Leather vs Fabric: How to choose a sofa for you
Furniture shopping, especially for a new sofa, can seem a daunting task and you may not know where to start. Everyone has different priorities, whether that is style, comfort or even the price. Most people already know in their mind that they prefer either a leather or a fabric sofa, but reading more about the benefits of each material could change that and help make an informed decision based on practicality.
Both leather sofas and fabric sofas offer comfort, style, and easy care.
Find out below which will work best for your home and budget.
Types of leather
With leather, due to the many different types available, it’s important to know the ins and outs of each type before proceeding.
is the finest, most luxurious and most expensive leather you can buy. It also requires the most maintenance and is more susceptible to damage because it doesn’t have any protective coating. If you have children and pets, you might want to consider leather with a protective coating instead.
has a protective coating and doesn’t require the same level of maintenance, but still possesses the look and feel of pure aniline. It has more consistent colours, but this does make it slightly less natural and authentic than pure aniline.
is cheaper than aniline leather and doesn’t have a natural grain, but its protective coatings make it family-friendly and resistant to damage.
is cheaper and still 100% leather, but it’s weaker and shouldn’t be used on high-traffic areas of your sofa. It’s better placed on the back and sides.
are hard-wearing and budget-friendly materials that still have that sumptuous leather look, even though it’s not as rich or textured. If your budget is tight and your family includes children and pets, a faux or bonded leather material is a great choice.
When shopping for leather sofas, it is worth remembering that with full leather there can be wrinkles, scars, scratches, and bites. Together, the varied and interesting textures and colour effects are what reveal the full character and the beauty of the material.
It is important to understand that these characteristics will be present. This natural hallmark distinguishes top-grain aniline and semi-aniline leather from lower-grade leather.
It must also be remembered that at least eight hides are required to produce a suite. No two hides are identical and due to variations in grain structure, the dyes and finishes penetrate to differing degrees into various parts of the hide to give attractive variations. Whilst every attempt is made to achieve uniformity, this is not always possible.
Cleaning and Care
Leather is the hardest-wearing cover, especially if it’s a pigmented corrected grain leather. Leather is impermeable to most spillages and just needs occasionally wiping down with a damp cloth. As mentioned previously, even semi-aniline leather has a protective outer seal.
This makes it a sensible choice if you have young children. Some manufacturers treat fabric sofas with stain-resistant chemicals, but they still stain more than leather couches, and deep-set stains can be permanent. Good quality fabric will stand up to more stains but may still require special cleaning. Fabric sofas also require regular vacuuming to remove surface dirt and dust.
Though most sofas are made with the upholstery permanently fixed to the frame, making it impossible to change without careful professional reupholstering, there is another option. Loose sofa covers can easily be replaced by anyone, without any skill or special tools, they simply need to have been designed to fit your model sofa. There are obvious advantages to being able to quickly remove your sofa covers yourself.
Firstly, how easy it is to clean them; many removable covers are machine washable so if they do get something spilt on them or just start to look dirty after regular use, you can easily pop them in the washing machine. Even those more fragile fabrics that aren’t machine washable are much easier to clean thoroughly when they are removed. This makes them great for people with young children or pets, or who do a lot of entertaining and worry about wine spills or food stains.
The other advantage of loose sofa covers is how quickly, easily and cost-efficiently you can completely change the style of your sofa.
Instead of being tied to one particular fabric, colour or pattern and finding
yourself in the position where you can’t easily re-decorate a room because everything relies on suiting your sofa, loose sofa covers allow you to change your look easily.
Although all-natural leathers require maintenance, semi-aniline leathers and corrected-grain leathers require less than full-grain pure aniline leathers, which require specialist care. This includes using good-quality leather protection creams and waxes.
Leather sofas are ideal for allergy sufferers. Due to the leather being hypoallergenic, a leather sofa can repel dust mites, pet dander, pet hair, and other allergens, which collect in the fabric sofas more so requires more vacuuming and maintenance with cleaning. Although leather can be pet friendly, it can be prone to scratches. You should avoid aniline and pull-up leathers in particular if you have animals or a young family.
For both leather and fabric, it is worth noting the following:
1. Avoid leaving furniture in direct sunlight, as this can cause fabrics and leather to fade. Prolonged exposure to sunlight (such as a conservatory) can also cause certain fibre types to break down and become weak.
2. Avoid leaving your furniture too close to fires or radiators, as significant changes in temperature can cause materials in your furniture to expand and contract which can lead to premature wear and tear.
3. Certain fabrics with long weaving stitches are vulnerable to snagging by sharp objects such as buckles, studs, rings, children’s toys, and pets.
Comfort and Look
Most of the time, when we talk about comfort with a sofa, it is down to the fillings. But as a rule of thumb, the fabric is generally thought to be comfier than leather. Leather tends to absorb heat quicker and can be a little sticky to sit on in higher temperatures. Likewise, when it’s cold, it can be uncomfortably chilly too. Fabric sofas are soft, pliable and comfortable. However, the type of fabric used for the sofa often determines the comfort level.
Leather upholstery really makes a statement and in general sets a more sophisticated tone to a room (especially a Chesterfield!). On the other hand, fabric comes in a much bigger array of colours and patterns so can work with a wider array of colour schemes and décor and tailor more to your personality.
Fabric sofas are typically cost-effective because of their wide availability and popularity. Certain types of high-end fabrics may be more expensive than others, but the total cost of the sofa will be lower than the same model with leather upholstery.
Undeniably, the sophisticated feel of a leather sofa cannot be imitated and is great for styling with thick throws and cushions for a little more cosiness
in the winter.
Velvet and chenille fabrics have a high pile as a result of a double weaving process. There are generally two types of woven pile fabrics – velvet and velveteen.
For velvet construction– the pile is shorter, less dense, and therefore more secure, whereas Velveteen fabrics have a higher pile, with a denser fibre count.
Both fabrics are durable against abrasion; however, the pile can be pulled from velveteen fabrics easier than velvets. Consequently, these fabrics can become crushed or flattened over time and at the point of delivery – this can give the impression of uneven wear.
Pile crushing to fabrics, such as velvets, and chenilles, should not be regarded as a fault but, instead a natural characteristic of these fabrics. Crushed piles can be easily restored by brushing, cleaning, and steaming by a professional upholstery cleaner.
Longevity
The saying goes “Nothing lasts forever” and that applies to furniture. As with all natural products, a little extra care will help maintain its good looks. Even well-cared-for furniture will wear out in time. Leather sofas are highly durable due to the tanning process used in their manufacture compared to fabric and so will last on average at least five years longer.
Regular use can cause pilling on the sofa material and even cause it to wear thin over time, but high-quality fabrics may last longer. If you’re considering a fabric sofa, ask about its rub rate; this refers to the Martindale rub test, which determines a sofa’s durability. A rub rate of more than 25,000 is optimal. High-quality fabric is soft but not loose and won’t wrinkle when
you stand up.
Mix it up
One option to consider if you like both leather and fabric is to do a bit of mixing and matching. Your main sofa, or bigger sofa, could be in a fabric covering, but your accent chair or smaller sofa could be a statement piece, upholstered in sumptuous leather. Mixing materials in an interior can also help to break up the room and add more texture.
It is a perfect way to inject warmth and character into your living room.
With plenty of versatile options, you can choose between coordinated or contrasting colours and textures to create a look that suits your taste and lifestyle.
Alternatively, if you can’t make your mind up, at Cousins Furniture we also carry a variety of ranges of Fabric and Leather Mix sofas. Mixed sofas tend to have fabric seats and sometimes back cushions. The leather part is usually wrapped around the sides, arms and back of the sofa.
The rich smooth texture of the leather combined with the warm comforting tones of the fabric makes a wonderful combination. This way you also get the best of both.
Conclusion
Picking the correct sofa is a big decision and can be an expensive mistake if you get it wrong. There’s no definite answer or “winner” when it comes to which is best out of leather or fabric. The “winner” is ultimately up to you and depends on not only your taste but also your needs, lifestyle and interior.
As with any aspect of selecting the most suitable seating solution for your living space and lifestyle, we’d recommend that you speak with one of our experienced experts, either in-store, on the phone or via Live Chat.