If you lived in a comfortable home in 17th-century France or 19th-century England, your chairs might well have been embellished with nailhead trim. It was a clever, decorative way for craftsmen to secure materials to upholstered furniture.
Another old fastener, the rivet, also was common in manufacturing and shipbuilding centuries ago.
Now, both nailheads and rivets are having a moment in contemporary decor. (…)
via Furniture makers nail it with old-time fasteners | The Columbus Dispatch.