Depends on the other things in the room, size, lighting, how much other furnishings you'll be working with. How about photos of the rooms you'll be using these in?

I love the look of leather, but sitting in it can be off putting.

Peeps don't just sit, feet on the floor in recliners and sofas... they sit Indian style, cross legged, curled up, etc.

I have had a couple of club chairs that were very slippery and everyone always slid out of them. Some even the cushion wouldn't stay in place.

When you test in the show room, try all the positions.

I personally don't think having everything the same in multiple rooms even matters.

If you like it, get it.

Upholstered fabric in a tight weave and/or micro fiber suggested.

I think it is way too much leather for the downstairs (assuming living room). I like the lighter leather sofa.

walls: B.M. Revere Pewter

rug: Pottery Barn

recliner chair: Interior Define

I hate reclining sofas except maybe in a TV space I have always had a lot of leather furnniture and never thought it was too much leather . Good quality leather will last a very long time recllining mechanisms not usually that long . Good leather breathes but that means all leather everywhere including the back. With leather you really do get what you pay for .

Fabric is dirtier as anyone with allergies will tell you. Leather, good leather, is yummy. Those are my thoughts on leather.

My thoughts on reclining anything are not nearly as flattering. They are similar to your thoughts on "men's den". But if you love it, or love someone who does, who am I to contradict?

I'm already depressed? A little leather goes a long way. You have no pictures of the space and no floor plan with dimensions.for either space.

I'm all for comfort, but. : ) I will confess I hate the fact that every reclining couch will negate a coffee table. JMO ......

We have a lot of leather—having 2 hairy Aussies dictates easy to maintain. However, if you go with a leather sofa upstairs, i would absolutely not match the color of leather chairs to the sofa. That looks too much like a lazy boy showroom. Even in our downstairs room, we didn’t match sofa to chairs. i like the coral chairs oncape shows above; it adds some color.

It sounds like your basement might be a theatre room/media room - possibly among other uses. So, if you do a Google search for theatre/media rooms in general (and you can also narrow it down to basement locations) you will see - and you probably already know- that leather and leather recliners would not be unusual to see. So don’t worry- no guests who venture to your basement will push the panic button. As far as the style on your basement leather pieces: They are fashionable, enough. They are not at all in the monstrosity category.

As for the living room: It has nothing to do with the basement. So if you like the leather sofa, just get it. It has a nice style/profile. I would combine it with upholstered chairs. In linen or velvet.

This discussion board leans anti-leather (as well as anti many things). So you basically came to the wrong place for your question. Personally, I have no issues with leather furniture, nor with leather reclining furniture, anywhere- much less in a basement. I am a vegan, though. So I don’t personally use or often promote real leather furniture. I like the look though, and will use faux options.

@Lyn Nielson agree completely so have stuck to options to those we can try out which is very limiting. Good tip on shifting sitting positions.

@oncape downstairs is a bit of compromise with husband that would prefer big bulky lazy boys with cup holders lol. He will also have a bar downstairs so more of a movie/hangout spot. Hoping to keep upstairs a nicer. I like your pictures/suggestions.

@Patricia Colwell Consulting Recliners are limiting for sure! We have become used to them and being able to recline/relax but it limits options alot esp with coffee tables. We are prioritizing comfort and thereby limiting aesthetics. Both upstairs and downstairs have TVs but downstairs is more of the movie room vibe. Nice to hear support for leather. It is so easy to care for and practical for us, just want to balance it a bit where I can.

@K123. We love recliners for comfort but get why people often do not like them. Leather is great for ease of cleaning and in our experience comfortable but something to soften the look helps. Appreciate the “but if you love it” comment as that is so true

@JAN MOYER appreciate the honesty! Completely understand why leather, and esp reclining is a negative for some (or many) esp would think so for professional interior designers. Finding nice looking recliners with many fabric options, good seat depth and full recline is esp difficult.

@deeinohio Leather is great with pets! Appreciate the not matching comment. I may have more luck looking for fabric on the chairs vs the sofa.

@freedomplace1. Basement is definitely a more theatre room feel. Smaller space that will eventually have a bar and game table and very informal. Helps to hear your thought that upstairs living space has nothing to do with the basement! Also to combine with fabric chairs as those should be easier to find. Appreciate this group may be less inclined toward leather…definitely not top choice for many.

@chispa. That is a nice looking sofa! We struggle as husband wants to try them out first which I understand but very limiting. Not seeing Bracci anywhere near us (Montana). Looks like a generous seat depth and full recline from the picture. Might be to wide as our best bet for the space is about 86-89”W. Very attractive reclining sofa.

@pkamr, I looked at the website and Bracci has an office in High Point, NC, which is were most of the furniture makers/designers have showrooms. There should be some furniture stores in your area that carry their lines. I'm in southwest FL and 2 large furniture stores and 3 smaller design stores carried their products, all within 30 minutes of my area.

Luckily the Smart model we liked seems to be a popular one and 2 of the places had the exact one for us to sit on, and one in the color we wanted, so I could see it on a real sofa and not just a small swatch. We ordered it with the wider seats, but you could have a shorter sofa overall if you used the narrower seats.

I would call/email Bracci and ask for distributors in your area.

We got the Leather Suede - High Protected Suede. We've had a few stains on it and I've been able to get them all out following Bracci's cleaning instructions.

The OP’s basement furniture has already been ordered, I believe.

Your room looks nice, chispa. Although, it doesn’t really look like a media room designed for a man.

@pkamr - maybe something along these lines for your basement home theatre, bar, and game table. Except, hopefully chairs a bit further back from big screen! 👀 And/or maybe not such a big screen.

I grabbed the picture from listenup.com site. A company such as this one might be able to give you some tips on sound system, etc. They have a number of locations in Colorado and one in New Mexico, but also basically provide services nationwide.

https://listenup.com/pages/home-theater-media-room?srsltid=AfmBOop1kNclmqagLIgAlznqOHikLzdcF-WzdFHdgoial2t8VVW2t0sg

@chispa appreciate the additional information. I may check into it further. Might be too wide/deep for my space but can certainly check further. I am also now considering keeping the leather sofa and looking into other reclining chair options with fabric to break it up a bit.

@freedomplace1 your basement idea is not too far off from my husband's plan. Pool table is a maybe as they do not always work well on carpet. If not, likely a game table. Definitely a bar. He and his brothers and friends may just live downstairs when they are visiting!

I don’t know the layout of your basement, @pkamr; but if you have an area that has the possibility of being a bit more of a private screening room feel- that could be nice, too. And I always like the idea of being able to anchor a sofa adjacent to a wall, when possible. People tend to feel more comfortable- with the back support, area entry views, etc.

I had created this visual a while back, just to show some general ideas. I think I may have used the words ”men’s media room” as part of this AI word prompt; so, hence, some men showed up! ;) But this is not just a men’s setup. Although, your mention of your husband, brothers and friends possibly ”living downstairs” made me think of this one!

It sounds like it’s going to be a fun space!

@freedomplace1. Appreciate the ideas!

You’re welcome. :)

Btw, I really think your basement furniture is fine. And I think the living room sofa you are considering actually has better lines than the Bracci for a living room. I think @chispa was probably suggesting the Bracci for your theatre room- not for the living room. The Bracci is very nice- and for a media room, it is good. It’s along the lines of similar styles in Natuzzi, I think. But the lines on this beige sofa you are considering are leaning more Transitional, and can seamlessly fit into many living room styles. And combining it with fabric upholstered chairs will be a nice look.

freedomplace, what makes an audio/media room is the equipment and not the decor! The room was primarily designed/built for high end audio (two-channel) listening and TV/movie watching is the secondary function.

It definitely has a more "masculine" vibe than the rest of the house. The photo brightens the carpet a bit, but this is FL and the room is on the main floor, so a dark basement room-look wouldn't be the right design choice, and for me, a room full of dark brown furniture is depressing, whatever it might be used for!

chispa - You said it was your ”husband’s media room”. Maybe I misunderstood. And if that is the most masculine room in your house, so be it.

I think I understand what audio and media rooms are for.

Btw, not everyone is repulsed by brown furniture, etc.

Have you looked at Flexsteel? They make a few sleeker reclining sofas that are available in either leather or fabric and their selections in both are rather extensive. https://www.flexsteel.com/products/3010-620m. It should be easy to find a dealer near you.These are all Flexsteel dealers in Montana. Billings: I Keating Furniture World, Conlin's Furniture

• Bozeman: Conlin's Furniture, Ennis Home Furnishings
• Butte: Conlin's Furniture
• Columbia Falls/Whitefish: Bitney's Furniture
• Cut Bank: Billmans Home Decor
• Glasgow: Town & Country Furniture
• Great Falls: Conlin's Furniture
• Helena: Rucker's Furniture
• Kalispell: Bitney's Furniture, Conlin's Furniture
• Livingston: Livingston Home Outfitters
• Miles City: Conlin's Furniture
• Missoula: Wagner's Furniture & Design, The Living Room, Conlin's Furniture

Prior to retirement, I was a top dealer for a number of leather brands. My takeaway after selling them for nearly 40 years:

* I dislike leather recliner sofas. Good ones are expensive, extremely heavy (300 lb +) and difficult to move into spaces (you are going to need 35" or larger doorways), and no one ever wants to sit in the middle, so its effectively a 2-seater unit. Typically one side gets worn out much quicker than the rest of the piece. You will be better off with a pair of leather recliner chairs rather than a reclining sofa.

* Leather outlasts fabric 4 to 1. Take care of it by cleaning and conditioning the hides reguarlry and the cover will last decades. Do not buy bi-cast or bonded leather (its made of leather particles). Only buy top grain hides.

* One poster here says good leather "Breathes". It does not, any more than your own skin would be porus. That's why its ideal for those wilh allergies, the dust mites that prevail in fabric upholstery are not in leather cushions, because the hides are effectively sealed. That is also why leather cushions cannot be flipped over, there is an air escape panel on the bottom of the casing to let the air escape out of seat and back cushions when you sit upon them.

* I currently have (16) leather upholstery pieces in my home and only (6) in fabrics. . Most all are Hancock and Moore, with a few Leathercraft ones.

@The KEEPING ROOM very helpful information. Thank you.