Question about the COMFORT of leather sofas

12 years ago

I've been reading this forum LOTS of threads about leather sofas but haven't seen this question addressed...

I live in the midwest where we obviously have cold winters and hot summers....so my question is how does the leather feel on bare skin (example wearing shorts in the summer)...do you have problems with the lack of 'breathe-ability' of leather? and conversely, does the leather feel 'cold' to the skin in the winter...we keep our thermostats at between 65 and 68 in the winter...I'm really leaning toward purchasing a good leather sofa, but my biggest concern is how comfortable it will be....the only experience I have with one was spending time at a furnished vacation home that had a leather sofa (at least I think it was real leather, I'm not totally convinced!) and I found myself using a beach towel to sit on because I would find my legs getting sweaty (sticky) while sitting....Sorry for the long post, just couldn't find a quick and easy way to ask this question...all replies from leather owners is highly appreciated!

Featured Answer

gin_gin

12 years ago

I seem to be in the minority, but I do find leather hot in the summer & cold in the winter. Yeah it warms up after a while, but when I first sit down it's cold. We have a couch with high quality leather & I still feel this way. We moved from South Florida to the Midwest and brought this couch with us, so I have used in different climates. I used to stick to it in FL in the summer wearing shorts, it's way more humid there than it is here. I also have never liked leather seats in cars.

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Comments (6)

mom270
12 years ago
We find our leather sofa comfortable year-round in a similar climate (northeast). We do like to use a soft throw in the winter months, but we do this for our non-leather sofas as well, so I guess that just feels best (coziest) to us.
differentdreamer
12 years ago
I have never found my leather sofa to be 'sweaty' in the summer (and it does get hot and humid here), nor is it cold in the winter. In fact, it pretty much matches body temperature almost immediately. It is skin, after all.

Further, as long as I can afford it, I will only have leather upholstery in my car. My current car has black leather seats. Even in hot, sunny, sweaty summer, it cools down almost immediately - unlike vinyl that feels like it's going to melt to your skin. I cheat in the winter, though, the car came with seat heaters.
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InteriorStylist
12 years ago
Real leather that hasn't been over-finished will adjust to your body temperature in 20 seconds. It will maintain room temperature, so since you keep your room on the cool side, it will feel cool at first. So make sure it's not bicast or bonded leather & that what you buy is lightly protected.

Once you have a good leather sofa, it'll be hard to have anything else.

Full or Top grain cowhide will be the most durable.

~Jeana
mdrive
Original Author
12 years ago
thanks to everyone for the input...

i have leather in my car and the seats are really cold in winter and hot in summer, but of course it's a CAR....much more susceptible to external weather conditions...

if i do decide on leather, i want top grain, so i'm not interested in skimping....i just don't want to pay thousands only feel uncomfortable!
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iCustomSofa
12 years ago
As previously mentioned comfortable leather must breath! Any leather that has been processed past the point of color dye will seriously affect the breathing. Their is a big difference between aniline dyes and adding pigmentation to achieve uniform color. The most comfortable leathers will age in appearance where pigmented leathers will remain the same color with age and will not be as comfortable. Also any type of finish/protective coating applied to the leather will seriously affect the breathing.