Why Leather Furniture Will Always Be Better Than Fabric

Here at Wellington Fine Leather Furniture, we know a good quality sofa is made with the finest leather. High-quality high-grain leather lasts longer, is more comfortable, easier to maintain, and more cost efficient. If you’re looking for a great deal and a beautiful piece of furniture for your family’s home, a piece made of real leather is always going to be the best choice. Still don’t believe us? Read below and see our infographic for more information about why genuine leather is a better choice than fabric.

Fabric: The Facts

Fabric is a widely used and well-known material for making furniture. While you may be lead to believe fabric is a more economical choice or easier to care for, it’s not! Let’s take a look at the three most commonly used types of fabrics, their lifespans, and total costs.

Budget Fabric

So, you’ve found a great deal on a couch—it’s only $500! You can’t believe your eyes, it must be too good to be true. We’re sorry to tell you it probably is too good to be true. A couch made of budget or synthetic fabric may save you tons of money upfront, but it will drain your wallet in the long run. Let’s look at the cold, hard facts about budget fabric.

• Initial cost: Around $500
• Annual care: Around $100
• Lifespan: 3 years
• Cost+ care: Around $800
• Cost per year: Around $267

As you can see, budget fabric actually costs you more money the longer you have it. Not to mention the furniture made out of budget fabric will only last you a measly three years. Then you’ll just have to start the process of searching for and buying an entire new couch all over again! Is a subpar piece of furniture you don’t even love really worth paying almost $300 dollars a year for?

We don’t think so!

Good Fabric

Now we’re moving on up the scale of fabric quality. Good quality fabric can cost considerably more than budget fabric with minimal extra benefits. A piece of furniture crafted with good fabric is going to last you a year or two longer than a budget fabric piece, with almost double the amount of annual cost and triple the amount of money upfront! That’s crazy talk.

• Initial cost: $1,500
• Annual care: $100
• Lifespan: 5 years
• Cost+ care: $2,000
• Cost per year: $400

As you can see by the facts above, a good quality fabric piece of furniture is going to make a considerable dent in your bank account. While it isn’t uncommon for a piece of furniture to do so, it only makes sense if the price matches the quality. Clearly, a good quality fabric doesn’t quite meet those standards. With an initial cost of most people’s rent and an annual cost of a whopping $400, you’d think a piece of furniture this expensive would last more than 5 years.

Designer Fabric

Many high-end furniture designers create beautifully designed couches and chairs made out of fabric. They do this to save themselves money, but still be able to charge you extra because of either the style or brand name plastered on the back. In reality, a designer fabric will last you longer than the other two fabrics but still isn’t worth the amount of money you’re paying for it.

• Initial cost: $2,500
• Annual care: $100
• Lifespan: 10 years
• Cost+ care: $3,500
• Cost per year: $350

We’re impressed with the 10-year lifespan of designer fabric, but keep in mind that most real leather furniture lasts double that or more. 10 years only holds true if you keep the furniture in pristine condition, caring for it properly. This can become problematic if you have pets or small children who are prone to spills and accidents. For the same initial cost of a piece of designer fabric furniture, you can get a piece of quality leather furniture that lasts five times as long with six times less the amount of cost per year. Now that’s a deal!

The Magic of Leather

Now that we’ve cleared up any misconceptions you may have had about the quality or economic value of fabric made furniture, let’s start talking about your other option—leather. Everyone knows genuine leather as a soft, supple fabric that is crafted into luxurious jackets and furniture favored by well-off Europeans. But, as the world is becoming more and more global, leather is cheaper and more accessible than ever! Let’s take a look at how leather holds up to fabric furniture so you can see for yourself just how much better the quality and price.

Bonded Leather

This is your budget or bond leather upholstered furniture that is often found in discounted furniture stores. While it’s of considerably lower quality than the other leather furniture on this list, when compared to the same level of fabric furniture it blows fabric out of the water.

• Initial cost: $600
• Annual care: $0
• Lifespan: 4 years
• Cost+ care: $600
• Cost per year: $150

That can’t be right, a $0 annual care cost? Yes, it’s true. There’s no mistake, all real leather furniture has a $0 annual care cost. This is because it’s so easy to maintain. If a spill happens, no need to worry about stains, all you have to do is wipe it up with a damp cloth. This is just one of the many perks of genuine leather furniture!

Good Leather

A piece of furniture crafted with good quality leather is going to cost you more than double of that made from bonded leather. But unlike good quality fabric, when you reach the level of good leather your benefits multiply by five times the amount!

• Initial cost: $2,000
• Annual care: $0
• Lifespan: 20 years
• Cost+ care: $2,000
• Cost per year: $100

You read that right, good quality leather can last you up to 20 years. That’s two decades! You won’t have to worry about buying new furniture until cars can fly and robots are cleaning our houses for us. And with an annual care cost of $0, this is a deal you really can’t beat. Are you starting to see why genuine leather is the better option now? Of course you are—it’s all in the facts!

Fine Leather

Fine leather furniture (also known as top-grain leather or full-grain leather) is no longer reserved for elite crowd. You can easily have it in your own living room too! With a cost just above that of good quality leather, you can have a piece of furniture which will last to see your grandkids grow up and cost you nothing per year!

• Initial cost: $2,500
• Annual care: $0
• Lifespan: 50 years
• Cost+ care: $2,500
• Cost per year: $50

For a measly $50 a year, you can be sitting on the finest quality leather product the market has to offer. With all of these facts laid out for you, it’s not hard to see why buying a piece of leather furniture is always better than settling for fabric. Leather will save you time, money, energy and make your home fabulous for years to come!

Don’t settle for fabric. Get a real leather sofa you’ve always dreamed of at Wellington's Fine Leather Furniture! Call, email, or fill out our contact form to get in touch with us today!