Carmine Setola carries a title you don’t see very often these days – he is a master upholsterer. When he first learned the art, it was through an upholstery trade school, offered by the VA after his service in WWII. His mother, a skilled seamstress, instilled in him the kind of dedication to craftsmanship that was once commonplace but has become a rarity in the world, guiding him in his mastery within the industry.
When he opened his own shop, she gifted him her sewing machine and the mantle was passed. Carmine would pass both the sewing machine and the depth of his knowledge to his son, Larry (Sr.). Armed with the cultivated wisdom of his father and grandmother, Larry Sr. would go on to open Just Cushions in 1994 on Hilton Head Island. As the name implies, the store opened with a focus on cushions, whether that meant repairs or fabrication, as well as upholstery.
At the time, there was a tremendous need for such a business on the island. While craftsmanship had become somewhat of a dying art, it was a time when heirloom furniture still held a place of prominence in the family home, and a skilled sewer was just the person to keep these pieces looking their best. The Setola family legacy lived on in a thriving business with a loyal customer base.
In time, Larry would bring in his son, Larry Jr. While the younger Setola may not have his father’s gift with a sewing machine, it was his unique mind for innovation that helped bring the company into the future.
“There’s still very much this need for the kind of old-school craftsmanship my dad brought to this island when he opened up shop in 1994, which is why you’ll still find him keeping busy on the machines in the back. But what I saw was so much potential to do more,” Larry Jr. said. “It’s really a matter of staying relevant. Think of all the businesses that have gone under because they didn’t innovate. I couldn’t let the business my dad built go down that same path because of the changing times.”
These innovations started with a small corner of the front showroom being given over to a line of window treatments. While those first offerings weren’t extensive, they were carefully chosen to represent quality by a family who knows a thing or two about fabrics. That same generational knowledge informed a growing collection of home furnishings, from coffee tables to lamps as the home furnishings section grew.
Ultimately, Larry Jr. realized that the greatest potential lies in furniture. It was a natural extension of the company. “We’ve seen some of the highest quality furniture stripped down to the frame while reupholstering it, so we know what sets it apart,” Larry Jr. said. “We literally know what makes a great piece of furniture inside and out, and that really helped guide our selections and manufacturers.”
The expansion saw the front showroom at Just Cushions radically transformed, with a section of the old rear workshop gutted and reframed around a gorgeous showroom of carefully curated pieces. Billing this new venture “Hilton Head Furniture Co.,” Larry Jr. innovated by drawing on the wisdom of four generations. The lines they offer represent the pinnacle of the art with the craftsmanship that made Just Cushions famous allowing for a wild array of personalization.
“There are millions of different options for making each of these pieces your own,” Larry Jr. said. “Along with the countless fabrics and colors and cushion inserts, we’re able to change everything from the finish of the wood, style of the arms and seat depth to the style of the legs so you can truly make a piece your own.”
It’s a new-school approach that lets customers embrace the old-school craftsmanship of heirloom furniture that can be passed down through the generations. And at the center of this stylishly modern showroom, perhaps the most essential heirloom enjoys a place of honor. It’s the sewing machine, passed down by Carmine’s mother, that lies at the heart of everything Just Cushions and Hilton Head Furniture Co. does. It represents an unbroken thread of four generations and a family business that defines quality.
To learn more, visit justcushionshhi.com & hhifurniture.com.
