What to Buy: Leather vs. Fabric Furniture

Picking a sofa material is a big deal. It requires careful consideration of your lifestyle, budget, and the time you plan to invest lounging in it. Whether you choose a fabric or leather sofa will be determined by how you live now and how your life may change over the next few years. Of course, unless you have a crystal ball, you can't know everything about the future, but you can prepare for whatever it has in store through a little education. When it comes to picking the right couch material for you, knowledge is power.

Photo by @boneill_athome

General Maintenance

Let's get straight to the point: quality matters. The higher the quality of the materials used in your couch, the longer it will last. It can be tempting to opt for a sofa that's cheap and trendy, but without the foundation of great materials, you're looking at a sunk cost (editor's note: I've bought $40 sunglasses off Instagram... they did not live up to the photos). Regardless of whether you choose a fabric or leather sofa, prioritize durable materials.

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Photo by @kristencoutts

For fabric, options like linen, cotton, and wool offer a great balance of breathability and easy maintenance, especially when blended with synthetics. These natural fabrics, as seen in pieces like the Leigh Modular Sofa (a linen-polyester blend)or Sanders Sofa (a wool blend), create an inviting and durable surface. Maintaining your couch is as simple as regularly vacuuming the fabric, which lifts excess debris from the weave and keeps colors even. Fabric sofas may experience pilling and wear with high use, but selecting a high-quality model can minimize this. Look for couches with a Martindale rub-test of 25,000 rubs or more (humblebrag: Article sofas are typically Martindale tested to withstand up to 100,000 rubs).

For leather, the type of leather you choose will determine your couch's long-term look and feel. Article offers various leather options, such as Charme Leather on the Timber Sofa, Rawhide on the Cigar Sofa, and Oxford Leather on the Sven Sofa. Each leather type undergoes a distinct treatment that not only gives it a unique finish but also influences how it will wear over time and how it needs to be maintained (we actually wrote a seriously in-depth post about our different leather types). While leather doesn’t pill like fabric, its quality affects its durability—cheaper or imitation leathers are prone to cracking or fading, even with the best care. To reduce the risk of wear, look for leathers labeled full-grain, aniline, or semi-aniline. Avoid “genuine leather,” which is often layers of lower-quality leather bonded together with glue.

Treating Spills

Spills are the inevitable nemesis of couches. One moment, you’re enjoying a nice pasta Bolognese—the next, so is your beloved Ceni Sofa. While treating stains on fabric and leather sofas requires different steps, both start the same way: soak it up ASAP. Whatever the spill, begin by blotting it with a soft cloth—this is the first step toward rehabbing your couch back to its once pristine state.

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Kellitmoore Family snuggles up on their Sven Charme Tan Sectional.

After you’ve blotted, your next steps will depend on your sofa’s fabric composition. For fabric, you’ll need to check the manufacturer’s instructions. Depending on your sofa’s fabric makeup and post-manufacturing treatment, certain cleaning methods will work better than others. Some might even further stain or discolor your couch. As with anything, quality determines longevity.

Leather, on the other hand, is slightly more forgiving. Because leather is considerably less porous than open-weave fabrics, gently mopping the spill goes a long way towards treating it. Taking good pre-emptive care of your leather is a great way to help protect your leather from future spills. When your leather is buffed and properly moisturized, spills are less likely to get soaked into the pores. Additionally, different kinds of leather will take on different patinas over time. Casey and Bridget of the DIY playbook appreciate that the full aniline leather on the Sven Sofa is meant to wear in and give a vintage look. Such flexibility makes it easy to introduce to a decor scheme… and a toddler.

Comfort is Key

Arguably, the most important quality in a couch. The fabric vs. leather sofa question doesn’t determine whether a couch is sinkable, lounge-worthy, or for straight-sitters only. The comfort factor here is more subjective, and therefore a little easier: which one feels better on your body? Boom. That’s what wins this category.

Here’s where you can embrace your inner Goldilocks. Soft-seekers looking to sink deep into extended lounging sessions will find comfort in the Sven Sofa. For a more supportive medium-firm feel, the Burrard Sofa blends high-resiliency foam and plush polyester fill. Firm fans will find the Abisko Sofa and Ceni Sofa to be the most supportive options.

Comfort also tends to be tied to appearance as well. No matter how cushy your couch, if you don’t like the style you’re just not going to feel good on it. Our friend Nicole over at Visual Heart asked the Article team for fabric swatches so she could see how the colors on her shortlist looked in different light. She eventually went for the Ceni in Pyrite Grey because it looks lighter in her light-washed apartment.

GlitterGuide's feature of Sarah Lit and her family-home included our Ceni Sofa.

Keen to get some fabric swatches of your own? We can help.

Life Factors

When it comes to fabric vs. leather sofas, you need to consider your long-term lifestyle. Here are a few helpful questions:

When Spring comes, do your sinuses besiege you? If yes, consider leather. Fabric couches accumulate dust mites and other allergens more easily than leather does, and can extend your allergy season. Leather sofas are hypoallergenic.
Do you have pets? Secondary question: are your pets your babies? Being easier to clean, harder to stain, and more adaptive to a lived-in look, we generally recommend leather for pet-owners. However, if you’re a diligent trainer and have your heart set on fabric, we trust you.
Young children. This one doesn’t offer a clear Y/N, but asks you to consider your particular child: do they have a penchant for Sharpies? Choose a couch with flippable cushions. Are they prone to accidents of all types? Leather may serve you longer. While there’s no foolproof way to protect your furniture from the tyranny of toddlers, a damage-control plan is useful.

Photo by @ladyheaton

Your modern living room furniture will be a long-term companion that needs to reflect your changing style and manage your relaxation needs. Though choosing a fabric sofa vs. a leather sofa (or vice versa) may seem an aesthetic choice, it will influence the longevity of a piece in your home. Good thing we have so much choice on hand.