50
www.thedesignermagazine.com
In the first in a new regular column from members of the Society of British Interior Design (SBID), Helen Marsh of Italian furniture manufacturer Natuzzi gives us the lowdown on luxurious leather
LEATHER
is exceptionally versatile and
durable – in fact, it is four times more durable than fabric - but it is a complicated material and there are many options to consider when choosing leather for any design, be it a sofa or any other furniture item. The end result of the product created
and the consumer’s enjoyment of that product will be vastly different depending on the choices made. Important things to consider are the origin of the hide, the type of leather, the category or thickness and grain, the required look and the usage.
WHAT MAKES A QUALITY HIDE? The final quality, and the price, of a leather is determined by two principle factors: the origins or rarity of the hides and the finishing process, whether it is machine or hand finished. The origin is the key factor here as 70 per cent of the final price of the finished leather depends on the origin of the unfinished hides.
On the whole, the high quality hides are
sourced from Northern Europe where the climate is cooler which minimises scarring from insect bites and nutrition is better. Good quality hides are sourced from South America where the climate is hot and arid causing a less supple finish and potentially more scarring from insects.
IS NATURAL BETTER THAN PROTECTED? When selecting leather you will generally choose between two starting options – natural and protected. For example, Natuzzi offers two types of leather finishes: Natural leather and Protecta leather, both are high quality but provide very different looks and feels.
Natural leathers are soft and supple;
they are treated to preserve their natural characteristics, keeping the hides’ beauty intact. Nature’s grains, veining and colour shade are enhanced. This rich, beautiful leather will mellow
gently over the years and the natural signs such as wrinkles, insect bites, veins, differences in grain, scars and other marks are completely visible. These markings and colour shadings basically distinguish genuine leather from man-made materials like vinyl and from ‘finished’ protected, leathers whose character is embossed with heat or pressure. Hides are dyed using vegetable dyes then
finished with wax and oils, they have good resistance to fading but they are highly porous and have a low resistance to stains so they work best for low usage articles. Protecta leathers are much easier to maintain and are more suitable for higher usage and active lifestyles. Incredibly supple and strong, these leathers are coated with an invisible protective layer which guards them from stains and signs of age without affecting their natural beauty. Protecta leather hides can still be hand selected, left in their natural state (not buffed or embossed), but they do have a protective colour coating added. The look and colour of the finished hides
is fairly uniform, however natural hallmarks are still visible on all leathers to some extent. Some Protecta leathers receive mechanical treatments to modify the original surface such as buffing and embossing which removes scars and bites if desired.
WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF LEATHER?
• Full Grain Leather - characterized by the pores and hair follicles, grain leather has the grain layer substantially intact and is finished on the grain side.
• Aniline finished – the highest quality, coloured only with dyes and selected from the most perfect hides. Aniline identifies it has had no artificial pigmented finish applied. However, it is not fast to light and sun and is susceptible to staining from spillage and perspiration.
• Semi Aniline finished – contains a proportion of pigment, improved light fastness, and hard to distinguish from true aniline, more durable but still easily damaged by spillage and soiling.
• Pigment finished – good light fastness and stain resistance, easily cleaned, because of the thicker coating used the colour is more uniform, but the feel is not as kind as for aniline.
• Corrected Grain – the grain layer has been partially removed by buffing, and a new surface built by various finishes, similar in look and performance to pigmented grain. However, natural defects on the grain have been eliminated by the bluffing process. Some are embossed or printed with an artificial grain.
• Split Leather – the under layer of hide separated by a splitting machine. A finished split refers to a flesh split finished
by an application of a surface coating to simulate the appearance of ‘grain leather’. It is less expensive to produce and should only be used for items of low stress as it is not as durable.
• Pull Up (also known as ‘waxy’) – oiled leather with extra fat liquor applied during dyeing, dank oily type feel, hide may have extra oil applied by spraying near the end of the process. Similar to nubuck/suede with no protective coating and prone to colour changes in areas of high wear, with a potential to transfer colour to clothing.
• Embossed - produced in a similar manner to standard grain leathers but after staking an ‘effect’ will be embossed on the grain surface. designer
Natuzzi
www.natuzzi.co.uk
This regular series of features on interior design topics is produced in association with the Society of British Interior Design (SBID). For information about membership and training, visit the SBID website at
www.thesocietyofbritishinteriordesign.org or follow on Twitter @TheSBID
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68