You want to invest in something that will last decades if selected right but you don't want to unknowingly buy something that you know precious little about. Here, then, are three basics so you'll know enough to be dangerous when assessing the quality of any leather item you choose to bring into your home:
1. Aniline, Full Grain...Am I Buying Furniture or a Steak? When looking at a piece of furniture, be it a bar stool or a sectional sofa, realizing that full grain leather is the highest possible grade of leather you can purchase. It comes with it the natural imperfections that come with a pure hide. Instead of it being treated like other kinds of leather, full grain leather will go on to develop a rich patina over the course of time, having a "worn in" look will be the result from fine care and attention. Now, when looking at a piece of aniline leather, you're looking at a piece of top grain leather that has been dyed. What this means is that you'll get some of the imperfections that make full grain leather so appealing but, the difference here being, aniline leather will fade with exposure to the sun's rays over time. A protected aniline leather piece of furniture also is dyed but has a pigment added to it to have a more homogenous color. The benefit of a protected aniline piece of leather furniture is that it is your best defense against wear, sunlight, and your most common staining.
2. Where Should I Buy It? Much like a guy who rolls up on you in a van telling you he has some speakers that he needs to get rid of at a special price, it's best if you stick to shopping for your leather furniture at a store that specializes in selling this kind of merchandise. While you might find a great deal on a leather couch at a large retailer, chances are that the quality of the items would be of lesser quality and you wouldn't have as great of range in matching up a sofa with a chair or with some bar stools.
3. Consider The Source. When thinking about where the item you're looking to purchase is ultimately going to go it's important to consider that because a good leather item is going to last longer than its lesser built cousin made out of fabric you want to make sure it fits within your design aesthetic. Is it going to fit within your lifestyle, for example, to have a couch that will most likely see you change the television it's going to sit in front of within its lifetime, is this something you could see years down the road owning? Honestly, it is like investing in an item that you plan on having for years to come and you want to ensure that it's able to grow with your design aesthetic.
