Leather Sofas More 'cooling' Than Fabric ?

[ynove 0]

I've heard some people mentioning that contrary to what some people think, leather sofas are actually less warm than fabric sofas (especially the microsuede ones).

BUT it must be genuine leather, because synthetic leather or PU leather is really warm. Given Singapore's hot weather I'm looking for a breathable, cooling material for my sofa.

What are your experiences like with fabric and leather sofas? I'm concerned that leather sofas are hot and stick to your skin.

Even genuine leather has many grades - what grade of leather should I get to ensure that it's 'cool' and not warm?

Do post your opinons on this.

[hihihi 0]

this statement is true only in aircon condition, e.g car parked under hot sun.

[DKCH 0]

I sit on my leather seat I end up sweating ler... but yeah it has to be aircond to be cooling. If not, sweat...

[Charles 0]

Actually fabric is more cooling but must be careful of the material. micro suede is hotter than those rough fabric ( forgot the name) due to the fact that the "holes" are smaller so it is less breathe-able.

The trick is to find a smooth yet coarse fabric for your sofa. Please take note that the material used to made the sofa also plays a part. More fibre-fill more cooling etc.

[furnituresg 1]

1st when in air con enviroment i think watever the material also feel cool and comfy...

1 thing i realise whichever the material of the cover, one thing to note is for a sofa of the same material, the softer the back and seat (plush type) though its comfy, but they will be warmer cos when its soft so more of your body area will be covered thus warmer...

so when more fibre fill it tend to make the sofa softer so do take note...

though if comparing a sofa of same softness of fibre n sofa of soft foam, then fibre is less warm lor...

Edited September 8, 2009 by furnituresg

[bergkamp 0]

I dont get this argument about a sofa being cooling...

I have a leather sofa and its as hot or cold as the room temperature is. It doesnt have a built in heater or cooler. Neither does a fabric sofa.

If you dont want to sweat, make sure you have adequate cooling fan or aircon in your room. Without that in hot weather even if you stand on floor, you will sweat

If you have to buy a leather sofa, buy it for other reasons like it being durable and more "child tolerant".

Dont buy the cheap PU stuff. It doesnt last.

Edited September 8, 2009 by bergkamp

[bergkamp 0]

I sit on my leather seat I end up sweating ler... but yeah it has to be aircond to be cooling. If not, sweat...

I think u will sweat on a fabric sofa as well because you dont have enough cooling in your room.

Just the difference is that in fabric sofa the sweat will be absorbed so you wont feel the wetness.

In my opinion thats worst. Makes the fabric soiled...

[SamTheMan 7]

I've heard some people mentioning that contrary to what some people think, leather sofas are actually less warm than fabric sofas (especially the microsuede ones).

BUT it must be genuine leather, because synthetic leather or PU leather is really warm. Given Singapore's hot weather I'm looking for a breathable, cooling material for my sofa.

What are your experiences like with fabric and leather sofas? I'm concerned that leather sofas are hot and stick to your skin.

Even genuine leather has many grades - what grade of leather should I get to ensure that it's 'cool' and not warm?

Do post your opinons on this.

Leather Comes in many forms below are the 4 general classes.

Natural Bovine Leather

Reconstituted Leather aka Reborn Leather

PVC Synthetic Leather

PU (Polyurethane) Synthetic Leather

Other than natural leather the rest effectively have a plastic surface and not very breathable so will be quite warm.

Leather leather comes in many grades but can be divided into 2 general classes:

Aniline Leather

Pigmented Leather

Aniline leather are very lightly treated and coloured using natural stains and dyes they feel very soft and are very breathable. Aniline leather sofas are very expensive and very hard to maintain. You cannot buy an Aniline leather sofa for less than $5000.

Pigmented Leather is leather that have a coat of pigment applied to the surface and is more durable that Aniline leather, this leather varies a lot in terms of quality.

Price ranges for such sofas are very great. Any leather sofa below $2500 is considered low-end. If you want a comfortable leather sofa be prepared to spend upwards of $3000, otherwise you are almost alway better off getting a fabric sofa.

Hope this helps.

Edited September 10, 2009 by SamTheMan

[bergkamp 0]

Leather Comes in many forms below are the 4 general classes.

Natural Bovine Leather

Reconstituted Leather aka Reborn Leather

PVC Synthetic Leather

PU (Polyurethane) Synthetic Leather

Other than natural leather the rest effectively have a plastic surface and not very breathable so will be quite warm.

Leather leather comes in many grades but can be divided into 2 general classes:

Aniline Leather

Pigmented Leather

Aniline leather are very likely treated and colour using natural stains and dyes they feel very soft and are very breathable. Aniline leather sofas are very expensive and very hard to maintain. You cannot buy an Aniline leather sofa for less than $5000.

Pigmented Leather is leather that have a coat of pigment applied to the surface and is more durable that Aniline leather, this leather varies a lot in terms of quality.

Price ranges for such sofas are very great. Any leather sofa below $2500 is considered low-end. If you want a comfortable leather sofa be prepared to spend upwards of $3000, otherwise you are almost alway better off getting a fabric sofa.

Hope this helps.

Good post.

Do you know whats the leather used by local brands like Cellini/Lorenzo ?

I have compared them with other "reasonably priced" brands....best was the "Massarato" leather used by Furniture Club.

Feels much better(soft/supple) than the leather used by Cellini/Lorenzo. Furniture Club price is also bit higher, but for certain models you can get an L shaped 3m sofa for around 3K+

[SamTheMan 7]

Good post.

Do you know whats the leather used by local brands like Cellini/Lorenzo ?

I have compared them with other "reasonably priced" brands....best was the "Massarato" leather used by Furniture Club.

Feels much better(soft/supple) than the leather used by Cellini/Lorenzo. Furniture Club price is also bit higher, but for certain models you can get an L shaped 3m sofa for around 3K+

Typically Lorenzo and Cellini will use "Corrected Grain Cow-Hide" which is effectively a form of Pigmented leather. But I have a lot of respect for these 2 companies and I think they will give you leather of a reasonable quality.

I have alway felt that Furniture Club overcharges customers and if you like what you see then by all means buy what you like.

Edited September 10, 2009 by SamTheMan

[ynove 0]

It's not an argument - it's a question. Different materials trap heat in different amounts.

I did a sit-test at a furniture store - but you see, they are always air-conditioned. At first sit, the genuine leather sofas feel cooler to the skin than the fabric ones. The question, I guess, is whether it stays that way after a good, long sit, and whether it traps more heat when it's NOT air-conditioned.

In Singapore, without air-con, sweat is definitely involved. So I guess, I'm looking to sweat less

I dont get this argument about a sofa being cooling...

I have a leather sofa and its as hot or cold as the room temperature is. It doesnt have a built in heater or cooler. Neither does a fabric sofa.

If you dont want to sweat, make sure you have adequate cooling fan or aircon in your room. Without that in hot weather even if you stand on floor, you will sweat

If you have to buy a leather sofa, buy it for other reasons like it being durable and more "child tolerant".

Dont buy the cheap PU stuff. It doesnt last.

[ynove 0]

Thanks for your clarity. Yes, this definitely helps!

Leather Comes in many forms below are the 4 general classes.

Natural Bovine Leather

Reconstituted Leather aka Reborn Leather

PVC Synthetic Leather

PU (Polyurethane) Synthetic Leather

Other than natural leather the rest effectively have a plastic surface and not very breathable so will be quite warm.

Leather leather comes in many grades but can be divided into 2 general classes:

Aniline Leather

Pigmented Leather

Aniline leather are very likely treated and colour using natural stains and dyes they feel very soft and are very breathable. Aniline leather sofas are very expensive and very hard to maintain. You cannot buy an Aniline leather sofa for less than $5000.

Pigmented Leather is leather that have a coat of pigment applied to the surface and is more durable that Aniline leather, this leather varies a lot in terms of quality.

Price ranges for such sofas are very great. Any leather sofa below $2500 is considered low-end. If you want a comfortable leather sofa be prepared to spend upwards of $3000, otherwise you are almost alway better off getting a fabric sofa.

Hope this helps.

[B2B 0]

Typically Lorenzo and Cellini will use "Corrected Grain Cow-Hide" which is effectively a form of Pigmented leather. But I have a lot of respect for these 2 companies and I think they will give you leather of a reasonable quality.

I have alway felt that Furniture Club overcharges customers and if you like what you see then by all means buy what you like.

Hi SamTheMan, your explanation on leather is very good. I am in the commercial design industry, but mainly cater for hotels. I am quite certain that the two company Lorenzo and Cellini, you mentioned are indeed using Pigmented Leather. This type of leather although is of slightly lower quality than full-grain cowhide leather, but it is definitely more easy to maintain and more resistant to staining and UV. For hotels we prefer this type of Pigmented Grain PU coated leather than say, anilene leather, because of easy maintenance.

The reason why Lorenzo and Cellini is more reasonably priced than say, Furniture Club, is becuase the Lorenzo and Cellini are established manufacturers, whereas Furniture Club is a retailer that Buys sofa from Shenzhen or other Chinese manufacturers, hence the markup is much higher. To be honest, I have had dealings with both Lorenzo and Cellini before, in some of my hotel projects, and have found their workmanship to be very reliable. I have since stopped taking from Chinese Furniture manufacturers as I found their quality inconsistent, and I have to 'pray' very hard that my client accepts their quality (which is often very different from the mock-up or sample!).

If you want to buy Leather sofas, go for HTL, Lorenzo or Cellini - its definitely more reasonably priced.

Having Said that, most of my clients from six star hotels prefer fabric to Leather for their suites. the fabric they choose are usually between S$100-$150 per m, as compared with typical furniture retailers that uses S$10-20 pm fabrics. As the content of the fabric is different, the high-end fabrics are very comfy indeed.