Furniture Showdown: Leather Sofa VS Fabric Sofa

In the living room, the sofa is always in the spotlight. A lot of homeowners get frustrated over whether to buy a classic leather sofa, or a chic fabric sofa. Of course, none of the two are without their flaws. Brought to you by Deco-Man, here’s a breakdown of the merits and flaws of leather sofas and fabric sofas. What’s the verdict? Let’s find out! Design: Design Identity

Leather sofa: merits

Sofas made of authentic leather are classy, easy to clean, sturdy and durable. The leather sofa’s look is also simple and tends to get along with various design styles. The most important strength of the leather sofa, though, is its comforting texture. Isn’t it nice to just sink into a plush, voluminous leather sofa?

Leather sofa: flaws

Sofas made of authentic leather are generally more expensive. There also isn’t a wide range of styles. Leather tends to scratch easily too. Design: 9 Creation

Fabric sofa: merits

Fabric sofas come in many styles and colours. Fabric is a breathable material and it comes in many different textures too. This type of sofas generate much warmth in the interior, and are generally more affordable than leather ones.

Fabric sofa: flaws

These sofas stain easily and are relatively hard to keep clean. It also deforms and becomes sunken easily. In a humid climate, mould growth can occur rapidly on the fabric. Insect infestation is also not rare.

Styles

Design: Dreamcatcher Interior Design In terms of style, fabric sofas’ surface materials come in many types and are generally light and soft. The styles of fabric sofa are more on-trend which suits younger homeowners. Authentic leather sofas have a classic look. Both the surface material and the style tend to look luxurious and weighty. Placing a deep brown leather sofa in a spacious living room can elevate the whole house’s aesthetics exponentially.

Price comparison

Real leather sofas come in two varieties: full leather and half leather. Full leather sofas are quite expensive; they also have great breathable quality and are more eco-friendly. For half-leather sofas, the part hidden from sight, like the back and the base, are lined with polyurethane or artificial leather. The parts where our bodies can touch are lined with real leather. These sofas are cheaper than full leather ones. Since the fabric is a cheaper material than leather, sofas made of fabric are relatively cheap.

Lifespan comparison

Real leather sofas are very durable, while fabric sofas tend to become sunken after a couple years of use, and have to be replaced.

Maintenance effort comparison

Fabric sofas demand extensive daily care. You can always clean and replace the fabric. But since the filling material cannot be washed, while moisture can seep into through the fabric, fabric sofas are often the breeding ground of insects. Maintaining real leather sofas is much easier. Just wipe the leather with a cloth from time to time.

Conclusion

Authentic leather sofas are comfortable, classy, easy to clean and have a long lifespan. Although their styles do not vary as much, the leather sofa’s classic look easily withstands the test of time. Fabric sofas really pales in comparison even with its multitude of styles, breathability and affordable price. A high-quality leather sofa is very durable and requires little maintenance, which makes it the sofa for busy urban dwellers like us.   HKDecoman, now going global as Deco-Man, is a Hong Kong-based renovation platform which provides professional consultancy services and pioneers in the development of A.I. homeowner-engineer matching. We aim at educating the public about the art of home renovation and have our eyes on transforming the traditional renovation industry, bringing standardisation, transparency, convenience and automation to the business.

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