Leather 101
As a natural material leather is understandably less uniform than man-made materials. No two leathers are alike and you should be prepared to accept slight variations in shade, texture, and visible markings (e.g., scratches, bites, scars, wrinkles) as distinctive features unique to your furniture.
Contrary to popular belief, more expensive leather doesn’t wear better. In fact, more expensive leathers tend to be more supple (soft), meaning they often show stretching on the most commonly-used cushions. If you want a “perfect” leather opt for a less-expensive, “corrected” leather. These provide the most uniform appearance and wearability.
At Front Row we use exclusively 100% top-grain leather on all surfaces selected from the top 1-2% of commercially available leather. It costs more but ensures that your product wears evenly over time. Of course, all our leathers are selected for daily-use durability.
And don’t be fooled by industry terms like bonded leather (vinyl with leather dust glued to the back), split (a lower-quality leather), and leather match (leather seating surfaces with vinyl everywhere else). They’re all ways to save money by cutting corners.
Please contact our office if you have further questions about leather.
