Fabric or leather sofas

I think the leather looks much better on the cow where it belongs.

Fabric. Never liked leather. It’s not a welcoming texture.

I find it very hard to find sofas I like tho, and my cats are ruining one I’ve got now which I love.

I find leather sofas too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter.

Fabric - with removable, washable covers!

Fabric for sofas generally, but a stylish leather chair in a room always looks good.

We bought a lovely cream leather suite when we moved house. It didn't take long to realise that cushions just slid all over it and when the cats sharpened their claws they left black pinpricks in the cream leather. The next suite was fabric!

We had huge discussions about this when we were suite shopping a couple of years ago. Had leather for years and thought we'd make the switch to fabric ... mostly for the warmth of it. However, we ended up with leather again just because we liked the style of the couches. First time the wee grandson was here after getting the new ones, he wiped his sticky hands all over the arms and we were so glad we'd gone for leather again!
When the time comes round again, the kids will be beyond the mucky paws stage and we'll revisit the fabric option.

Our 3 piece suite is fabric. We bought it at least second hand 38 years ago for £25. It has been recovered 3 times since and is still going strong after 5 children in the house!

can i put in a word here for velvet. we have two velvet sofas. velvet is surprisingly forgiving as far as mess is concerned. one is a plush, soft velvet in a deep dark colour. the other is a more crushed velvet. we love them. so sensuous and luxurious. lovely to touch and look at. no slipping around of people or cushions. 10 out of 10 for me

Leather for me every time. We have had ours for 30 years and it still looks good even after kids and grandkids growing up on it. I personally don't find it cold in winter or hot in summer. So easy to clean and care for.

Always had fabric sofas of various types over the years, the Last ones were a two and a three seat sofa rather than the traditional 3-piece, in a Chocolate figured velour fabric. It was a mistake, far too bulky for the size of the room, so my youngest daughter claimed it for her huge lounge, we only kept it for a year.
The furniture we have now is from Next, in Burford fabric. It fits well within the room, but again we wished we had bought a three seater settee instead of the two seater version.
Even with the large riser recliner chair I have for my disabilities, l still miss having somewhere for my DH or Grand children to snooze infront of the Tv if they want to!

mumofmadboys I can beat that.

My parents bought a second hand 3 piece suite with cane sides - bergere style - sometime after they married. (1945)

In the sixties, for some reason my mum decided she didn't want a settee so my dad cut it down to make a third armchair. She later decided that she wanted new furniture and since we'd just moved into an unfurnished flat, we acquired those chairs. Mid 70s

They have moved about with us and been re-upholstered and re-caned and 2 years ago I sold one chair to some friends. The other 2 are still waiting to be re-upholstered with some fabric I bought 12 years ago in a John Lewis sale.

In between we've had some very expensive Italian furniture (bought cheaply from a fire sale) which when we came to get rid of it was made of particle board or similar - not solid wood.

In the 90's I bought several pieces of Ercol for £100 in an auction, which we still have.

The only things we have bought new are white goods and mattresses. i really don't like spending money on stuff if I'm going to worry about dogs or cats, or even people, damaging it.

I don't own a sofa but if I did I would not like to sit on the skin of dead cows.

Besides, when I watch these TV programmes of people looking at houses, fabric upholstery is in the nicer houses.

Dinahmo, lucky you for owning Ercol!

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I’m another who doesn’t wish to sit on dead cows.

mumofmadboys

Our 3 piece suite is fabric. We bought it at least second hand 38 years ago for £25. It has been recovered 3 times since and is still going strong after 5 children in the house!

Sounds very much like ours - we inherited it from the in-laws when they bought a new leather suite. That was more than 30 years ago, although it has been recovered twice. They'd had it for a good while before they gave it to us, so I reckon it must be knocking on for about 50 years now.

Fabric for me every time both for comfort and appearance. I find leather is either sticky or freezing with nothing in between. They even look cold and uninviting.

Fabric. Can't bear slippery surfaces.

My leather suite was my Grandmas , then my Mothers , I got it and had it recovered it in leather , the only thing wrong with it is that it used to have velvet cushions ,
The leather ones do let stuff slide about , my DIL found it very comfortable when she has stitches after her first baby ! So that might be a solution , fabric cushions

Fabric for me. Leather in whatever form, always seems chilly and slippery.

Yet another old thread revived

I prefer leather - stylish, easy to keep clean (just wipe)so better when the GC and cat are on them.

We have two 17 year old leather sofas, one navy blue and the other cream.
We have cats and find leather the most practical.

In fact, we had our cream fabric dining chairs reupholstered in cream leather, because I was always wiping paw marks off the fabric.

We will replace the sofas in the next couple of years and will have leather again. Probably a pair of chesterfields.

We have pussy cats so leather is the only thing that survives claws. I prefer it, personally, because it wears nicely and even when it is old it still looks good, like a leather handbag.