Leather Sofa- Pros and cons

[KindergartenKop]

Please help, I'm replacing our sofa and was thinking about a light coloured leather one.

Pros- can get light colour for dark room and it's wipeable/less prone to stains than light fabric.
Might wear better?

Cons- Two filthy boys might ruin it.
Two filthy cats might ruin it.
Does it feel cold and slithery?

Any thoughts appreciated. Cat pic attached so you can see the magnitude of the dilemma I have.

Pros
Wipeable
Softens and looks better with age
Natural so doesn't feel sweaty
Cool in summer
Easy to clean and maintain

Cons
Light leather can get stained from jeans etc
Cats may scratch off the surface leather
Coldish when you first sit down (but does warm to your body temp)

We just switched from fabric to leather sofa recliners. Had leather previously and preferred them as wipe clean and DC were little. DH insisted on fabric ones last time as thought they were more comfy.

The fabric ones were the kind that with loose cushions that you had to arrange and pump them up or they looked messy. Kids would jump on them. Drove me absolutely nuts. After a few years they started sagging. Had to constantly wash the cushion covers as well.

Loving being back to leather. Feel much cleaner and can always sit on a throw if they feel cold. No more cushion arranging. Sofas always look neat.

Wouldn’t let the cat on them though as might scratch. Our cat has never gone on sofa though. She has a bed and isn’t a lap cat.

Pro: Easy to wipe clean.

Con: In the heat, you will stick to it! We put a blanket over the leather during hot weather to stop the sticking 😂

@duvetdayforeveryone I was about to say the same thing 😂

My cat has never scratched our leather sofas.

DC have spilled everything possible on them, puked and more all over them, and they just wipe clean. Still look pretty much the same as when we bought them and they’re nearly 9 years old.

For that reason alone I love them and will maybe think about fabric ones once the kids are grown up enough to not destroy everything.

Our leather sofas lasted over 20 years and only last 2 years in the lockdown seems to have really wrecked them (worn out patches). Just had them recovered in leather too.

Leather, easy to clean, natural and looks good.

Mines is grainy, you don't stick to it either.

Pros
Always looks good
Easy to clean
Comfy
Warm or cool depending on weather

Cons
Can't think of any

I'd never have anything else now. Had mine 22 years. Did recover just the seats three years ago though. Both look as good as new.

We have one. It's horrible. Sticky and cold and miserable to sit on. Hate the sofa.

I think it depends on the build and quality of the leather. We have a 16 yr old leather 3 pce suite from M&S that has mellowed nicely and is still very comfortable (we paid extra for memory/ rebound foam cushions). It’s a bit dated but with 2 teenagers dropping coke and pizza it will do for a little while yet. We bought it when DS was tiny and got leather for the wipe clean finish- which has been invaluable over the years. It can be cold in the winter (lots of cushions & a throw fix that) but I’ve never stuck to it 😁

Grainy is a good word for it. Ours is grainy not smooth and shiny.

Cons - they are all hideous.

Pros; easy to clean even with a dirty dog in the household. Wearing well over the years. Matches different colour schemes. (Leather like denim transcends normal colour rules. )

Cons; it's bloody cold.

You do have to be a bit careful what you buy. Our current sofas can't be wiped, because the dye comes off! We're very unimpressed because that's one of the main advantages of leather. This is our third suite and the only time we've had this problem, we will know to look out for this next time - on the plus (or minus!) side, they last forever

Cons - cold, sticky, sweaty, red patches on your thighs. You slide off them (even more so with a throw like a mat down a helter skelter). Looks like leather. Your vegan friends don’t like you and sit in the kitchen (next to the fridge of dead animal parts). Cats and dogs scratch the surface with complex repairs. Seats can wear of colour and not all are wipeable. Studded ones are a nightmare for dust and dirt. No ability to put covers in the washing machine.

Pros - erm.

Thanks!

Seems it's not clear cut then 😅

We have a huge corner leather sofa.

Pros
It holds its shape
Super comfy
Never gets dirty despite 6 people (mostly messy children) living here plus ddog

Cons
The price, as it was beyond expensive

It can feel cold initially but we have big squishy cushions and throws.

We had a fabric sofa once - it didn't last long in our busy house.

Love our leather sofa...its great can be cleaned easily...our fabric sofa definitely looks more knackered and harder to clean and smells more because of that
..
Ours is an ikea one and has lasted 15 years!
Would get leather again in an instant..

I have a leather sofa in a TV room. It's also where my grandson plays and my partner works. The sofa wipes clean and it takes a lot of stick from being jumped on.

I have a cloth sofa in my living room. The seats have to be turned regularly and the covers get stained and the cats scratch it. It is more comfortable but the leather sofa will outlast it by a country mile

My cats shredded my leather sofas within a couple of months. They don’t purposely scratch as much now, but their claws still get caught they chase each other, or stretch their paws out.

I’ve ordered new sofas from SCS, their endurance range, which is a synthetic ‘suede effect’. I’m not expecting miracles but hoping it fares better against the cats.

I also won’t miss peeling myself off them on hot days. It’s feels like you’re getting waxed but without the benefit of hair removal.

I find a lot of leather styles look a bit dated, especially pale colours. And I find leather cold and uncomfy. My biggest concern would probably be the cats as any claw marks will ruin leather. Could you get removeable washable fabric covers instead?

Slippy to sit on. Before you know it you’re nearly lying on your back. And cushions won’t stay up either.

Never stuck or slipped on our leather sofas. Cats and light colour nota great combo.

I am a convert…DH was utterly besotted with a pale leather sofa about 15 years ago and I gave in. Yes, it’s now worn but it’s in amazing condition given it’s age, the leather is still soft and comfy and the DSs have spilt everything know man to man on it and it’s wipes clean. I’m never going back to fabric. The cats have more or less left it alone which given they’ve destroyed most of the rest of the house is a miracle.

It’s cold
throws slip around
it does crease, the sofa was pretty creased at the front of the seat cushions, we’d had it four years. The arm chairs were fine as we didn’t often use them.

they did wipe over just fine and they never had to be plumped up.