Buying a piece of furniture for your home is an important decision, and when it comes to purchasing a leather recliner, you can get overwhelmed.
There are many things to consider, such as price, style, color, and type of leather.
It is too easy to make the wrong purchasing choice because you want that recliner quickly.
Before making your purchase, you must research what types of recliners are on the market, don’t just go for the cheapest option.
This article provides tips on the essential things you should consider to ensure you make an informed buying decision.
Planning Your Leather Recliner Research
Avoid making the wrong purchasing choices by doing your research and due diligence. It will save you time, money, and stress.
Here are the top things you should do.
Pick The Style That Suits You Best
It is essential to pick the style of leather recliner that suits you best. Be clear about what type you want before researching the different types.
There is little point looking through all the different styles of full leather recliners if you have your heart set on one which features fabric upholstery material.
What you need to do is figure out whether you prefer a classic, contemporary or modern style, and then narrow your search down on those.
Choosing full or top grain leathers and other features will offer ultimate comfort that allows you to relax while knowing that it will last for decades. .
Decide Where You Will Place The Leather Recliner
Knowing where you will make the best use of your recliner is vital before you buy it.
If you purchase your leather recliner to place in your living room, you will want the chair to offer ultimate comfort after a busy day.
Classic designs are popular, but the chair has to fit in with the other decor in your chosen room, otherwise, you will soon get fed up with how the chair looks.
Take Measurements Of Your Room
Whenever you buy any furniture, it is vital to know the measurements of the room and its dimensions.
When buying a leather recliner, you have to ensure you have enough space behind for the chair to recline fully. Otherwise, you are not maximizing the full potential of the chair.
Each style of leather recliner comes in different sizes. Therefore, knowing which model is best suited to your living space is vital.
A chair may fit into the space you want, but it may then dominate the room, which could become an eyesore.
Making sure the measurements are correct is the most vital part of purchasing your leather recliner.
Prepare A Document To Save Your Favorites
Researching which type of leather recliner you want to buy can be time-consuming; therefore, always make a list of your favorites and save them onto a document.
There are so many to choose from that it is easy to get overwhelmed by different styles, types of leather, and colors.
Saving the photo and information from the company website in a document as you go along will save you a lot of time.
Always compare your favorite leather recliners based on style, suitability, and price. It will help you narrow down to your top five choices.
Make sure you delete the ones that are not suitable as you go along.
At some stage, you must be decisive and choose based on what you can afford, style and practicality. So you need to have a mix of all three; otherwise, your heart will always overrule your head.
Choosing The Right Leather Quality
We all want value for money and durability when we buy a leather recliner, so the type of leather used on the chair is vital.
Here are some leathers to consider.
Full Grain Leather Recliner
If you are looking for quality durable leather furniture, you must opt for full-grain leather. As you would expect, this leather is more expensive, but you get real value for money.
Full grain leather takes longer to produce from the cattle hide, with the more rigid outside layers being kept intact. In addition, the hide layers have tough fibers, which means your leather recliner will withstand a lot of wear and tear.
The full-grain leather is then treated with an aniline dye to help preserve the natural look with its rich color and smooth feel.
Over time, the leather improves as it mixes with natural body oils during use to give it a patina effect.
Top Grain Leather Recliner
When you buy a top-grain leather recliner, you can be assured you are purchasing a product that will be long-lasting and will maintain its value.
Thanks to a more straightforward leather preparation process, top-grain leather is slightly cheaper than full-grain leather.
A sanding-down process is used on the tough outer layer of the hide, making it smooth and soft to the touch.
The leather is treated with a soluble aniline or semi-aniline dye that helps bring out the natural shade colors. The leather is then made stain-resistant by using a protective coating treatment process.
Most spills on the leather during use can easily be wiped away with a cloth.
Avoid Low-Quality Leather
Always avoid buying a product made from low-quality leather when deciding between different leather recliners.
It may be tempting to choose genuine leather or bonded leather due to the much lower price, but it will not be durable or, at best, a much lower-grade leather.
They may look attractive to the eye when brand new, but these types of leather are not tough and do not withstand everyday use. So don’t be shocked when they start to stain and rip easily.
An example of lower-grade leather is split leather which uses poor layers of hide.
It is cheap to buy and produce but is significantly weaker and is not the best to use when making leather recliners.
Another example to look out for is bonded leather. Retailers sometimes call it genuine leather, but it isn’t. This leather is produced using the leftovers of the hide and grinding them down into powder form, then bonded together and rolled out to give it a softer feel.
When you buy leather recliners that use cheap or imitation leather, they usually use more inexpensive materials for the base and legs of the chair, so the overall standard is of poor quality.
Choosing From Different Leather Recliner Styles
Before deciding which leather recliner to purchase, research all the different models and styles on the market.
Here are three of the most popular choices.
Classic Recliners
Classic leather recliners remain both timeless and popular because they can transform a living space.
The classic models are built with both style and comfort in mind in equal measure. So it is easy to see why they remain popular today.
You can purchase leather recliners that feature elements from Chippendale and Queen Anne-inspired furniture.
These leather recliners are meant to make a visual impact with their nailhead trim and detailing.
The advantage of a classic leather recliner is that you are not compromising on style or comfort; you can have both.
Mid-Century Modern Recliners
Mid-century furniture became favored by people during the mid-1900s. People of the time wanted to modernize their furniture so that it was comfortable and easy on the eye.
Until then, people were used to over-the-top furniture which looked out of place in some homes, so the mid-century design was aimed to be more minimalist.
It achieved this effect by using subtle curves, geometric shapes, and clean lines, which blend with any piece of furniture. The fact that this furniture style is still popular today is a testament to its lasting appeal.
Due to the minimalist look, mid-century leather recliners will fit into many smaller living spaces without overcrowding it.
Contemporary Recliners
Many people prefer contemporary leather recliners because they blend in nicely with any decor and offer an inviting space to unwind in.
Blending in is not necessarily wrong when trying to achieve that relaxing feel to a living room or office space.
Being contemporary doesn’t need to be boring as it mixes traditional and modern styles easily. Moreover, suitability for most open spaces means it remains popular with a cross-section of buyers.
Before making a purchase, check out our wide range of contemporary leather recliners, which all have that minimalistic appeal but remain stylish
Choosing The Best Recliner Manufacturers
A lot depends on the manufacturer when choosing to buy a leather recliner. Here are two high-quality manufacturers based here in America.
Leathercraft Furniture
Crafting outstanding custom-made leather furniture comes easy to Leathercraft Furniture, based in North Carolina, as they have been producing furniture for over 50 years.
Leathercraft only employs highly trained craftspeople, as they are skilled at working with American-sourced materials of the highest quality.
Each piece of furniture is meticulously produced with durability, style, and comfort in mind.
And all the leather furniture, including leather recliners, can be customized to suit each customer to make it unique to their requirements.
There is a wide range of styles to choose from at Leathercraft, be it modern, classic, traditional, or contemporary.
As well as leather recliners, you can also purchase other seating at Leathercraft, from sofas, loveseats, chairs, sectional seating, and also home cinema seating.
Additional products, such as easily transferable ottomans and benches, can be purchased to complement your leather recliner.
Classic Leather
Family-owned Classic Leather was established in the 1960s in Hickory, North Carolina, and they pride themselves on producing outstanding durable leather furniture that is second to none.
The company employs over 280 exceptionally skilled craftspeople using traditional techniques to create custom-made products.
The time and skill invested into each of these products ensures customers will be purchasing a leather recliner built for both style and comfort.Setting The Right Quality Standards
If you buy cheap, be prepared to buy it twice or maybe three times. Save yourself time and hassle and spend a bit extra knowing you are purchasing a quality item built to last decades.
Here’s what to consider before making a final decision.
You will discover if you buy a product from Classic Leather, it will last for decades.
There are a variety of colors and styles available to purchase that are suitable for any living space and are affordable for most budgets.
Solid Hardwood Frames
We all want the furniture we buy to last. Therefore, when buying leather recliners, you must ensure that the frame is made from kiln-dried hardwood.
Kiln-dried solid hardwood will last decades, unlike cheaper frame materials like pine or plywood.
When cheap wood is used for the frame, it will soon sag and become uncomfortable and may break over time, meaning you will have to buy a new recliner.
Our partner manufacturers use high-quality, locally sourced solid hardwood frames from ash, oak, and maple.
Sturdy Reclining Mechanism
There is little point in purchasing a leather recliner if it looks good but doesn’t recline properly.
The leather recliner may look pleasing to the eye, but if the mechanism that makes it recline doesn’t function correctly, your chair loses its primary purpose.
Thankfully, all our leather recliners have a first-class reclining mechanism made of solid metal, which gives the frame extra stability.
The mechanism provides a smooth recline thanks to absorbing and compressing the pressure when in use.
Excellent Leather Quality
Buying a leather recliner consisting of low-quality leather will only lead to disappointment as it won’t last long.
However, when a recliner is produced using full-grain and top-grain leather, like the ones made by our recommended manufacturers, it will last for decades.
As discussed above, full-grain and top-grain leathers are of the highest quality, hardwearing, and most suitable for everyday use.
How our craftspeople treat both types of leather during manufacturing is vital to how they look and age well over time.
Great Customization Options
You can easily customize your leather recliner to your specific tastes and requirements to meet your needs.
Size does matter when purchasing a recliner, so if your favorite recliner doesn’t come in the size you require, check to see if it can be custom-made to fit your space.
In addition, you can also choose from various wood finishes and traditional nailheads to use on the trim.
You can specify what type of leather and color you want to make it perfectly suit your home. This is never an option you have with the majority of furniture stores where you generally have to pick from whatever they have in stock.
Handmade Manufacturing Techniques
Handmade manufacturing techniques remain unbeatable for uniqueness, durability, and overall quality.
The techniques used by skilled craftspeople have taken years to learn, and the skill required can’t be matched. Handmade products still have that extra meaning to the purchaser because they appreciate the time and effort it has taken.
Manufacturing using machines may be quicker to mass produce, but the quality is never up to the same standard.
Our craftspeople still use the eight-way hand-tied seating construction method on all the chairs available.
The method requires the crafter to hand-secure the springs and frames in place. Then, they tie each spring from side to side, diagonally, and front to back eight ways.
This method of attaching ensures it is sturdy and durable and cannot be done this way using a machine.
American-Made Quality
When buying any product, most people prefer to support the economy here in America, and it’s why we partnered with highly respected online furniture businesses.
The companies we have discussed are based in North Carolina and have all been producing quality hand-crafted furniture for many decades.
Running production out of North Carolina means they only employ local skilled crafters, and the materials used are all locally sourced.
For example, they use outstanding hardwood from the Appalachian hardwood forests to help produce fantastic furniture at affordable prices that last decades.
When you purchase from these businesses, remember that you are getting a quality item while helping support local jobs and economic growth in America.
Browse Our Leather Recliner Collection
Feel free to browse our selection of exclusive quality furniture at our online store.
Our reasonably priced recliners are handmade by only the best American crafters, and there are a variety of designs in our collection.
Being able to customize your product lets you be a part of the process when making your unique piece of furniture.
Our outstanding customer care team is always available to offer advice and support, so don’t hesitate to get in touch.
