LEATHER SOFAS

How can you know if a leather sofa is good quality?

A high-quality leather sofa has a good frame and good cushioning, and it’s crafted from exceptional leather. Every leather sofa made at Ethan Allen is tailored by hand. If it has features like tufting, nailhead trim, or welt, each customization is applied by hand.

• Our frames are made from either kiln-dried hardwood or engineered hardwood, joined with mortise-and-tenon joinery, and glued and either nailed or stapled for reinforcement.
• Springs are tempered and custom-fit to the frame.
• Foams are made from CertiPUR-US® certified materials, which are made to be durable while remaining free of harmful ozone depleters, carcinogenic flame retardants, or formaldehyde.
• Leather consists of entire hides that have been cut and color-blended by hand.

To see and feel the quality of our genuine leathers, stop by a Design Center or visit our leather library to order a swatch.

Are leather couches durable?

Yes! Leather lasts a long time as long as you take good care of it.

Even so, life happens: Cats can scratch leather, and keys can poke a hole in it. It’s not foolproof, but there are many common-sense ways to keep it looking beautiful:

• Avoid putting your leather sofa or leather loveseat in direct sunlight, so the leather doesn’t fade.
• Place your leather sofa away from heating and air conditioning vents that can cause the leather to dry out and lose its elasticity.
• Don’t sit on your sofa with your keys, pens, or other sharp objects in your pocket—and watch out for any claw sharpening from Fluffy!

To learn more about caring for leather—it’s easier than you think—talk to a designer and watch our Leather Dos and Don’ts video.

What kinds of leather couches do you have?

We offer two-seat leather loveseats (sometimes we call them apartment sofas or small sofas) that come in under 70”, and then leather sofas in lengths ranging from 70” to 100+”. If you’re looking for extra sleeping space for your guests, you can also order a leather sleeper sofa.

To get tips on measuring for your new leather sofa, read our living room seating buying guide.

Which leather should I choose for my living room sofa? There seem to be a lot of options.

One of the first things to think about is character, which we define as a leather’s appearance and texture, and how it ages.

• Leather can have the look of a bomber jacket: subtle and varied shading all over, scratches that give it a time-loved look.
• It can also have edge-to-edge color consistency, like a car’s interior.
• It can have special finishes and effects, like a metallic look or embossing.

If you like that bomber jacket look, and you don’t mind your leather looking scratched and lovingly worn as it ages OR if you want it to look the same all over, with no variations, be sure to tell your designer. If you’re not sure, download our leather brochure and take our leather quiz, or click Designer Chat.

It seems like every leather couch is black or brown. Do you have more modern color options?

We offer a full spectrum of leathers in almost every imaginable color option. If you want a classic brown or black leather couch, go for it; if you want something glam in teal, we can make it happen!

That doesn’t mean you can’t make a brown leather sofa look modern: Track-arm sofas have clean lines and tend to look more modern in any material; a leather sofa with a midcentury profile can also lean modern. A comfy, loose-cushioned leather sofa, when you surround it with modern décor, becomes an island of timeless livability in an otherwise contemporary living room.

Your leather cushions have some special elements: denim panels under seats and hook-and-loop tape on back cushions. Why?

A fabric cushion allows air to escape between its fibers when you sit down, but leather isn’t permeable enough for air to pass through. That’s why we sew denim panels under our leather sofa seat cushions to make that air exchange possible to give your leather sofa that sink-in feeling.

Leather back cushions can sometimes tip forward instead of staying where they belong, so we attach hook-and-loop tape to that keeps them attached to the back of your sofa. It’s just another one of those ways that the artisans at Ethan Allen work to get every detail right.

Do you have more questions? Click the Designer Chat icon, or contact your local Design Center—we’re happy to help!