The “lovely” chair shown in the photos above can be found in the Student Union Building (“SUB”) at Texas Tech University. This particular chair is more specifically located just outside the Allen Theatre along with an assortment of other upholstered furniture serving as anything from a lounge for students to socialize and eat in, to a place to have a quiet study session, or just relax between classes.

            Many words could be used to describe this chair: green, atrocious (a personal favorite), comfortable, durable, uncomfortable, stained, soiled, lovely (a stretch), possibly even functional. However, a close look at this chair reveals the truth of its good and bad characteristics. First, the green portion of the chair is ripe with stains. Filthy, grimy, disgusting, greasy stains that got there from activities and people that most would probably not care to think about while sitting in it. Low soil resistance most definitely stands out as a bad characteristic of this chair. A quality that should be at the top of the priority list when choosing a fabric for a university study/lounge that sees quite a bit of traffic every day. By choosing a more stain resistant fabric, the university could have had a chair that far outlasted the lifespan of this chair, saving money that could be used in more necessary areas.

            Contrary to the upper portion and arms of this chair, the seat area seems to be wearing quite well. The fabric choice is most likely some sort of synthetic leather or vinyl. This surface can easily be wiped clean with a damp cloth. This maintenance saves time, money, and provides a surface that will last far longer than its counterparts.

Perhaps we will never know the reasoning behind the choice for this particular chair. However, I can only hope that in the future more thought will be given to provide students with a comfortable, functional, aesthetically pleasing chair that will wear beautifully over time. There is no perfect fabric, and in many situations fire codes and other laws must be taken into consideration when choosing an appropriate upholstery fabric. What may seem now to be the perfect solution to the crisis of the disgusting chair could turn out to be quite the contrary. Over time we learn what works and what doesn’t, and the first time isn’t always the charm.