How to Choose Leather Living Room Furniture

So you have decided to buy a new leather living room set? You have done your homework and learned everything you could about what to look for when buying leather furniture? You have decided on the style now it’s time to choose the perfect type and color of leather for your new living room outfit.

Going through leather samples can be a difficult decision. There are just so many available with the better leather furniture manufactures. It’s really important that you understand where swatch samples come from. Yes, the cow, dah! I am referring to the cutting that you select your leather sofa from.

Leather manufactures will always try to economize. The samples you see on the showroom floor rack or ring are cut from the scrap, or leftover waste from another order. The prime parts of the hide will be used for upholstering the furniture, those scrapes become swatches for dealers and customers. So often the case the irregular pieces including wrinkles close to the neck and legs areas become a swatch. The rest is sold for scrap. Whatever you order will be better than what you view in the samples. So as you browse through the swatches, ask your sales consultant the natural characteristic of that pattern. A good sales person that knows their stuff will give you the best advice and steer you in the right direction of what you are looking for. Always remember, LEATHER SWATCHES ARE FOR COLOR ONLY.

Take the Spill Test – Swatch Samples – Leather Colors

If you have been sent leather swatches through the mail or taken a few home from the store you should do to them what you are most concerned about someone doing to your new leather furniture. If its spilling pizza with pepperoni than do just that on the sample swatch. See how it reacts to that spill. If it’s not the result you were looking for than you know that leather is not a good fit.

How Much Leather Does It Take to Make a Sofa?

A typical sofa will use about 250 square feet of prime leather. Prime meaning leather that is free of holes and large scars. On average a leather sofa will use about five ti six hides. The amount of leather used will vary widely by intricacy and size of the sofa and the quality of the leather being used. High-end furniture manufactures like Leathercraft and Classic Leather will be considerably pickier than lower end leather furniture manufactures like Palliser or Hooker. Since the higher end furniture manufactures are more meticulous with the parts of the hides they use there will be more waste than with lower end furniture companies. The lower end manufactures will allow more margin on what is usable and there will be flaws in the leather that will be used on secondary surfaces like the outback’s, sides and decking areas. Higher end furniture builders will also use smaller versions of scars on these same areas if need be. What happens to the waste? Waste can make up sometimes 50% of a raw hide, depending where the hide is coming from. So the other 50% is used for swatches, used for making bonded leather or sold to scrap companies that sell it to other manufactures for almost anything made using leather from shoes to wallets. Much is actually exported to Asia to make name brand items then shipped back to the states.

How Long Does Leather Furniture Last?

If you buy good quality craftsmanship and premium cowhide leather your leather furniture should last for decades with little or no upkeep. There is a lot to love about leather furniture. Part of the attraction is that it is mostly unaffected by odor and it does not attract pet hair. If something is spilled on a seat cushion, it just wipes right off with a plain dust cloth. If you have pets in your home and you are more attracted to the look and feel of a pure aniline leather than try a distressed leather color, it will draw less attention if by chance your animal was to scratch or soil the surface.

Leather furniture is a great investment that keeps giving back through the years. If you are considering a new leather sofa set, consider Wellington’s they are leather furniture experts that offer FREE design help and color swatches.