I inherited 2 Barcelona chairs from the 60's. They are knock-offs of the original design. The straps and seat are of horrible quality leather and in bad shape, but the frames are quite solid. They were made in Argentina.

I like the chairs and have been looking into reupolstering them. Given that they are not the hightest quality chairs. I do not think that I want to invest in costly top grain or aniline leather and thought that a high quality faux suede upholstery fabric would be nice --

I have never seen a Barcelona chair done in anthibg but leather.

Is there a functional reason that they are not done in suede or other plush fabrics?

Mies V might have only approved of leather, but I am not trying to fool anyone here. The chair is a knock-off but its lovely, so I'd like to put my own twist on it.

Also, my upholsterer has shown me some samples of newer "recycled" leather which look and feel quite nice at a fraction of the cost of a hide.

Thanks,

Shadey