Leather is a popular and highly valued material since the earliest days. It has always been highly appreciated for the advantages it provides. Imagine yourself as an early man whose earliest sitting arrangement was probably an animal skin on the ground. The reason was probably because it provided warmth and comfort for sitting and sleeping.
Gradually as time passed man began to move from the ground to sitting arrangements at heights like chairs and sofas and though a wide range of natural and synthetic materials are available, leather continues to be a popular choice as furniture material. There are many factors which make leather popular. If you look at the variety of modern leather sofa at Urban Ladder you will be surprised at the popularity of leather sofas.
The reasons why the leather sofa is popular are quite a few.
Leather is classy and when you look at leather sofas anywhere, you cannot help but be impressed. It lends a certain amount of elegance to a room which is not available in fabric. The improved techniques of tanning leather in modern times have made it resistant to cracking and peeling so with a little care they look attractive.
Unlike fabric sofas, which tend to fade with age and become shapeless as well as look worn out leather furniture softens and becomes suppler with age.
Synthetic materials do not dissipate heat and cold quickly, and are therefore uncomfortable in certain kinds of weather. However leather does this and are therefore comfortable for sitting in any kind of weather. Leather is also less sticky than synthetic materials.
A common problem faced with the use of fabric or synthetic material on sofas is the lack of durability. A leather sofa lasts much longer than a fabric one. Leather is tougher and even remains strong around the seams and is safer from tearing and wearing. In fact cleaning leather sofas is much easier than cleaning sofas made from any other material. A damp cloth takes care of dirt and spills and daily light dusting and a rub down for a couple of times in the year will take care of its cleanliness. On the other hand fabric sofas will require vacuuming and cleaning at short intervals.
Your fabric sofa or a synthetic material will fade with age but since leather absorbs colour when it is dyed the colour will not fade even at the wear areas. Also if you buy sofas made from leather which retains its natural colours you don’t need to worry if you are changing your interior decor. In addition, because leather is made from animal hides, each piece is unique with natural markings, grain and even blemishes.
The most important aspect of using leather is that it is a healthy choice because it does not collect dust and allergens. Sofas made from other material are most likely to do so.
The only disadvantage of a leather sofa that you may think of is its costing. However the benefits of a leather sofa far outweigh this problem. Also because a leather sofa lasts much longer than any other sofa it is worth the buy if you can initially invest that larger sum.