What's the consensus on leather sofas?

[Hassled]

Nice or naff? We're talking dark brown, soft leather. The ghost of my mother is whispering "common" in my ear, but I think I quite like them and in fairness my mother thought most things were common.

How do you clean them? If I spilt a cup of coffee on one, what would happen?

No, I don't find it massively offensive but then I don't like to make a big fuss. I wouldn't be so rude as to comment on something that someone had just spent hundreds of pounds on and loved if I was in their house! If your friends would then they must be a joy to have around

I wouldn't choose it myself as it is a by-product of an industry I have a problem with and it is skin so I don't like it as a concept. I also don't like the look, ethical concerns aside. But as I said, lots of people do and that's fine for them. We can't all have the same taste in everything! If your friends comment and refuse to sit down then I think that says more about them tbh.

Hassled, if you can wait a few months, you'll pick up a bargain in the sales - we bought ours from Laura Ashley at 50% off on Boxing Day (bought online after DC in bed!)

John Lewis were also selling leather sofas at 50% off but we weren't quick enough off the mark and by the time I got DH to have a look and agree, the one I was looking at had sold out.

As VAT is going up in Jan there is bound to be a big push from retailers in Nov/Dec this year for sales of high value items, with the accompanying deals (working on the 'selling half a loaf is better than none' theory!)

My only tip is make sure you've been round the shop and are really clear on the particular one you want, the colours are never the same on the internet, and you might end up with something you didn't expect!

We got a leather sofa 5 years ago and hated it. Despite treating it with that special cleaner and wiping spills immediately it was filthy and attempts to clean it made it shiny. If I put the sleeping toddler on it she instantly woke up.

Never again. We moved house and left it with our adult sons. We're getting a new fabric one.

PS we are delighted with our sofas, they take a bashing from 3 DC despite my nagging, and still look great. Mimimum care except plumping up cushions when I remember!

Despite my previous comments I do dream of owning a tan leather balzac chair....although it would sit alongside our lovely faric sofas

Oh and loving the dashboard comment tippychooks never thought of them in those terms but know exactly what you mean and sums the look up perfectly!

Naff. Too cold and slippy and uninviting.

Next sofa I'm going to buy will be a fabric one. In 11 years time that is when DS is 18. Till them I'm going to stick with my naff leather one which just gets a quick wipe down every so often. It copes with 2 cats and children without a mark.. Unfortunately the dog might scupper my new sofa plans being in 11 years time as she ate part of one of the seat cushions last week.

Sorry but Loopyloops nailed in the first post.

Apart from a properly old chesterfield (which probably won't meet your requirements) they're all awful.

"Next sofa I'm going to buy will be a fabric one. In 11 years time that is when DS is 18. Till them I'm going to stick with my naff leather one which just gets a quick wipe down every so often"

What Wynken said

Goodness, I must be a common old bird then as I have a leather suite. I also have both a sweetie bracelet and a pandora bracelet. My son had a fruit shoot at a party this morning and we had a gregs sausage roll on Friday!

Our leather sofas are not for life. They are cheap ones until DS is a bit older. I prefer fabric ones but our fabric one just got trashed with day to day life and it was never really clean.

tefal are you me? I can tick all those boxes...

I've never even considered leather sofas to be naff or common how strange?!

some are nice , some are awful

we had a laura ashley one and sold it on ebay a few yrs later

didn't like the way the cushioins kept having to be adjusted and it wasn't cosy

I prefer colourful furniture and hate brown, so leather not for me.

I hate our leather sofas with a passion - chocolate brown and very squishy. However, with 3 kids they are ideal as you can wipe spillages/stains without leaving marks.

I dream of cream squashy sofas

cheap leather sofas esp in non natural colours eg cream - naff

dark brown leather in a traditional design, which look better with age - not naff

We love ours (the latter) and I am fairly sure our taste isn't entirely off. Ours is warm and full of character and looks lovely in our period house. Easy to clean, comfortable to sleep on, it was worth the money (ours was from John Lewis). I suppose if others think it's naff, I don't really mind, as it's not them who have to live with it.

We have a dark brown soft leather sofa, smaller fabric sofa and fabric armchair and the fabric ones just aren't standing up to the product testing the dcs are giving it, plus dh fell through the chair last week but the leather sofa is going strong.

Definitely not 'common' - ours cost £2,500 ten years ago - it's alcantara (sp?) leather which means it's soft and not cold.

For that money as you'd expect the cushions are stuffed to the brim with feathers (have never needed plumping) and it looks almost as good as ten years ago (and I've moved house 9 times in that time).

It's a very boxy tan colour (like a Mulberry oak colour) and looks not a jot out of date - I think the marshmallowy ones do look very out of date now

Lauriefairycake - alcantara is not actually leather, it's fabric made to look like leather/suede.

Then I'm wrong as it's definitely leather - it has a soft nap and begins with an 'A' - I wonder what the rest of the word is

aniline rings a bell....

Fuck.
Looks at recpipt for expensive leather sofa I have just ordered. From DFS.
Fuck.

Is it aniline leather?

I have just read the end of your post! Yes it sounds like it is aniline leather!