Fabric vs. Leather vs. Velvet – A Guide To Sofa Materials

In this guide to sofa materials, you will learn that the type of upholstery you pick can have a huge impact on the feel of your living room. A comfortable sofa that already appears or feels worn in and ‘cushy’ may inspire relaxation but can also cause carelessness, and if stains won’t come out of your upholstery fabric, the last thing you may want is people eating and drinking on your sofa. For that reason, it is important to consider a number of these factors before you commit to buying anything.

The sofa you pick for your living room sends a message to any guests about the type of home you keep and even what kind of person you are. For example, black leather sends a sophisticated or luxurious message vs. a patterned fabric that will brighten the area. You may want to consider exactly how you want to be perceived, as well as what would make you happiest, and what is most practical for your living space. You might even need to make a compromise and consider what other people in your home may want also.

Considering the different materials, their features, and any positives or negatives is a good start on the way to finding a sofa you can feel at home on and fits in with your home. Let us help you discover the best sofa material for your home!

Types Of Sofa Materials And Why It Matters

There are many potential material options for your sofa, and their features can affect your choice, depending on how they fit your requirements and lifestyle. The three most common types of upholstery fabrics for sofas are leather, fabric, and velvet sofas. Choosing the wrong material can leave you dealing with issues like an uncomfortable sofa, stains, damage, or even not liking how it looks with your other furniture! This isn’t something you want to be unsure about, as the wrong choice will either leave you out of pocket or facing these issues every time you enter the living room- for years to come.

Fabric Sofa

The fabric sofa is often claimed to be both the most comfortable and the most versatile. The variety of fabrics and print options available in fabric sofas mean that you can find a couch that perfectly fits your unique style. In fact, you can even design fabric sofas yourself these days through the use of online sofa building sites and other technologies. You can also customise the feel of the fabric, including if you wanted a specific texture, raised pattern, and more!

Pros

• Flexible – Choosing fabric upholstery offers the most options in terms of customisation as well as personalisation, so you’re sure to end up with a couch that feels like an extension of your own personal style.
• Comfort – Fabric sofas are known to be the softest and most comfortable, sometimes even feeling ‘pre-worn-in.’
• Cost – Fabric is usually less expensive than leather or even velvet options, even when fully customised. Allowing you to create your perfect sofa on a smaller budget.

Cons

• Not easy to clean – In any home, accidents can happen. Spills, stains, dust, smells, and even pet hair can be difficult to get out of fabric once they’re in.
• Making it last – Children, pets, and even sunlight can all drastically shorten the lifespan of the fabric. This type of couch is arguably the least durable of the three.

There are ways around these problems if you have your heart set on comfortable cushions or a particular fabric style. The quality and durability of these fabrics have improved in recent years, and patterned fabrics make it much more difficult to see stains or pet hair. But, if you would prefer a single block colour, especially if that colour is light, it may be a good idea to consider other options as well as fabric.

Leather Sofa

Leather sofas are often considered to be the height of sophistication and elegance, making them an extremely popular material choice. Plus, leather has a number of characteristics that mean it is the easiest of the three fabrics listed to maintain. The leather surface is easy to keep clean and stain-free but is also long-lasting and is naturally resistant to damage.

Pros

• Easy to clean – Leather is easy to wipe clean, meaning stains and spills are of no concern, even in the busiest of homes.
• Durability – Leather is both a firm and durable material. Therefore, leather will last much longer than other fabrics due to the strength of the material.
• Stain and scratch resistant – The thick leather material can withstand most issues that could arise from children or pets.

Cons

• Price – Unfortunately, the benefits of leather do come at a cost. Leather is much more expensive than most other couch types. Depending on how long you will want the couch for, this may be worth it for your family.
• Lack of temperature control – Leather also tends to take on the temperature of its surroundings, which can be quite uncomfortable. Sticking to a leather couch in the heat or getting a shock when the material is freezing cold on your skin in the winter may not be ideal.

Velvet Sofa

Velvet upholstery is currently very popular and is regarded as one of the most luxurious materials you can have for your home. This material is woven with two fabrics that have different thicknesses, which gives this material the depth and dimension it is known for. However, this double weave also causes some problems for the couch.

Pros

• Durability – The thickness of the fabric, due to the double weave, helps prevent wear, making the couch a more durable option.
• Aesthetically attractive – This type of couch is normally the top choice for artists and other creative types due to the appeal of its unique aesthetic and the appearance of grandeur that it provides, whilst still being less expensive than leather.
• Comfortable – The thick double weave of this material make it extremely soft to the touch.

Cons

• Not easy to clean – Keeping this material clean can be extremely difficult and require regular hoovering as dirt, dust, and pet hair tend to get trapped in and stuck to the layers of fabric.
• Not hypoallergenic – The trapped dust, dirt, and pet fur can cause a problem for allergy sufferers, making this option less hypoallergenic than other couches out there.

Things To Consider Before You Buy

Before you commit to buying a new sofa, there are a number of questions you should ask yourself about what exactly it is you’re looking for. For example:

• How long do you want the sofa to last?
• Are there any factors, like children and pets, that could affect which sofa is best for your home?
• How likely are you to spill things on your sofa?
• Does the sofa need to be stain-resistant?
• Is there a particular size or shape that you’re looking for?
• Do you want a sofa that you sink into, or would you prefer one that is a bit firmer and gives more support?
• Does it need to match a specific style, pattern, or theme that features in your living room?

Each sofa material will differ in each of these categories. It’s important to consider which upholstery choice ticks the most boxes out of the choices available to you.

Wear And Tear

In terms of general wear and tear, leather is often praised as the most durable and sturdy of the possible sofa fabric materials, and although this is often true, it does have its own limitations depending on what your home is like. Usually, both velvet and leather sofas will last a long time as they are strong in comparison to a fabric sofa. A leather sofa can last for decades if properly cared for, and the durable fabrics will protect against scratches or snags. However, if under constant pressure from children jumping on it or pets digging in their claws, the leather can ‘pop.’ Although it may still last longer than any other sofa, it is up to you to decide whether frayed material is worse than puncture holes in a leather sofa.

However, durability is about more than just how long something may last with kids and pets. It is also important to consider what your sofa may naturally change over time. And, as well as snags and other damage to the material, there are also other things that may affect the look of your sofa. For example, fabric sofas are not very resistant to direct sunlight, and over time the material may become hard and uncomfortable, or the colour may fade. This can be negated by putting the sofa somewhere else, but this isn’t always an option, and you may want to sit in the sun! Velvet sofas, on the other hand, because of the rich-textured fabric, tend to show up worn patches really easily.

Stains And Spills

It is also important to consider how easy it is to clean a sofa when considering how long it may last. If your sofa ends up with a lot of stains and smells, you may want to swap it out for a new one sooner rather than later!

Unsurprisingly, leather sofas are the quickest and easiest to clean, and the leather surface is naturally stain resistant. Often, soap and water can be used to wipe clean the material, or some people choose to use special creams. However, sometimes a stain may not come out, particularly if your leather sofa is a lighter material and you don’t clean it straight away.

Fabric and velvet sofa materials can be just as difficult to keep clean as each other. Although stains are more likely to show up on a lighter fabric sofa than a darker velvet sofa, velvet sofas attract more dust, animal hair, and dirt. Due to the depth of the velvet, owners of a velvet sofa need to regularly hoover the sofa to keep it clean.

Comfort

Believe it or not, not everyone wants a super soft sofa. Much like mattresses, different people will often have individual preferences, with some preferring a softer, more ‘comfortable’ sofa, whereas others may prefer a firmer sofa that offers more support. Your preference in this regard may influence which upholstery fabrics are best for your home.

Leather sofas tend to offer the firmest option out of the three sofa materials, although this may depend on how hard the leather itself is, as well as if the leather is real or fake. Plus, over time, the leather sofa will become softer as it gets ‘worn in.’

A fabric sofa, however, offers the softest option out of the three materials. In fact, fabric sofas are so soft that they are sometimes referred to as ‘pre-worn in,’ and a great for lounging for this reason. If you’re looking for the most comfortable sofa possible that you can sink into after a long day, the chances are that a fabric sofa would be perfect for you!

Finally, choosing a velvet sofa fabric would offer the perfect midground between these two options. Although the material itself is often soft and comfortable to the touch, the cushions can come in a range of different firmnesses. Some velvet sofas may be soft, but others can feel more firm and sturdy under pressure.

Design Choice

Although you may not think this is as important as other, more practical factors, what your sofa looks like is also something you should consider! Depending on the material you choose for your sofa, the way it will look and your design choices may differ, and most people want their sofas to match the rest of their house decor, as well as being durable, easy to clean, and comfortable. Some people may even prioritise the sofa’s design and appearance over these other factors as, at the end of the day, if you don’t like it, then you’re unlikely to buy it!

Of the three sofa materials, fabric offers the most options in terms of colour, patterns, and even textures! In fact, fabric sofas are often fully customisable and can be designed to fit the customer’s ideal mental image and specifications. On the other hand, velvet and leather sofas can only come in a specific, limited range of colours. Leather sofas are often found in black, white, and other neutral shades, such as brown or cream, whereas velvet sofas tend to come in rich, deep tones that still offer a pop of colour, like dark green, red, and blue.

The main design appeal of velvet and leather sofas in comparison to fully customisable fabric sofas is the unique texture and finish of these materials. The distinctive finish of leather or velvet is not something that fabric can duplicate, and so if you specifically like the look of one of those two materials, then it may be best for you to look further into that material as your chosen sofa option.

Try Before You Buy!

There are many different factors to consider before buying a sofa. Depending on what you’re looking for, each material has its own distinct advantages and disadvantages. However, although it is important to consider price, design, quality, and comfort, the best way to decide on your perfect sofa is simply to sit on it! Trying out these materials in-store, or even just seeing fabric swatches, alongside considering these factors, will help you walk away happy with your purchase, knowing that you chose the best sofa for you.