5 Things to Know Before Buying Your Leather Sofa | Sofas by Saxon
Chesterfield 3-Seater Sofa displayed in hand-finished Antique Red
One of the most popular upholstery coverings for our sofas, chairs, corner sofas, sleeper sofas, and footstools is leather. But with so many grains, coatings, and textures available, it can often become confusing as to which type would work best for your sofa.
But fear not, as we dispel much of the confusion about leathers in this comprehensive guide, helping you to choose the best leather sofa for your home.
We’ll cover:
• What is leather?
• How is upholstery leather made?
• What leather types are used for your furniture?
• Are leather sofas comfortable?
• Are leather sofas durable?
• Glossary of leather terms
What is leather?
Real leather is a natural product — it’s warm and durable, and has individual characteristics which make each hide unique. Leather will always bear the marks of its natural origin, and these qualities can show as scratches, growth marks, areas of differing fiber density, and hair pore structure. These characteristics in no way detract from the wearing qualities of the leather.
The curing of animal skins — a method commonly referred to as tanning — creates leather. The skins of cattle are known as hides, making up the majority of the leather used in the manufacture of upholstered furniture.
Many retailers classify leather by grades. This can cause some confusion with customers who are encouraged to think that the more expensive, or higher-grade leathers, are of a better quality. This is not necessarily the case as different types of leather can have their own merits.
Tanneries only produce one quality of tanned upholstery leather. It’s the cost of the various finishing processes applied after tanning that cause the leathers to have different prices.
As a result, when the time comes to choose a quality leather sofa, there’s an inevitable trade-off between appearance and ease of care. Leather is a great choice for both modern and traditional sofas, especially classic designs like the Chesterfield.
