Home and the Benefits of Leather

Furniture is expensive so why buy something that you will have to replace after a few years? My husband and I were married for 5 years before the birth of our first child. I was working for an interior design company in Lake Chelan not making much and my husband worked out of town...not making much more. My husband and I both grew up with pets and after being in our home for about a month after the wedding, we decided we wanted a dog. Of course I picked the biggest, most pathetic of the lummoxes at the pound. He was a grossly under weight lab/great dane mix. When we got him home he weighed 45 lbs. We nursed him back to health and now weighs 105 and maintains a very slender body type. Why I mention this under the home title you ask? Well pets and children have caused most of the damage done to my home and furniture. I love them all but my furniture and baseboards may not feel the same way. So leather...if I can give you one advise on furniture, especially the couch...it would be to buy leather. Spend the most on the largest piece of furniture in your room and accessorize with the fabric pieces. Your children and pets will probably be on the couch once or twice in their lives, whether you know about it or not. My lab mix, Sampson, used to get up on our couch while we were at work and then look very innocent when we got home like he was never up there. If you would move toward the couch...his demeanor would quickly change. Through pet nails scratching the surfaces, children and spilled food, our leather couch has been simply wiped clean. And is no worse for wear. We have had the same couches for over a decade and you wouldn't know it by looking at them. To maintain their appearance, I buy a leather conditioner and condition the couches twice a year. Their are many choices in leather but one test I would suggest is using your own nails and gently run them across the surface. Not hard to create damage mind you but gently to see if your nails effect the surface, leaving superficial marks. If so, REAL damage from kids and pets will be highly visable and you will not be satisfied with your purchase. Even if you don't have kids, keys in your pockets, rivets on your jeans can do just as much damage. Just something to think about when you make an investment of this kind. Superficial scratches can come out, most of the time with your leather conditioner. They will just buff away. But don't rely on this...a few precautions can save you a lot of money and labor in the end.