High Quality Leather Furniture Suggestions?

[Arthur PE]

this is sound advice, high quality, has some history to it, and is a work of art unto itself...holds value well for something like furniture
Herman Miller stuff is good too, commercial grade stuff that is of timeless design, using a work table as a dining table, some fixed office/cafateria chairs for the dining chairs

Any authentic Le Corbusier or Eames furniture for example is going to be top notch in quality. Also, most of the designs are timeless and will always look modern and fresh. Finally, they hold value.

 

[onix]

Patek, any news/insights on the adventure? I am starting my own process of moving into a new home and are looking into this matter too.

 

[Patek]

No, I get frustrated and put it on hold. I really need to get on it though as my sofas are done.

 

[SkinnyGoomba]

The suggestion of Cassina's Le Corbusier or HM's Eames is accurate and a good suggestion. I own an LC3 by Cassina, it is Top notch and I expect will hold up for a lifetime, ps it is also down filled. I also own an Eames lounge and ottoman from HM and have a similar expectation.

There is a reason why the vintage market has many of these, 30+ years old that are still in good shape.

If you want very high quality leather, like in your op, then you should expect to spend 11-13k on a 3 seat sofa.

My EL&O is in Edelman All-Grain, Which is an awesome full grain leather, and worth considering. Cassina also has some fabulous leathers that are in the above mentioned range, but the standard is commercial grade and will last for decades.

Consider that knoll, cassina, Herman miller, Carl Hansen, fritz Hansen, and others are considered some of the best furniture manufactures currently in the market. They are not second to Hancock and Moore or others.

 

[impolyt_one]

Vintage Eames lounges have leather I'd expect on a $150 variety store leather jacket. Cassina LC's are nicer but no better than say, a Schott Perfecto. They're okay for putting ****** all over, but I'm not going to believe they're going to look better for the wear in 30 years. Buy leather furniture that looks good now and don't mind the brand name on the bottom of the cushions; if it looks good now, it might look good later, it may not, but if starts off looking cheap, it'll never look nicer. The human ass gives off enough moisture and rubbing to calander halfway decent leather into looking alright.

 

[SkinnyGoomba]

Well, you're right and wrong. The base line are typically commercial grade, which is corrected and avoids stains very well. However these manufactures offer higher quality 'natural' leathers that more in line with what the style forum collective would enjoy.

The manufacturing standards are high, methods of construction are superlative and the end product is overall high quality. Compare the plating for instance on the above mentioned products to that of even restoration hardware and you'll find it to be of much higher quality.

I have restoration hardware's version of the Mies Van Der Rohe 'MR Lounge' and their version of the Edouard-Wilfred Buquet floor lamp, the quality does not compare to Knoll's authentic version of the MR. I have not compared the lamp to an original but I know the originals had lacquered wood handles and were silver plated and this one has plastic nd chrome and likely does not come close to th version by technolumen.. I enjoy it still, but the experience has encouraged me to acquire only authentic versions and often pay for the higher quality leathers offered by them. These manufactures often have very high standards for all aspects of the product.

You can find higher quality, but it is not likely to be produced in an 'in-stock' variety and will cost you even more.

 

[89826]

Poltrona Frau is some of the nicest stuff there is. Invented among other pieces the club chair.

 

[chinesealpha]

Vintage Eames lounges have leather I'd expect on a $150 variety store leather jacket. Cassina LC's are nicer but no better than say, a Schott Perfecto. They're okay for putting ****** all over, but I'm not going to believe they're going to look better for the wear in 30 years. Buy leather furniture that looks good now and don't mind the brand name on the bottom of the cushions; if it looks good now, it might look good later, it may not, but if starts off looking cheap, it'll never look nicer. The human ass gives off enough moisture and rubbing to calander halfway decent leather into looking alright.

TOJ furniture line in the works?

 

[Find Finn]



There are 3 grades : grade 1 , grade 2 and grade 3 with unique features and benefits such as one with smooth surface

Lol no.

 

[tamshunjia]

authentic Le Corbusier or Eames furniture for example is going to be top notch in quality. Also, most of the designs are timeless and will always look modern and fresh. Finally, they hold value.

 

[Find Finn]



Reproduced designer furniture also uses top Italian leather. The company who I have recently purchase from is http://www.infurn.com. They have all the top designer replicas, Charles Eames, Charles Le Corbusier, Arne Jacobsen, but at a price that I can afford. It was a great option for me. 

Hope this helps!

LOL INFURN is known as the biggest hustler company in the world and you are lucky if you receive what you bought.

German and Danish trading standards have been after them and they been on more consumer shows than I can count.

 

[Marindamom]

How does one go about paying 40% less? The stores I know do not bargain.

Thanks!

 

[Sharpe]

Does anyone know places to get full-grain leather couches and such in Melbourne, Australia? I find it hard to pull the trigger on a couch around here because i'm not sure of the quality, with most being cheap made-in-china stuff that's sold for far too much. Almost bought a 2.5 seater leather couch from Freedom, the 'Dahlia', which I like the look of but wasn't sure about the quality....

 

[Basil Hawkins]

I am moving in a month and decided that I do not want to take my crappy (yet comfortable) Rooms-To-Go furniture. I quickly realized that while I know all about buying suits or determining that quality of shoes, I know little to nothing about buying quality furniture.

First, what I am looking for: High quality (heirloom quality) leather sofa or sectional. I’m tired of wasting money on crappy furniture that looks good for a couple of years but sags and looks like crap very soon.

I would like to know what to look for to find quality leather furniture. I am willing to pay for quality, but do not what to pay for marketing. In other words, I do not want to buy the Hugo Boss of furniture but I can probably not afford the Tom Ford or the Kiton on furniture. I’m looking for the Hickey Freeman or the BB Golden Fleece of furniture.

I know the obvious things to look for are:
• Topgrain leather (is this the same as full-grain?)
• Hand-tied spring suspention (8-way?)
• Kiln dried hardwood
• Corner blocked frames
• Double doweled frames
• Down fill
• Hand tanned leather

What other “markings” does quality leather furniture have? Are any of those things BS?

In addition, where do you furniture experts buy your furniture? Restoration Hardware, Crate and Barrel, Ethan Allen etc all seem to have some good stuff, but I know a big part of their price is their marketing markup and I really don’t know which stores are crap/marketing/waste of time.

I’m willing to pay up to $6k for a sofa or more for a sectional, although I would like to pay less but not at the expense of quality.

Also, should I be looking at small independent stores? If so, how do I look for them? Any recommendations for the Philly/DE/NJ area?

Comments or suggestions are more than welcome!

Up to a point. Price is no guarantee of margin - see Aston Martin. If you look over a +10 year period the companies that consistently deliver economic profit above market average are very few. And there is no significant correlation with price position

Full-grain is the best leather that you can get your hands on. The comfort is unmatched but it is also far more susceptible to wear and tear. It has to be taken care of thoroughly.

In such instances, Top-grain is a great option. Although, it is slightly inferior to full-grain. I've worked for a furniture manufacturing firm for over 2 years & I can tell from experience that many shy away from full-grain simply because of the work involved.

As for top-grain, you can, ofcourse source locally but for great, assured quality your budget may not be enough. At that price range it is probably better to pick one up from a manufacturer directly [provided your quantities are >5 sofas or any furniture piece of equivalent weight]

While the Chinese do metal & contemporary furniture well, when it comes to leather, it's best to go for vietnamese or Indian manufacturers.

This article is great for a beginners understanding of leather furniture [https://www.thebackstore.com/blog/8-types-leather-furniture/]

You can check out Furniture roots for full grain furniture & desalen furniture for top-grain furniture in China

 

[taxgenius]

Any ideas on where to find quality leather recliners?