-certified beech hardwood, dovetailed and dowelled like the finest furniture of 200 years ago. That’s why we guarantee them for life (and possibly another one).
The secret life of sofa frames
You don’t often see a sofa’s bones. Which is why most companies quietly cut corners. Underneath all those pretty fabrics, you’ll usually find cheap softwood, MDF, or plywood held together with a staple gun and a prayer.
We take the opposite approach. Our frames are made from FSC-certified solid beech hardwood — the traditional sofa timber. Why? Because beech has naturally low moisture content, doesn’t warp or twist, and has been the furniture maker’s choice for centuries. If you stripped a Howard sofa from 200 years ago, you’d find beech. And those frames are still standing.
Built on responsibility
Strength isn’t enough — sustainability matters too. That’s why every stick of our beech comes with FSC certification, meaning it’s grown and harvested in responsibly managed forests in Austria, Germany and Bosnia.
So when you stretch out on a Schplendid sofa, you’re lying back on a frame that’s both rock solid and planet-friendly.
Serious, old-fashioned joinery
Staples on their own aren’t enough. That’s why we add dovetail joints in key load-bearing corners, plus dowels, screws, glue, and yes, staples where appropriate. It’s belt, braces, and a decent pair of trousers.
The result is engineering overkill by modern standards. Which is exactly how we like it.
The Lifetime Test
Frames are invisible once a sofa is upholstered. But they carry every flop, bounce, and nap you’ll ever take. So we build ours to outlast you — and then some. That’s why we back them with a lifetime guarantee.
If by some miracle a Schplendid frame does go wrong, we’ll put it right. No quibbles, no small print.
Why beech beats the rest
Beech isn’t the cheapest option — far from it. That’s why hardly anyone else bothers. Pine is cheaper. MDF is cheaper. But they’re also weaker, less stable, and prone to sagging. Sofas made that way simply don’t last.
Beech is denser, tougher, and keeps its shape. It’s heavy, yes — but we balance that with a touch of birch ply in non-stress areas so you don’t need a forklift to move your sofa around the living room. And because it’s FSC-certified, it’s also a long-term win for forests.
How we make using this wood - and method - affordable
Solid FSC-certified beech hardwood isn’t cheap — and neither is dovetail joinery. That’s why most brands either avoid them completely or only use them on sofas that cost an absolute fortune. So how can we?
Because we don’t play the usual sofa industry markup game. Most companies multiply every cost by a percentage margin, so an extra £50 of something here or there can magically become £200, £500, even £1,000 added to your bill.
We keep it simple. If a better ingredient costs us more, we pass on just the exact difference — nothing hidden, nothing multiplied.
That’s how we can build frames from the finest FSC-certified beech and join them the old-fashioned way, while still keeping our sofas at prices you don’t need to remortgage for.
The Schplendid difference
Most sofas are built to fail, heading to landfill within a decade. That might be good for the industry, but it’s bad for your wallet, and terrible for the planet.
Our beech frames are built the old-fashioned way: to last. Invisible, yes — but essential. They’re the reason we can say, with total confidence, that your Schplendid sofa will not fall apart. Not in your lifetime. Possibly not in your children’s either.
That’s the joy of doing things properly. Read more about Schplendid's sofa ingredients here.
Schplendid sofa frames: FAQs
Why not use ply, pine or MDF like everyone else?
Because they twist, crack and sag. Beech stays true. It’s why museum pieces and antique dealers are still selling beech-framed sofas from the 19th century.
Isn’t hardwood overkill?
Not if you want a sofa that lasts more than a decade. Most sofas limp through ten years before collapsing. Ours are designed for generations.
What do the joints add?
Everything. Dovetails lock corners together so they can’t pull apart. Dowels reinforce the grain. Screws and glue add permanence. Staples hold where they should, not where they shouldn’t. The mix of all four means your frame won’t budge.
How long will my frame last?
We guarantee it for life. If something does go wrong (unlikely), we’ll put it right.
Doesn’t this make the sofa ridiculously heavy?
Not ridiculously. Solid beech does add weight, but we use it intelligently — only where strength really matters. That means you still get a sofa you can deliver through the door without knocking the paint off.
Where does your timber come from?
Our beech is sourced from FSC-certified forests in Austria, Germany and Bosnia. That way we know every sofa starts from a sustainable tree.
Comparison: Schplendid sofa frames vs. the Rest
Feature
Schplendid
Most High-Street Sofas
Timber
FSC-certified solid beech hardwood
Pine, plywood, MDF, chipboard or uncertified softwood
Joinery
Dovetail + dowels + screws + staples
Staples + glue
Guarantee
Lifetime (or two)
5–10 years (often limited)
Stability
Warp-resistant, low-moisture
Twists, cracks, loosens over time
Sustainability
FSC-certified, responsibly managed forests
Often uncertified sources
See also:
The unique, radical pricing model that makes Schplendid sofas affordable
Why we use Eight-Way Hand-Tied Coil Springs in our sofas
Why we upholster our sofas with coconut and wool instead of foam
Why we only use pure Italian linen and velvet fabrics for Schplendid sofas
Why we use goose down in Schplendid sofa cushions
Why we only use Biofoam (and as little as possible) and never plastic foam in our sofas