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The Definitive Guide to Buying Leather Furniture





The warm, rich look of a leather-upholstered seat is at once both upscale and totally fit for full family lounging. Here are 43 high-quality leather sofas for dressing up your den.

1) Ashley Furniture Signature Design – Long Knight Sofa | 2) Simmons Upholstery 6769-03 Bonded Leather Sofa | 3) Poundex Bobkona Sherman Leather 2-Piece Sofa | 4) Kardiel Florence Knoll Style Sofa | 5) Homelegance 9734TP-2 Upholstered Loveseat | 6) Classic Scroll Leather Chesterfield 2 Seater Loveseat | 7) TOV Furniture Upholstered Living Room Sofa | 8) Coaster Samuel Collection Cream Leather Sofa | 9) Homelegance Deryn Mid-Century Modern Sofa | 10) Coaster Home Furnishings Zimmerman Modern Seater Sofa | 11) Kardiel Jackie Modern Classic Loveseat | 12) Poundex Bobkona Atlantic Faux Leather 2-Piece Sectional Sofa | 13) Kardiel Eleanor Modern Classic Sofa | 14) Homelegance Track Arm Sofa | 15) Abbyson Westwood Top Grain Leather Sofa | 16) Tangkula Pu Leather Ergonomic Recliner Sofa Chair | 17) Lane Omega Leather Sofa | 18) Poundex F7855 Bobkona Leather 2 Piece Sofa | 19) Coaster Home Furnishings 300321 Contemporary Sofa Bed | 20) Alera RL22LS10B Alera Lounge Furniture | 21) Merax Fabric Chaise Lounge Leisure Sofa | 22) The PU Leather Klippan Loveseat Sofa | 23) Homelegance 9734BK-3 Upholstered Sofa | 24) Abbyson Living Lucia Leather 3 Piece Sectional | 25) Baxton Studio Agnew Contemporary Bonded Leather Sofa | 26) Gordon Tufted Loveseat | 27) Divano Roma Classic Soft Microfiber and Bonded | 28) Baxton Furniture Studios Nikko Mid century Sofa | 29) TOV Furniture The Aviator Collection Sofa | 30) Modway Empress Leather Sofa | 31) Acme Furniture Anondale 15030 94″ Sofa | 32) Flash Furniture Benchcraft Paulie Sofa | 33) Gift Mark Upholstered Chaise Lounge | 34) Homelegance Greeley Reclining Sofa | 35) Ashley Furniture Signature Design Larkinhurst Traditional Loveseat | 36) Classic Two Tone Large Linen Fabric Sofa | 37) Watkins Sofa, 36″Hx72″Wx37″D | 38) VIVA HOME Top Grain Leather Sofa | 39) Iconic Home Da Vinci Tufted Silver Sofa | 40) Elixir Wood Frame Coil Upgrade Mattress Sofa | 41) 2 Piece Faux Leather Sectional Sofa | 42) Flash Furniture HERCULES Imperial Leather Sofa | 43) HERCULES Regal Series Leather Sofa |

The Definitive Guide to Buying Leather Furniture

So you’re looking to invest in leather furniture.

Maybe you love the look and feel of natural, full grain leather. Or maybe you’re into the durability and cleanability of corrected grain.

Maybe you didn’t even know there was a difference.

Well in this, our Definitive Guide to Buying Leather Furniture, we’ll help you understand everything you need to know. Here you’ll learn about all the options when shopping for leather furniture.

Then, you can figure out where your needs, budget, and taste intersect on the way to the right buying decision.

What You Need to Know About Leather Furniture

When buying furniture of any kind, research is your best friend.

That’s even truer when you’re looking to buy new leather furniture. There are a lot of options when it comes to frame material, construction, suspension system, and cushion design.

But let’s start where any serious leather furniture buyers should, with some much need background info on the leather industry.

What You Didn’t Know About the Leather Industry

The (somewhat sad) truth about leather is this:

There is no bottom price on hide—the raw material for all leather.

That’s because there is no bottom quality. All hides are bought and used for something. Yet, only the top 3-5% of hides can be used without undergoing some sort of “correction” process.

This scarcity is the main thing that pushes up the price of the highest “full grain” leather products.

Tanneries buy hides in bulk orders that each contains various levels of quality. Typically, these hides come from beef cattle. They vary based on the type of cattle, location raised, and life the animal led.

Bulk orders of hide are assigned classifications based on where they come from—which helps to predict the average quality in any given batch.

Hide providers and tanneries usually label batches with one of three rating levels. They might call them first, second, and third grade. Or more likely simply A, B, and C. They might even go with something like standard, utility, and special.

Different countries have different standards when it comes to the treatment of livestock. So the rating of any given batch is based primarily on where in the world it comes from.

Grade and Location Rule of Thumb

  • First Grade: Southern Germany, Switzerland, Norway, Finland, Northern Italy.
  • Second Grade: Northern Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, United States.
  • Third Grade: Australia, Africa, South America, Asia

Generally, the highest quality hides only come from the top grade. This is important because the highest qualities of leather can only be made with certain layers of the best hides.

As shown in the figure below, hide has three main layers: the corium, the grain, and the transitional space between the two (the flesh is stripped away).


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