Norwood Furniture

What's the deal with LEATHER?!

I often get questions about Leather and the various types. 

What's bi-cast or bonded?  What's the BEST one for my needs? 

It's important to be a well-informed consumer in order to make the most appropriate purchase for your budget, look, and comfort level.  For those of you not intersted in the many details and just want a quick answer, scroll down to "The Point."  For the inquiring minds who want to know, here's some detailed information on various leathers:

• Full-grain leather refers to the upper section of a hide that previously contained the epidermis and hair, but were removed from the hide/skin. Full-grain refers to hides that have not been sanded, buffed, or snuffed (as opposed to top-grain or corrected leather) in order to remove imperfections (or natural marks) on the surface of the hide. The grain remains in its natural state allowing the best fiber strength and durability. The natural grain also has natural breathability, resulting in less moisture from prolonged contact. Rather than wearing out, it will develop a natural patina over time, with some cracking and splitting. The finest leather furniture and footwear are made from full-grain leather. For these reasons, only the best raw hide is used to create full-grain leather. 
• Top-grain leather is the second-highest quality and is most often used in furniture production because it is less expensive than full-grain and has greater resistance to stains.  It maintains a high level of breathability and does not patina like the full-grain.  It may be treated with wax or oil to protect the leather.  If you do the "scratch test" on a wax treated leather, it will appear to scratch.  What is actually happening is that the wax is being moved around.  Often the wax can be reactivated by friction and rubbed back to it's original look.  Generally, this type of leather will give you a more distrested look seen in southwestern or rustic settings.  (Sometimes full grain and top grain are used interchangably.)
• Corrected-grain leather is any leather that has had an artificial grain applied to its surface. The hides used to create corrected leather are of inferior quality that do not meet the high standards for use in creating vegetable-tanned or aniline leather. The imperfections are corrected and an artificial grain applied. Most corrected-grain leather is used to make pigmented leather as the solid pigment helps hide the corrections or imperfections. Corrected grain leathers can mainly be bought as two finish types: semi-aniline and pigmented.
• Split leather is leather created from the fibrous part of the hide left once the top-grain of the rawhide has been separated from the hide. During the splitting operation, the grain and drop split are separated.  Split leather isn't appropriate for use in the areas on furniture where you sit because it isn't as strong.  It is most often applied on the outside arms and back sides of sofas and recliners.  It gives the appearance of the top grain and can be dyed to match.  It also saves the consumer money and reduces waste by making use of more of the hide.

The following are not 'true' leathers, but contain leather material. Depending on jurisdiction, they may still be labeled as "Genuine Leather."  These are things the consumer needs to be aware of when shopping.  They are appropriate in some applications for furniture, but not all, even though some companies choose to use them anyway, so BUYER BEWARE!

Bonded leather, or "reconstituted Leather", is not really a true leather but a man-made material. Some types of bonded leather are composed of 90% to 100% leather fibers (often scrap from leather tanneries or leather workshops) bonded together with latex binders to create a look and feel similar to that of 'true' leather at a fraction of the cost. This bonded leather is not as durable as other leathers, and is recommended for use only if the product will be used infrequently. An example for the use of this type of bonded leather is in Bible covers. The term "bonded leather" when used to describe upholstered furniture is a different product and construction. Bonded leather upholstery is a vinyl upholstery that contains about 17% leather fiber in its backing material. Hence, there is no leather in the surface of this product. The vinyl is stamped to give it a leather-like texture.Bonded leather upholstery is durable and its manufacturing process is more environmentally-friendly than leather production.  

Bi-cast (or bycast) is a split leather with a layer of polyeurethane applied to the surface and then embossed. Bi-cast was originally made for the shoe industry and recently was adopted by the furniture industry.  It is a slightly stiffer product that is cheaper than top grain leather but has a much more consistent texture and is easier to clean and maintain.  

Because bi-cast and bonded leathers are mostly vinyl or thickly coated in polyeurethane, it is not breathable!  If you see the super shiny leather used in office furniture and lower-end furniture stores, it may very well be one of these "leathers."  I would not recommend it for use on the seats of a sofa or chair.  However, it can be appropriate on ottomans, dining chairs, headboards, and on the outside arms and/or backs of a sofa or chair to create a leather-fabric combination look--anywhere that you don't traditionally sit.  Some of my clients have purchased dining chairs or benches in bi-cast and bonded leathers and they have worked great.  They are very easy to maintain and hold up really well. 

THE POINT

Okay, so the above was for those highly technical types that want to know all the details--like me!  Just ask my fiance.  My analytical mind can kind of drive him nuts at times.  Anyway, I digress.  The point is, if you're looking for a leather piece to sit on for any length of time, go with top grain, full grain, or corrected grain.  If you're concerned about a patina developing or stains appearing, avoid unprotected full grain.  Don't select pieces in bonded or bi-cast leathers unless you aren't going to be sitting on them for a long time.  If you just want a leather look but don't want the expense for a piece you won't be sitting on, then go for bonded leather.  It looks great and saves you money.  In the end, it's all up to you, your preferences, and your budget.  There are a lot of beautiful leather products out there.  It just helps to know what you're buying.  If you have any questions about leather or would like to take a look at our pieces in the showroom, I'm here Thursday-Monday every week. 

Happy Shopping!

Shasta

A Fresh Look with Fabulous Function for your Home Office

Hi, my name is Debbie Stuck and I am part of the merchandising department here at Norwood Furniture. One of the favorite parts of my job is to give information to our design staff about new products we are featuring on our showroom floor. I will be expanding this part of my job to share som of that information with all of you.

One of the exciting new things on our floor is a new modular home office collection from Hooker Furniture called Urban Lodge. The designers have done a spectacular job of taking today's needs in our busy lives and fulfilling those needs with a look that is clean-lined and casual, yet warm and inviting.

The finish is described as a medium, clear cinnamon finish. To me it's kind of like a paraphrase of the Goldilocks fairy tale, not too dark, not too light, just right. They have made it interesting by using birch solids and veneers with a swirly character as the wood it's made from. There is just enough burnishing on the edges and imperfections purposely left in the wood to maximize the interest without overdoing it.

Simple and sleek hardware in an antique bronze finish and planked-look door fronts complete the look with maximum style and minimum clutter. This is not furniture from the past, this is new, fresh-looking furniture that can go in many different settings, whether your style is loft-like, lodge-like, or even a taste of the tropics.

Of course, it doesn't really matter if it looks good if it doesn't have the features you need. Hooker has taken care of that too with all of the great bells and whistles we have come to count on them for in our home offices, and even some new ones we haven't seen before.

For instance, they have geared this collection more towards notebook use than some of thier previous collections. Instead of the power bar being housed where the tower would be, they have put it in the drop-down fronted keyboard drawer/pullout in the computer workstation. How great is that to plug in right where it's easy and convient for your notebook. And the penninsula desk features a drawer with drop-down fronts on both sides making use by two people at the same times easy, as well as the utilizing the normally dead space at the end of the penninsula by adding bookshelf/display space.

With a locking lateral file, open hutches with adjustable/removable shelves (I'm thinking flat screen TV), a closed hutch with built in task lighting above the computer workstation and even a tall bookcase, Hooker has covered the bases for us.

If modular is not your home office style or it just won't work in your room, we have a free-floating desk and mobile file available in the same finish and styling for you. I also love the wall of bookcases they have created by using the tall bookcase and quarter-round end bookshelves together. I love to read, so this bookcase wall would really work for me.

Or, if you love the look and finish, but don't need a new home office, Hooker has also used this finish and styling in home entertainment and occasional tables for you.

Just a few hints on shopping for a new home office. It will go more smoothly and successfully if you think about a few things before you shop. Let us know what kind of hardware you need to house (notebook, desktop, all-in-one, etc.), who's going to be using the space (how many people and who will be the primary user), how you want it to "feel", are you a reader like me and need lots of bookshelf/display space, what other furniture will be living in the same room (maybe a chair or recliner), and how big the space is.

Lastly, my personal philosophy is that buying new furniture should be a fun and exciting experience. We want you to love your new room! It's easy to fall in love with the look of a room, but in a home office especially it has to have the right function as well as the look. Hopefully this will help start the process of finding the right home office for you, one that you will love for years to come.

And keep a lookout for more information about what's new at Norwood.

Debbie Stuck 

Norwood Furniture