To maintain elasticity and airiness in the downs, they must be properly puffed at least once a week, depending on how much the sofa is used. Line up the back cushions and pound through each cushion firmly from all sides. In this way, the cushions keep their shape and avoid being compressed. Go through the seat cushions in the corresponding way. For more proper puffing – open the zipper to the upholstery, as well as the down item and puff from the inside. Remember to also puff at the front and sides. Then straighten the textile cover so that the seams end up in the right place.
Care & maintenance
At Norrgavel, we use natural materials. By that, we mean that the materials are part of the natural ecocycle and come from nature, from plants, animals or minerals. Beautiful, sustainable and long-lasting in every sense. Wherever possible, we make our furniture from Scandinavian wood.
Besides wood, we also use textiles, leather, sheepskin, concrete and limestone. Our decision to work with natural materials means our furniture will age beautifully and naturally. The materials we use also benefit from use. Year on year. Many of the pieces can be restored to their original condition by sanding and oiling, for example.
Regularly caring for and maintaining our furniture becomes a kind of manifestation of presence, helping us to live in the moment. So protect your furniture with a big dollop of love and it will age with beauty and dignity. You can find our furniture care products here.

Wood
Norrgavel’s furniture is mainly made in oak and birch, but beech is also used in some cases where most appropriate. We mainly use “open” surface treatments (soap, oil, tinted oil and egg oil tempera). This means the wood keeps living and breathing. Surfaces like this need a certain amount of maintenance but if you follow our care advice, your furniture will have a long life and change beautifully as it ages.
General advice for wood:
Wood is an amazingly sustainable material and if you care for it regularly, it will stay looking beautiful for a long time to come.
» Do not place solid wood furniture in direct sunlight, against a radiator or in spaces that experience major changes in heat and moisture.
» Use trivets or mats under hot pans and dishes placed on wood surfaces.
» Wipe up liquid spills immediately.
» Check that fittings and screws are still tight from time to time.
Remember that extra leaves (for dining tables) that are not in constant use will end up a different colour from the table top due to differing rates of wear and the way that wood ages/darkens over time.
Tip! Dents from pressure and knocks can be repaired by brushing hot water on the mark so that the wood expands. For deeper dents, place a damp cloth on top of the mark. Iron gently over the cloth with a hot iron. Sand with fine sandpaper the next day. Note this applies to “open” surface treatment, i.e. not to lacquered or varnished furniture.
Note! Iron can leave black marks on oak tabletops. The tannin in oak reacts with the iron and marks of this type are very difficult to remove. This means you should never place a cast iron pan or casserole directly on an oak table.
Tip! Use appropriate stain removal products for wood (available to buy in our shops or here) if you need them. This helps to remove discolouration and marks on wooden furniture on untreated, soaped or oiled surfaces. Then surface treat the wood with your desired surface treatment product.
Wood – a living material
Because wood is a living material, it will move, i.e. shrink or swell, depending on the humidity of the surrounding air. Wood is its smallest size after a long winter in a centrally heated room with dry air. It is widest in autumn. The movements in the wood never stop completely but will tail off somewhat over time. The fact that wood moves can be clearly seen in the case of drawers, for example, that slide best in the winter, or in gaps between door hinge and frame that are narrower in summer/autumn.
Note! Norrgavel’s dining tables (Extendable Table, Wide Dining Table & Round Dining Table) clearly show that wood moves in that the surfaces between the table top and the extra leaf can become convex in the winter months. In other words, the table top and the extra leaf will meet in the middle but there will be a slight gap at the outer edges. The leaves will return to their original shape in the summer.
Care advice & maintenance of our surface treatments
Untreated wood
Soaped surfaces
Oiled surfaces
Tempera painted surfaces
Lacquered surfaces

Paper cord
Paper cord is exactly what it sounds like – spun paper. Paper is a thin fibre material made from plant fibres. The paper cord we use is made from unbleached paper. Paper cord is light, hardwearing and can be woven into lots of different textures. With the right care, the cord will last for years, but the way the furniture is used will naturally affect its lifetime. All natural fibres are unique in their structure and react differently to washing and use.
General advice for paper cord:
» Only use a dry, soft cloth for ordinary cleaning. Where necessary, wipe the whole surface carefully with a clean, soft cloth wrung out well in clean water.
» Remove marks immediately. Don’t rub, just absorb the mark with a white cloth. Only use a cloth and warm water for cleaning. Avoid cleaning products. However, it is OK to use neutral and uncoloured soap.
» The soap should be natural and free from additives. Soap flakes, which work well, can be bought here and in our stores.
Note! Don’t use chemical surface treatment, cleaning products or soap solutions. They can destroy or discolour the cord, especially if the surface is damaged or worn.

Furnishing textiles
How long a textile lasts is not just determined by how hardwearing it is. With the right care, even less hardwearing fabric can last for years. But the way the furniture is used will naturally affect its lifetime. All natural fibres are unique in their structure and react differently to washing and use. We never use flame retardants, stain repellents or formaldehyde (anti-wrinkle treatment).
General advice for furnishing textiles:
» Protect the furniture from direct sunlight or strong light sources.
» When your textiles need freshening up, we recommend airing – outdoor humidity is good for them.
» Vacuum furnishing textiles where necessary but always remove the inner seat cushions first to avoid feathers poking out through the cotton cover.
» Remove marks immediately. Don’t rub, just absorb the mark with a white cloth. Stain removal products should only be used after first testing on a less visible part of the fabric. In the first instance, we recommend bile soap, e.g. Galltvål.
» Furniture with loose covers means a certain amount of movement – sometimes you will need to straighten fabric covers that have got twisted.
» Removable and washable fabrics should be washed in line with the laundry instructions. See care instructions for the furnishing fabric you have chosen – some linen covers can be washed at 30° C but we generally recommend that you have our fabric covers professionally cleaned/dry cleaned to avoid the linen shrinking or becoming creased, as can easily happen when using a domestic washing machine with a small drum.
» Do not tumble dry.
Read more about the care of our specific fabrics in the Norrgavel range here.
Linen
Wool
Cotton
Hemp
Leather
Sheepskin
Artificial/synthetic fibres
Stuffing materials
All sofas and upholstered armchairs from Norrgavel are built from top to bottom from pure, healthy natural materials. The materials are kept separated from each other to make future maintenance easier and so increase the piece of furniture’s lifetime.
Down/Feathers
Natural latex
Take care of your Norrgavel sofa in the best way
It is both beautiful, environmentally friendly and incomparably comfortable with a sofa made of pure natural materials. However, if you are used to "standard sofas" that have cushions filled with cold foam (origin: crude oil), then a little more effort may be required for the cushions to maintain their shape and comfort when you choose a Norrgavel sofa made of healthy natural materials. But there is a true meaning to it, both in the big perspective and for your comfort & healthy indoor environment.
Here are a few, but simple tips to take care of your Norrgavel sofa in the best way.
Puff!
Air!
Feathers dry in indoor climates and become flat over time. To prevent this, cushions and down feathers should be aired regularly outdoors, in damp weather (during stays or under a roof) - this way the seabird feathers regain their springiness and airiness.
Place!
Change the position of the pillows from time to time. By changing places, there will be more even wear on both upholstery and padding. The seat cushions are not reversible (except on the Wooden sofa), but the upholstery is, so remove the cover and change the top side from time to time. All textiles in natural materials are bleached by strong light. Therefore, protect the furniture from direct sunlight or strong light and heat sources.
Clean!
Vacuum the furniture fabric separately if necessary - but avoid vacuuming the down itself, as feathers risk crawling out through the cotton upholstery (cover). Remove stains immediately. Do not rub, just soak up with a white cloth. Stain remover (start gently) should only be used after first testing it on a less visible part of the fabric. See washing instructions for each garment.
Natural stone
Concrete
Limestone
Lifelong love
Norrgavel’s furniture is made to last generations. Therefore, we use as few different materials as possible and if we use several in the same piece of furniture, we make sure they are well separated from each other. This makes day-to-day maintenance easier, and makes our furniture easy to repair if necessary and to dispose of at the end of its life.
Repair!
If your Norrgavel furniture is damaged or breaks in a way that you can’t fix yourself, we offer repairs at cost price. Contact Norrgavel customer services for more information!
Sell!
Perhaps your sofa doesn’t go with your new home or that table is actually too small now. Let someone else enjoy your furniture!
Recycle!
When the piece of furniture or part of a piece of furniture has reached the end of its life, it should be recycled as wood at your nearest recycling centre. This applies to both treated and untreated wood. Screws and fittings do not need to be removed.
Wood will be sorted and processed to be used as fuel. Recycling centres will store and chip the wood, which can then be used as biofuel. Clean, unpainted wood can be burned in virtually all biofuel plants while painted wood has more limited uses.