Leather Sofa?

[OffredsNose]

DH wants a leather sofa because of the dog. I think they look old fashioned? Can they ever look modern?

YABU - nothing wrong with a leather suite
YANBU - they look minging

It’s all down to the quality of the leather. cheap plasticky leather then yes, horrible.

expensive good quality leather with a softer more ‘aniline’ feel is warmer to sit on and not sticky or sweaty. Less wipeable tho!

We have had this one for the last 8 years. The leather is soft and more worn looking in a good way and it looks more retro than old fashioned IYKWIM.

That said, we've hated it since the day it was delivered as it is SO uncomfortable. It throws you out of it and you can't get comfy on it.

We moved in feb this year and the legs broke a week after we moved in so we're now using it on the floor before we replace it once we've decorated.

The leather still looks good though 7 years and 2 kids and a puppy later.

www.dfs.co.uk/zinc/zci14azil

I have a leather sofa it’s a L shaped one with a recliner at the other end Perfect for just me and my other half

I paid about 4k for it 2 years ago and it looks as new as it did when I bought it

my old leather sofa I had for 12 years and was still in very good condition

i don’t like fabric / cloth sofas as they tend not to hold the shape after a while and can go saggy and can be hard to keep clean if you have kids

make sure it’s actually all leather and not just leather seats or backs as a lot of them have leather seats but the actual back of the sofa is a cheap leather look material but you are paying the full price of a full leather sofa

I love our leather sofas! I concede to the sticky legs in the summer thing but they’re only cold in the winter if the room is cold anyway and then only when you first sit down! They’re probably not the most stylish sofas in the world but they’re also not particularly dated.. very neutral in terms of style really. They’re very comfy, so easy to clean (we live on a farm, have dogs, have a toddler…) and they just seem to go on and on. I’m another who uses saddle soap on them once in a blue moon and they look well on it.

I like this one
www.coxandcox.co.uk/hardwick-leather-sofa/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAnsqdBhCGARIsAAyjYjSVaoik5JQzjHyWmzFCdQ-i4ZkpRe_OI-BCihEzm4FSb-qDV49LCwMaAtC1EALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

I have leather sofas by accident as I intended to rent my house out in the summer and they are good for holiday lets. I changed my mind but there is nothing wrong with the sofas, they are beautiful so they stay. I'd prefer fabric ones though. Mine were reconditioned Fired Earth ones from ebay.

I love my leather sofas. Wide, comfy, still clean after years (and years). Wouldn't have anything else.

Leather sofas can be beautiful or hideous imo

A mid century modern style, in a vintage tan leather - £££ but lovely (wish we could afford!)

boxy style, especially if black - horrible and dated

Grew up with leather sofas and when I left home, I went fabric and never looked back. And yes, I have kids and pets.

As stated up thread -they are cold in the winter, too sticky in the summer and slippy. You end up having throws on it to make it feel more inviting and they slide off.

They also look really naff

I bought a black leather L shaped one about 20 years ago and it's a bit battered, but still going strong. It's big and square and solid and has survived 4 kids and a husband prone to spilling things. My cats don't scratch it, which they have with the fabric sofa in my bedroom. So from a practical pov it's been fantastic.I use throws in the winter, which is probably do on a fabric sofa anyway, to protect it from spills.

I don't know why everything has to be modern or new anyway - just buy what you like and have faith in your own taste. It really doesn't matter whether people who don't live with you, like it or not!

Love mine! Unfortunately the cat has taken to sharpening her claws on it. Only when she wants attention though, as she looks me in the eye.

Mine is about 6 years old from DFS.

I've got this one from ikea, I tho l it looks pretty smart, styled a bit mid century

www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/landskrona-three-seat-sofa-grann-bomstad-black-wood-s19031704/

Even when my kids were babies/toddlers, I wouldn't have had leather. Cold and unwelcoming in winter, hot and sticky in summer.

Much easier just to put a throw over a fabric sofa!

Have you seen the Harris Tweed and leather sofas? Best of both worlds. I absolutely love them, some styles are very modern.

I bought the Dazzel large corner sofa from DFS in 2001
cost a fortune at time. Comfortable deep seats and full roundish arms which you can lay on. The frame and most of it is still in great condition, but last year some of the seats stiching has come away so have put throws on for now.
Been exposed to kids and pets over the years with no big issues.
Really considering to purchase again based on our experience
If not will get 2 seperate large seaters but definatly leather over fabric as easy to clean.

We have a brown leather sofa bought from Harvey’s exactly 20 years ago; one move, 10 cats, 2 kids and 2 dogs later still doing a great job.
I would not consider anything else with kids and cats.

I've had mine since 2008:so very good value

Also have a smaller one from DFS in another room, it's very good as well

Like StrawberryWater, I have leather sofas in one of my rooms, the one that is filled with floor to ceiling books.
Mine are two red chesterfields, one from the 60s and one pre 1900. I also have a big oak desk in the same room, and I like the study/library feeling. I find them very cosy, and I also have velvet cushions and throws for winter evenings.
I do have a 1920s sofa and chairs in the “parlour”, recovered in William Morris type fabric.
My house would probably make a lot of people shudder, as it is old and filled with old things, but it suits me.

That looks so 'executive office' to me... not warm cosy living room

No way would I allow a dog on my leather! Old fashioned 🤔 What do you lot have then? Not one of those grey things, there are some real horrors out there.

Baffled by the people who say leather is cold and slippery. Ours is room temperature. We don’t stick to it and we don’t slip off it. We just sit on it, like a sofa made of any other fabric. We put blankets on to watch films, same as we do with our non-leather stuff, and the blankets don’t budge. Without wanting to sound like an arse, ours was from Heals and was expensive: maybe it’s to do the type or quality of the leather if it’s slippy? Or are you all buying kinky black patent leather sofas to slide about on…

Yes, you get what you pay for generally with leather. There are different grades. Full grain leather is the best for furniture as it's not prone to cracking like genuine leather. The tanning process is important too.

We've got 2 leather settees, bought a year ago. Fabric ones need vacuuming and shampooing a lot if you've got kids and/or pets. Leather is much more hygienic

I only will have fabric sofas with removable covers with pets (and OH who is clumsy)

When we had a dog we had one leather sofa and even the most light pawed jump onto the sofa resulted in little scrapes and scratches and thats without the cat. Its easier to hide cat scratches on a fabric sofa than a leather one. The throws never stay put on a leather sofa and stains dont come out of it

I wash the fabric covers of our sofas quite a lot.