If you're in the process of choosing new furniture for your home and you are undecided on the best fabric for the upholstery, we're here to help. Leather and fabric upholstery are among the two most popular options for upholstery. Here are some tips on how to select the right option for your needs.
Choose Upholstery Based on Your Needs
When it comes to selecting upholstery for your furniture, your personal preference are important. However, it is important to keep in mind what your actual needs are.
Leather works well for complementing office and living room décor. For the living room, leather sofas and leather sectionals can make the room feel quite cozy. In addition, leather feels and smells great. It also works quite well if you have pets. Getting rid of pet fur on a fabric sofas and fabric sectionals is a continuous battle that you can avoid all together by opting for leather. In addition, pets are far more likely to damage fabric upholstered furniture because pets tend to like surfaces that they can scratch up easily.
In general, furniture can suffer a lot of wear and tear, especially if the furniture is to be used in a high traffic area of your home. Overtime, fabric upholstered furniture can develop patches that are threadbare, stains and other signs of wear that are difficult to cover up.
Comfort
If temperature and humidity are major concerns where you live, choosing the right upholstery fabric for your furniture can have a tremendous impact on your comfort level. In a room that is climate-controlled, leather can provide a comfortable option. However, if the weather tends to be humid or hot on a regular basis, leather can actually be quite hot and sticky and will not be comfortable at all to sit on during a heat spell.
Durability
When compared side by side, leather can be quite the durable material for upholstery. However, leather can be susceptible to damage as well. Leather sofas can easily scratch, crack or split over time. However, it is more likely that you will need to replace fabric upholstery sooner than you will need to replace leather upholstery. In under 10 years, you can expect that furniture that is fabric upholstered will show wear.
Caring for Your Upholstery
When it comes to fabric upholstery, professional cleanings may be required if the upholstery becomes stained. In addition, issues such as wear on the fabric can not be easily covered up and may mean that the entire piece of furniture will need to be re-upholstered.
Leather, on the other hand, is water-resistant, making it easier to clean. Stains can be quickly wiped up. Cleaning your leather furniture often requires nothing more than a quick wipe down with leather cleaner or warm water and a mild soap.
Reasons to Choose Fabric Upholstery
While leather offers some major advantages when it comes to durability, fabric upholstery is often preferred because of the range of styles available. Medley offers dozens of different fabric upholstery items that can be matched to your home’s décor. With leather, you can only select from a few color options.
Fabric upholstery also tends to be softer and more comfortable. If you are planning to invest in a furniture item that you will spend a significant amount of time lying down on, such as a sofa bed, fabric upholstery might be the better option.
Genuine vs. Faux Leather
Faux leather is an artificial substitute that can provide a synthetic option for buyers who have concerns about the use of animal products as upholstery. In addition, furniture buyers who opt for faux leather will find that it can be just as durable as real leather.
If you are still struggling with deciding on an upholstery fabric for your furniture, Medley can help. You can review all of our fabric upholstery and leather upholstery items or contact a Medley furniture expert today by clicking here.
