Cream leather sofa - good investment or bad idea?

pavlovs_dog

Rzl i work for argos,so give me a shout if i can help at all

i have that sofa on my shop floor right now! the sofa is very firm - not in a hard way, but in that you would never guess you are sitting on a sofa bed. there is no loss of support because the frame of the sofa is housing the bed.

the bed is very smooth, quick and easy to fold out. the matteress is not the thickest (it is a standard sofa bed foam mattress). if you could afford it you'd probaby do well to invest in a matteress topper for your guest's comfort.

the suite is made from a corrected grain leather. in laymans terms, this means any blemishes have been taken out of the hide to give a nice uniform finish. it is the most durable and hard wearing type of leather - unlike semi aneline leather, it will not mark too easily,and will keep its age well.

IIRC, it is a full leather suite, with no "leather/leather match." i can check on this for you if you would like. (some suites, especially those with reclining elements use a vinyl (which has a leather look/feel) on the backs/sides of the suite as these come under duress which normal leather could not sustain).

colour-wise, cream will show wear and tear much more than a darker colour. it is not as forgiving shall we say as a chocolate or black leather. however on the other hand, neutral colours can save you £ss in the long term, as you can re-decorate without replacing the suite. so long as you take care of it, you should be fine.

care of leather suites - manufacturers do recommend that you give the suite a good going over every 6 months with a leather care kit. people forget that leather is still a skin, and that it needs a degree of nourishment, as does our skin. doing this also helps stop your seams from ripping/splitting. with regards to cleaning, always test first in an inconspicuous spot, but PH neutral babywipes are fab. only use PH neutral, as anything else will attack the leather.

delivery time - on purchase you would be quoted our standard lead time which is either 28 or 35 working days. this is a worse case scenario figure. argos direct will call you to arrange a convenient date and time for delivery. sofas *normally* come on a van, which means you will have the choice of a morning slot (7.30-1pm) or an afternoon (12 noon-6pm)

the only customer criticism i have heard about the suite is that some people find the arms of the sofa/chair are on the high side. personally i think it is a cracking little sofa for the money (and thats my honest, unbiased opinion).

i wont do the hard sell on you, but if you do want any info on additional argos services (buy now pay later with the argos card, insurance, and leather care kits) then i will happily discuss that with you via PM. also, if you would like me to take a few piccies when i get chance (our savanna is brown, but it'll give you an idea) then i would be happy to do so :beer:

hope that helps :j

Amanda666

Rzl

Have a cream sofa as well. always used saddle soap to clean and it is still looking good after 4 years....

ageandjo

BUY IT!!!!!!!!!

we have a cream leather sofa and two big dogs that rub themselves along it!! So easy to wipe clean with stardrops, still looks like new, I would deffo get it as like you say you could have food smells trapped in a material one.
You won't be disapointed:T

On the plus side too everything goes with cream/ivory:T

lisyloo

We have staining from jeans on ours and a professional cleaning company have said it doesn't usually come off.

Any ideas on what I should try?
It's bluey colour.
Perhaps the cleaning company don't want to take a risk with harsh chemicals.
I'm prepared to take a risk as I can experiment in hidden areas first.

Lucie_2

We had huge deliberations over a dazzling white leather suite 3 years ago & I can honestly say that it's been fine. As long as you clean it regularly & mop up any spills straight away then it's not a problem. I actually think we're more cautious with it because it's white leather IYSWIM. I have yet to train my FiL not to leave his newspaper lying on it, but that's another story............

Bargain_Rzl

Thanks everybody - especially pavlov's dog, who I may be PMing in due course. I have pretty much decided that I do want this particular sofa (unless I happen to find something better on a speculative visit to DFS in the meantime!) so I'm glad my initial impressions of it have been backed up by others! ... I have no storage space at all at the moment, so believe me, I'll be waiting until I have completed on the flat before ordering! (My current work schedule means there may be a couple of weeks between getting the keys and moving my existing furniture in, so it might work out quite well) ... I'm also considering getting a matching armchair, but this depends partly on space in the flat (am dropping by soon to take accurate measurements so I can see how my furniture will fit and look) and partly on financial considerations - I will be due a cashback bonus if I exchange on time, and my dad has mentioned that he intends to give me a financial housewarming gift too - but I can't count on either of these until I get them! Obviously if I work out that the matching chair will "go" in the flat, I'll prioritise it financially so as to get a suite that matches

tawnyowls

Shez wrote:

oh that sofa looks lovely bargainrzl!

I would really love a leather sofa, but I keep thinking it would be a waste of time with my two kids (4 and 2!) its not the spills i mind cos they wipe off, but i'm worried the cars/buses etc being played on them would scratch them to bits??? maybe im wrong??

I've had kids climbing over them with shoes and a cat that likes to stand on them flexing her claws. The leather isn't much less tough than you'd find in a pair of shoes, so it should stand up to a fair bit of abuse.

kiwichick

beware ink is all I can say RZL. We bought a cream leather suite when we moved here (old suite wouldnt fit in the door:mad: ) and though I love it I do notice the dirt an awful lot more than i did with the black one. Then maybe all that means is my old suite was filthy! I have now got 4 BIG pen marks from when dh has sat down with pens in his back pocket :mad: :mad: :mad: I cant get it off.

memorygirl

Mum has a cream sofa - nearly 20 years old and says all shes ever used is warm water and the occasional "feed" with saddle soap. Apparently this works best if you apply it whilst singing along to a Sidney Devine compilation(a very dodgy Scottish Easy listening singer for those non-Scots)

No idea how it works if you use "real music" - LOL

Memorygirl

nearlyrich

I like the sofa in the second picture it looks classy. We have just ordered a brown leather suite to replace a pastel shaded fabric suite which is 10 years old and despite washing and professional cleaning is looking tired. It also has wear on the arms which has been annoying me for a while. I would advise against light colours if there were small children or animals but it should be fine in your new place.