Did you know that Brandt and Whitney not only carries an unprecedented and weighty selection of fine Designer Upholstery fabrics but, through one of the select vendors in the Denver Metro area we also have an unparalleled selection of down and down products? American Down and Feather has become one of the premier suppliers of down and down products in the Rocky Mountain Region.

Some of the interesting things about down and its uses are that unlike other natural products down has a much longer life span than most other natural filling products. It is so durable and can be sat on, slept on and under and will bounce back year after year even after years of prolonged use. So, one may well ask, what is it that allows down to have these properties. It's the down fiber itself! This is a fiber that consists of a small hallow core. The fibers that attach themselves to this inner core are what give the down fiber what is known as loft. The more loft there is the more durable and comfortable the fiber becomes. Not only does it have more durability but it makes the item filled with the fiber more comfortable.

In the case of a seating piece, a sofa, chair or bench, a seat filled with a premium down product will have a much more supportive seat to it then one filled with a less desirable product. One more wonderful thing about down is that it can be paired with a number of other man made or synthetic fibers to enhance the seating or the already fantastic durability that down naturally has.

There are some customers whom ask" isn't a down seat a little difficult to take care of? "Doesn't it require a great deal of fluffing and maintenance?" "I really just don't have time for all that fussing with my furniture like that."

While it is true that a sofa cushion with a 100% down fill is not going to have the tailored look that a fiber or inner spring seat will. The trade off is the comfort and the traditional look that can only be given by down.

If, however, the best solution to your upholstery needs is to have a mixture of elements in a seat then down can also be used for this.

With the advent of the modern sofa seating system and the man-made fibers, down became a luxury product. Only requested when the need for a high end product was needed. It goes without saying that if these items are blended the result is nothing short of fantastic!

Take, for example, the inner core spring seat. Alone, this seating choice is wrapped with a dacron sheeting which is glued and then used to fill the upholstered case of the chosen upholstery fabric. When down is introduced into this system the same inner spring core is used however instead of the dacron wrap the spring unit is wrapped in an enclosure of down in a down proof ticking. This allows the same soft seat given by down and the firm and easier to keep seat of the non traditional upholstered piece. These two items work in tandem to insure that the seating piece is not only durable, easier to take care of and comfortable but that it possesses a traditional natural long wearing fiber.

Down is not only a fiber or material that can be used in the seating pieces in a clients home but one that must be seriously considered for use in the households bedding as well. The same durability factor applies in this area of the home as in the seating areas as well. The same comfort that must be evident up to now in this writing must also be evident in the bedroom as well.

The use of down products in the bedroom can be seen as far back as 56 BC in Rome. The application of this fiber is not just a point of luxury but also one of durability.