Your new role
As a trainee upholsterer at DFS, you would be learning the essential skills involved in crafting and restoring upholstered furniture. This includes working with various materials like fabric, leather, and foam to cover furniture frames. Your tasks would involve cutting, stitching, and fitting upholstery to create comfortable and visually appealing pieces.
Some key aspects of the role include:
- Learning Upholstery Techniques: Understanding and practising different methods, such as hand stitching and machine sewing, to apply fabric or leather to frames.
- Working with Materials: Familiarising yourself with various fabrics, padding, and frame types, ensuring the quality and durability of the materials used.
- Attention to Detail: Ensuring the finished product is neat, precise, and aligned with DFS’s quality standards.
- Safety: Adhering to safety procedures when using tools and machinery in the workshop.
- Teamwork: Collaborating with other upholsterers, trainers, and managers to meet production goals and deliver high-quality products.
- During your training, you would be guided by experienced upholsterers who provide hands-on experience and mentoring to help you build proficiency in the craft.
What you'll be doing
- If needed, cut various materials ready for upholstery
- Ensure tension and straining methods are used when positioning materials
- Use a range of trimmings and finishings including buttons, facings, piping and decorative studs
- Use compressed air equipment like staple guns as well as hand tools
- Creating different types of pleats including scroll arm, envelope and puckering
- Ensure you work as part of a team on piece work production, to ensure manufacturing runs smoothly
- Maintain your knowledge of all DFS products to ensure you know the specifications
- Ensure that the Company’s Health and Safety Policies are applied and adhered to
- Ensure your workspace is tidy and not causing any obstruction for you or your colleagues
- On occasion and as required assist on other areas of manufacturing
The role is for you if...
- Enjoy working with your hands and take pride in creating beautiful, functional furniture.
- Are eager to learn a craft, build your skills, and grow in the role over time.
- Appreciate a combination of creativity and technical skill in your work.
- Thrive in a team environment and are motivated to meet both individual and team goals.
About DFS
It takes a whole lot of passion to be at the centre of what makes a house feel like home — and that’s just what we do at DFS. We’re the leading sofa retail specialist in the UK, helping people find a comfy seat on their great quality sofas since 1969.
We're a market leader in the UK because of one thing: our people. Our people made us who we are and will drive us into our ambitious future, together. We offer incredible opportunities to get stuck into fun and meaningful work as well as learn new skills — so you can really ‘find your thing’.
DFS Benefits
We want you to really feel at home at DFS, with the support you need to do your best work, as well as a range of great benefits:
- Opportunity for overtime
- A huge 30% colleague discount, plus 15% friends & family discount across our Group (DFS, Sofology, Dwell)
- Holiday allowance – the time you need to rest and relax (and the longer you’re with us, the more time you’ll get!)
- Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption leave to give you the time you need to settle in with your new family member
- Access to a range of high street & online discounts from: Sainsbury’s, ASOS, Currys PC World, IKEA, John Lewis and more.
- Discounted Gym and Cinema memberships to help you unwind
- Progression and Development opportunities to grow your skills
- Group Pension Scheme
- Group Sharesave Scheme
- Life Assurance & Company Sick Pay