Leather Furniture is Here to Stay

Leather furniture is here to stay, and with good reason. With it's classic good looks, ease of care, styling, and exceptional value, leather will be with us for a very long time. I'm glad too, because there is nothing quite like the feel of leather furniture. It is sumptuous, tactile, natural, and inherently satisfying. Let's take a closer look at this amazing material to discover what I am talking about.

Probably the most significant thing about leather furniture is its classic good looks and appeal. It is true that leather has many different properties, looks and feels, depending on what animal it comes from, and on how it is treated and processed. However, these differences are many times just secondary considerations. Whether a leather sofa is black, brown, red, blue, or some other color is just a matter of what color dye was used. The way it looks is judged, like everything else in life, in the eye of the beholder. The point here is that the external appearance of leather furniture in itself doesn't matter. What matters, in terms of looks, is that it is going to look good to someone somewhere. The diversity of leather helps secure its place in the furniture world. Nothing about this is going to change.

Along this same vein, leather furniture can be styled in so many different ways that there is no doubt that if you don't like one style you are sure to like another. For example, I have a leather recliner that has studded upholstery tacks along the front edges of the chair. I like these. I think they give the chair a really rich, quality look. My sister doesn't like that look. She prefers leather furniture that looks smoother and doesn't have tacks like that to, as she says, "break up the line". I'm not sure what that really means, but the point is that we each have a style that appeals to us and leather accommodates us both. This applies to all sorts of furniture pieces, from ottomans and upright chairs, to recliners and sofas, and everywhere in between.

Another thing that secures leather furniture in the market going into the future is how easy it is to care for. Leather just doesn't take much to keep it looking nice. It has a natural distressed look to it anyway. Because of this, it isn't like you have to have a perfectly even appearance to consider your leather furniture attractive. Simply keep it wiped down with mild cleaners or even just a damp cloth. Occasionally, a quick once over with a leather conditioner is good. This treats the natural fibers, keeping them supple and healthy. Other than that, leather wears and wears. It can really take a lot of use and even some abuse and keep serving you faithfully, and all while looking great.

Finally, leather furniture has a value that other materials just don't bring to the table. Plastics break and have to be tossed. Cloth tears and rips and stains easily. Metals rust and are unfriendly. You may pay a bit more for an item made out of top quality leather, but in the end the price you pay will be of far greater value to you than if you bought an item made out of something that is just going to wear out quickly anyway. Think of value in terms of cost per day of ownership and you will have to agree that the money you spend on leather furniture is money well spent. Leather furniture is here to stay, and that makes me happy.