Top Grain Leather Sofa

Top grain leather is widely considered as the second highest grade of leather. The outermost layer of the hide is removed to obtain top grain leather. This is done when the hide has too much imperfections and blemishes (which happens to a huge bulk of raw hide) and cannot be made into full grain leather. Doing so also reduces the toughness of the leather, making it easier to work with. As such, top grain is available in a larger variety of colours and finishes.

Our Hugh sofa in vintage leather is one of our best selling top grain leather sofa that will be a great centerpiece for your home. Do check it out here.

Genuine Leather / Split Leather Sofa

Genuine leather, also known as suede, is a lower quality of leather. It is not a superset to categorise all leather as real, but rather that the leather is of lower quality but is "at least still real leather". It is also known as split leather, because it is what is left after the top grain leather is extracted from the hide. Made from the deeper layers of hide, genuine/split leather is less durable, and has no natural grains. Hence, this grade of leather is normally embossed with artificial grains to create some texture.

Bonded Leather Sofa

An even lower grade of leather is bonded leather, which is made by binding together loose leather fibres, sometimes with synthetic materials as well. This material does not have the natural toughness or texture of leather. It is also sometimes passed off as "genuine leather".

COLOURING AND FINISHING OF LEATHER

After the hide is flayed from the animal, it needs to cleaned, tanned, dyed, then finished. The first two steps stabilises the organic material, and prevents it from decaying. The last two steps bring the leather from a bluish-grey colour, to its final, luxurious look. This section explains come common processes for dyeing and finishing leather, explains the differences between "full-aniline" and "semi-aniline".

Full-aniline leather sofa

Full-aniline leather is dyed with aniline dye, which is a soluble dye that penetrates the leather. This achieves the desired colour while retaining the natural look of the leather, such as visible scars, pores or blemishes. Otherwise, alternative methods of colouring will mostly involve applying a topcoat to the leather which will substantially obscure the grains and diminish the natural look. For this reason, only high quality hide (full grain) with good natural appearance will be made into aniline leather. Consequently, full grain aniline leather is the highest grade of leather money can buy. Our Kansas leather used on our sofa is full grain full-aniline leather. If you want to check them out, have a look at our exquisite Arya and Reilly sofas.

One can make out the grains and natural folds, characteristic look of a full grain, full aniline leather

Semi-aniline leather

Semi-aniline leather is produced through a very similar process to full aniline, but has a thin protective top coat added to protect it from wear and staining. Oil and wax can also be applied to achieve certain looks. In terms of practicality, semi-aniline leather usually has better stain and wear resistant properties than full aniline leather.

For this reason, it is mostly not applied to full grain leather and it restricts the natural aging and development of desirable patina. Often, semi-aniline dying is applied to top grain leather for enhanced looks and stain resistance.

CORRECTED LEATHER

Leather can be dyed and finished through processes that are less labour intensive. An example would be corrected leather, in which a topcoat of pigment is sprayed on the tanned hide, sometimes with additional coatings for protection or effect. As the leather is obscured by the top coats, lower grades of leather can be used to reduce cost. The quality and durability of corrected leather largely depends on the underlying leather material, and can be of reasonable quality if crafted properly. However it neither has the natural beauty of aniline leather, nor can it develop a patina over time.

LEATHERS AT GREY AND SANDERS

Did you know? It is common industry practice to use lower quality leather for less important areas of sofas, or compromise finishing on undersides of chairs or tables. But, at Grey and Sanders, we don't.

We upholster our sofas with the same premium materials all-round, but yet absorb as much cost as we can. We also ensure that the underside of our tables and chairs are finished smoothly. Because we think it makes a worthwhile difference -- for we do not always interact with furniture in linear, predictable ways. Sometimes, we run our hands through the underside of furniture, and dangle our legs off the side of the couch absently. We pay attention to often neglected parts of a piece of furniture at Grey and Sanders.

We believe that our discerning customers can tell the difference in look and feel, and will do our best to meet their expectations!

Our Arya and Reilly sofas are our entry-level sofas, and come upholstered in full-grain full-aniline ("Kansas") and Italian top-grain semi-aniline ("Natural"). For more info on these leather options, click here.

Our Langham, Portage, Ashby and Beaumont sofas come upholstered in German full-grain full-aniline ("Verdura"), Italian full-grain full-aniline ("Raw"), top-grain semi-aniline ("Satine"), and correct-grain semi-aniline ("Brainne"). Click here for more info about our Langham, Portage leather options.

Want to know more?

Want to learn more about leather sofas before making your purchase decision? Feel free to Whatsapp/call to us at ‭+65 8371 8864‬ or visit our studio to meet with us in person at Tan Boon Liat Building, 315 Outram Road, Level 6-02.