How to Buy Quality Leather Furniture

Picking furniture is never easy, and choosing the best quality leather sofa is even trickier. Not only the size and design are important, but also the quality and authenticity of the leather upholstery are crucial if you want classy and long-lasting furniture.

There are some quick and easy tips to make sure that the leather of the furniture you like is actually genuine. Here is what to keep in mind when choosing your next leather sofa:

Check the label

This one is pretty obvious, but do check the label on the furniture to see the description of the leather. The reputable manufacturers will make sure to provide customers with a detailed description of the leather and materials used. Look for descriptions including soft grain, nubuck, rub off, aniline, full grain or antique, when looking for authentic leather furniture.

Look at the hide and the top and the split grain of the furniture. The flesh piece of the leather is usually used on the outside and back of the furniture.

Check the back of the sofa

Examine the back part of the sofa or other furniture. If it is covered with one big piece of leather, it is most surely fake. The genuine leather upholstery consists of several pieces of leather stitched together.

Price matters

Of course, the price is also a factor, and it is more likely that the pricier the furniture – the higher the quality. But, keep in mind that it is not always the case, so take the other factors into consideration too.

Feel the leather

Genuine leather is warm and soft, so make sure you get a real feel of the texture before buying it. Genuine leather also has a distinct leather smell, while fake leather smells like chemicals. Take a closer look at the grain of the leather upholstery. The more uniform it is – the more likely it is an imitation. Genuine leather has varying patterns.

If you can, look at the reverse side of the upholstery. Genuine leather has no colour as it is unfinished, and it is rougher on the back side too.

Keep in mind that there are different types of leather upholstery. The Aniline leather upholstery is warm and soft due to the organic stain, while pigmented leather features a protective dense coating, which makes it more stain resistant and durable. Pigmented leather is colder at touch. The most common choice is the medium variant which is semi-aniline leather combining the best features of the two types of genuine leather.

If you have any other questions regarding leather upholstery cleaning and maintaining feel free to contact us!