Furniture and textile conservators have only recently joined forces to create a specialized area of conservation for upholstery. Historically it was common practice to send even important upholstered furniture to a commercial firm to be repaired. Concerned with making the furniture structurally sound, comfortable, and pleasing, these firms would strip the upholstery and replace worn materials with strong, clean, new ones rather than try to preserve the original materials. Emphasis was placed on the functionality of a piece, and the choice of materials was based on aesthetic concerns. Original materials rarely would be documented or kept, and it is quite difficult to find furniture with original upholstery intact. The growing interest in the history of upholstery and of materials as unique documents of the techniques and taste of their time has contributed to a new approach to the preservation of upholstered furniture. Today, the primary concern is the stability of an object, not as functional furniture, but in terms of its materials and evidence of original manufacture. The aim of an upholstery conservator is to eliminate the need for reupholstery by redressing structural imbalances through minimal change and intervention and to prevent damage and loss by controlling the environment.