Buying Guides
Choosing leather for your furniture
Leather will absolutely outlast fabric upholstered furniture. The characteristics, warmth and comfort of high-quality leather makes it a very desirable upholstery material. Leather develops a patina over time, and becomes more supple and beautiful as it ages. It adjusts to the user’s body temperature, it is breathable and soil resistant, making it easy to clean and maintain. Full grain leathers have significant tensile strength, outwearing textiles and top grain leathers many times over.
Leather is made through a process called tanning to preserve the hide or skin of animals. Tanning is often a chemical treatment, although many manufacturers are now embracing vegetable tanning processes which are much kinder to the environment. Tanning converts the otherwise perishable skin into a non-decaying material and makes it pliable when dry. The skin of larger animals such as cows is termed as hide and the skin of smaller animals like sheep and goat is termed as skin. Leather is a renewable material and mostly comes from cowhides that are a by-product of the meat industry. Leather can broadly be divided into full grain, enhanced grain, corrected grain, top grain and split leathers.
Full Grain Leathers
Full grain leather is the finest, highest quality, most beautiful and comfortable grade of leather. Only the hair is removed from the epidermis and the hide has not undergone any surface alterations like sanding or buffing to remove imperfections, scars or insect bites and comprises the entire thickness of the skin. The hide’s natural pores and grain textures are intact and will have an exclusive appearance, developing a patina over time.The full grain surface breathes keeping the user of its surface comfortable as it adjusts to body temperature.
Enhanced & Corrected Grain Leathers
Enhanced grain leather is a full grain leather with an artificial grain embossed over the natural grain. Enhanced grain leather has the same comfort and breathability of full grain, but has received minor alteration to improve the grains appearance.
Corrected grain leather is produced from the upper portion of the hide. The surface is lightly sanded then embossed with an artificial grain texture producing a more consistent appearance across the entire surface.
Animal Wellfare
Leather may not come to mind with recycling, but all Spinneybeck leather is produced from hides that are a byproduct of the meat industry. No animals are harmed simply to make our leather. Instead, this byproduct is repurposed into something useful and long lasting. Spinneybeck leather comes from grass-fed, free-roaming European cattle that are free from harm. They have free range within stone fences instead of barbed wire and are never branded. This is clear with a higher quality hide that is free from punctures and flaws.
Top Grain or Split Leather
Top Grain leather is produced by separating or splitting the rawhide. It is considered the second best quality of leather, its grain surface is removed by buffing and sanding to eliminate imperfections and an artificial grain pattern is then applied to give the leather a uniform look. As a result a top coat and heavily pigmented layer is applied to conserve its look and hide natural traits. This top coat is helpful for protecting the leather but it will not have a soft supple natural feel and look. Top grain leather is not as strong and durable as full grain leather as it has a thinner natural fibre structure.
Care & Maintenance
Leather is durable and can last a long time with proper maintenance. Leather has a classic and timeless feel and comes in many colours and finishes to suit different styles. Leather is easy to clean and maintain, you can easily wipe away spills with a damp cloth. Faux leather is a great vegan alternative that is really durable and timeless. We sell a comprehensive range of furniture and leather care kits.
Vegetable Tanned Leather
Vegetable-tanned leather is made by soaking the animal hides in a tanning solution made from natural materials such as tree bark, leaves, and fruits. The tanning process can take several weeks or even months, the resulting leather has a natural, earthy look and feel. Vegetable tanning is an environmentally friendly process that produces leather that is biodegradable and compostable.
Vitra's Leather Premium F is a smooth cowhide leather with a flat grain and fine top sheen. It is dyed-through, lightly pigmented and processed with a tanning agent extracted from olive tree leaves (a waste product of the olive harvest).
Other types of leather
Belting Leather
Belting Leather is a heavy weight, full grain leather that was originally developed during the Industrial Revolution to drive pulley belts and other machinery. With its thick, firm feel, this leather is 100 percent vegetable tanned and aniline dyed.
Saddle Leather
A premium material sourced from the middle section of cowhide, known for its strength, durability, and ability to develop a stunning patina over time. Perfect for high-quality, long-lasting leather goods.
Cowhide
The unique pattern and appearance of each cowhide makes every piece of upholstery one-of-a-kind. The natural variation in colour, pattern, and hair length is to be expected due to the natural characteristics of the material.
