Sofa leather vs fabric (both high-end)

16 years ago

Anyone have opinions regarding leather vs fabric? I am looking at purchasing either an H&M leather sofa/tilt chair/ottoman or a Highland House sofa/chair/ottoman in a fabric from our local fine furniture store. Our salesperson told me that the frames were nearly identical and the only difference was the leather vs. fabric. Both seem really comfortable and I was told the frames & 8 way hand-tied springs would last "forever". The hangup of course is the cost difference of about $2000. I know the leather will last longer, but is it enough to justify the extra cost. Does installing new fabric on a couch 15 yrs from now negate the cost difference? Another factor is that I have two young children, ages 6 and 1, and should I be leaning one way over another because of them? Am I crazy for looking at these nicer furniture lines with 2 young children? I've considered buying something like a Flexsteel now, getting 10yrs out of it hopefully, and then upgrading once the kids are grown.

I really appreciate all opinions/advice or any similar experiences you can share. Thank you.

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Comments (3)

dcollie
16 years ago
Woodyoh,

Recovering in a decent grade of fabric is expensive, so you want to plan to avoid that if possible. In the Northern VA area, a sofa upholstery job runs about $ 600 and its going to take 20 yards of fabric (skirted, under 16" pattern match) at $ 45 a yard average. So that's nearly $ 1,500 in our part of the world. A Tilt back chair would take 8 -9 yards and be $ 350 to $ 400.

Leather outlasts Fabric at a 4 to 1 ratio.

In motion furniture, fabric wears faster due to friction and typically higher use rates. Its not unusual to see a motion piece showing significant wear in about 7 years.

Leather is easier to clean in the Finished grades (or pigmented leather), it literally wipe and go. Do you have a car with leather interior? If so, you know how easy that is to clean up vs. one with a cloth interior.

As for the cost difference, its really where your comfort zone might be. My kids all grew up on leather and we still use the same pieces daily.

-Duane COllie
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mdmomof7
16 years ago
What about a microfiber? We have a family of 9 with seven children and we put hard usage on our furniture. I'm hoping that with the youngest being 8, we can now put the This End Up (most uncomfortable furniture!) in the basement and get some comfy pieces for our family room. I found a Bradington and Young leather sectional floor sample for $3k at a lovely furniture store in downtown Baltimore - Shofer's. The salesperson is wonderful. Since it's all high end or almost high end, the prices are the same. If I had an unlimited budget, I'd get the Austin high back sectional, but reality is the $3k is more our budget. I'm concerned about the leather comfort - we lie on our sofas to watch movies or snuggle up with a good book. I'm thinking microfiber is best for durability/cleanability and comfort. But...is it still a 1 in your 4:1 ratio? Thanks! Hope you are open tomorrow. I want to visit your store!

Oh, I should also say that we really like the Lee Industries deep seat sectional, but that comes in at $4300, but does have at least one extra seat than the Bradington & Young leather sectional. So confused here!
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dcollie
16 years ago
A B-Y sectional on the floor in real leather at $ 3K is a deal and a half. BUY IT. This should be 2x that price. Its not from their Seven Seas (made in China) collection, is it? If so, that would explain the low price.

Microfibers are tough, but even 100 % polyester can't begin to approach the lifespan of leather hides. And leather is the best for cleanup, too!

-Duane Collie
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