The Difference between Genuine and Faux leather

by IV S. Consultant

Planning to adorn your home with a leather sofa or chair? Whether it is an executive office chair or a sofa, you should first understand the differences between genuine and faux leather. Don’t fall for a poor imitation of a Chesterfield chair or sofa. Read on for tips on how to differentiate between real and artificial leather.

• Genuine leather is invariably more expensive than faux leather, simply because of its durability, sense of luxury and its richness. No faux leather can match the prestige that a genuine leather Chesterfield chair will bring to your living space.

• Real leather comes in three varieties — aniline, semi-aniline and pigmented. Aniline is the highest quality leather, which, however may fade if exposed to prolonged sunlight. Semi-aniline comes with a light pigmented coating. Pigmented leather has a proper coating to give it a less-natural and more-durable character. Faux leather, on the other hand, is made of fabric which then gets a treatment of dye, wax or polyurethane.

• Real leather has a smell and feel unmatched by the faux variety. Just check out the smell of genuine leather and the faux one, and you will know! Real leather becomes softer and warmer over time; it actually becomes all the more attractive with the passage of time and thus, offers greater comfort also. Genuine leather ages well, much like old wine! Real leather is easy to maintain and only needs frequent cleaning and wiping.

• Genuine leather is more elastic than faux leather, in the sense that it always goes back to its earlier shape when you press it. So, try pressing your fingers on to a leather upholstered executive office chair. If its genuine leather, it springs back quickly. If not, it will retain the shape for some time.

• Fake leather often has a very plasticky feel to it, and you immediately know from the smooth surface that it is faux. When you check the pores on the upholstery of your executive office chair, you will know if it is genuine or faux. If it is real leather, the pores are not consistent and don’t follow any set pattern. On the other hand, faux leather has pores that follow a pattern. No two patches of genuine leather will ever be the same, but faux leather, simply because it is manufactured, will all have similar patterns.

• Check the edges of your Chesterfield chair or an executive office chair. If it is made of genuine leather, the edges are rough and not so straight and orderly. Faux leather furniture will have an edge that is perfect and feels plasticky or foamy.

Now that you know how to tell genuine from faux, pick a true blue Chesterfield!