Fabric Vs Leather Sofas: Why We Don't Offer Leather
A wonderful array of choices is open to you when you’re purchasing a sofa. While it’s not always easy to pick between these options, it’s worth taking your time to consider the different elements that work together to complement your individual style and practical usage needs. These include the designs, levels of quality and fabric options.
One such decision faced by consumers is whether to purchase a fabric or a leather sofa. But this choice is more clear-cut. Today, thanks to modern advances, fabric comes out on top. Read on to learn why.
The pros and cons of leather
Historically, leather offered some advantages that fabric couldn’t. For one, in an age before modern materials, it was tougher and more durable than cloth. It’s also stain-resistant to some extent, which provided a wipe-clean surface before technical performance wipe-clean stain-guard fabrics existed.
Temperature sensitivity
Temperatures are often not friendly to leather. We’ve all had the experience of sitting on a smooth, non-breathable surface in hot weather and finding it sticky, hot and uncomfortable. That’s a significant issue with leather sofas. And cold weather isn’t much better, as leather can often feel cold and uninviting in comparison to cosy, textured fabrics.
Maintenance and ageing
There’s also significant cleaning and maintenance required to keep the leather in good shape. To maintain the leather’s pliability, manufacturers often recommend that you condition it with a specialist product regularly.
Other downsides
In our era of better information about animal welfare, homeowners and guests may also feel less at ease using a product made from animals.
Dated appearance
And lastly, leather sofas are now a little outdated when it comes to interior design. One issue is their limited colour palette – they’re available in a smaller range of natural colours, and dyed leather can appear cheap. Overall, they’re reminiscent of our parents or grandparents’ homes – of times when leather was the most resilient material available. These days, there’s better technology available to us.
Pros and cons of modern fabrics
Fabric has always been more comfortable than leather. If you imagine curling up under a blanket on your sofa on a snowy day, you’ll always picture a soft cloth furnishing rather than leather.
But cloth used to have its downsides – primarily, a lack of durability and a vulnerability to stains.
That’s no longer the case with advanced modern fabrics. Up-to-date technologies like wipe cottons and technical polyester yarns offer the stain resistance and convenience of leather without its discomforts.
Introducing high-performance fabrics
Fibreguard is a great example of a modern performance fabric. To the touch, it’s as soft and homely as any fabric sofa. Yet it’s also hard-wearing and beautifully cleanable, which is a must-have for households with children and pets. Fibreguard cloth is washable and available in a wide range of colours, too. Many Fibreguard textiles even have an anti-microbial finish – fantastic for indoor-outdoor areas.
Unlike leather, Fibreguard doesn’t require special products for cleaning. If spills happen, you just need to blot your stain and then, for stubborn stains, use a little ordinary bar soap. No harsh chemicals required.
So, thanks to these innovations in furnishing materials, there’s really no contest when it comes to choosing between a leather and fabric sofa. With a modern fabric, you get all the cosiness, convenience and colour of fabric with the resilience of leather. It’s a perfect combination.
Create your own look using a durable fabric from the curated British Design Shop fabric range
At British Design Shop, we have decided to only work with these high-performance fabrics to provide more durable and tactile options. To us, luxury modern furniture means contemporary British design, using the best materials and quality local craftsmanship. At the same time, we also want to avoid using animal-based products wherever possible.
Our range of premium, handcrafted fabric sofas includes two-seaters, three-seaters, corner sofas, modular sofas and more. We also offer a bespoke service to create a sofa exactly to your specifications. So, whatever your furnishing needs, you’re certain to find exactly the right sofa for you from British Design Shop.
If you’d like to learn more about our sofas or our high-performance fabrics, you can reach us through our contact form, by email at [email protected] or by phone at 01926 266075.