I just bought a leather couch, recliner & loveseat..ask me anything..

answer number one..It is Bee-yoo-tee-ful:)

yummy.. I wanted the sectional with the chaise, but damn my stupid sliding door, the sectional would not fit..:(.

nt

and of course the formerly gorgeous wallpaper:(..

I have their word that they will not claw my new furniture:)

They promise me they won't wake me up early on weekends, but they lie. Ricky promises he won't pick on Ryno. He lies.

I've heard leather holds up well, though. I'm waiting to hear your experience.

Minimal cat damage -- I got advice from other cat owners when we were looking to replace ours a couple of years back and several people said they'd had good luck with leather (although suede is, apparently, irresistible to them). Four fully-clawed cats and a smallish dog who goes up and down on it all the time, and nobody's really managed to hurt it much.

It's a little worn where they all go up and down to the window, but that's it. Leather is cold -- and it's too much effort to dig their claws into it, I think.

I love the soft chenille fabrics, but I know they would shred it..I have heard that the smooth leather does not interest them..

I've also got a canvas sofa upstairs that lived through several years with a fully-equipped cat and a house full of musicians (my first husband was a sound engineer, he had an in-home studio). The musicians did much more damage (cigarette burns, beer spilled) than any ten cats could have done it. It's got a cover on it now, and the cats like to hide under the cover and ambush each other, but they have a tough time getting a claw into canvas, too.

that gave everything for your new set...Ok long enuf...Congrats. Leather seating is awesome.

I worry about cats' claws on leather....

BTW, congratulations! Sounds really nice. Hope you enjoy it for many years to come... it's such an investment.

It's lovely quality leather and with the 5 year full replacement warranty included..(you ruin the chair, they replace ALL the pieces so they still match), and including tax, it was only 2390.00..The recliner rocks, swivels and is the closest thing to being in an adult sized cushy infant seat :)..My husband may never let me sit in it :)

You'll be taking lots of naps in that recliner, eh?

Think about that when you turn the couch over to determine where it was made. I will be truly disappointed if the set was not made here. My personal preference is antiques, restored and refinished. They've lasted this long, they will last another lifetime or two before they need refinishing again. And they continue the heritage that has passed before us.

But, that's my opinion. I am envious of when you will lay down to take a nap and sink in.

Italy is our friend, no??.. It's is damned hard to find furniture made in the US.. I would have preferred it, but alas, it's scarce..

I sell furniture for a living. There is still a heavy amount of furniture made in the US, particularly in North Carolina, Mississippi, Tennesee, Indiana and Wisconsin. If you are buying furniture, it is often easy to find domestic product.

Italy is big for leather, with Natuzzi, for example, being the biggest leather furniture manufacturer in the world. Cloth-upholstered furniture is at least 80% domestically produced. Very big manufacturing base. And much of the best leather comes from Italy, or the hides have seen Italian tanneries.

Mattresses are almost exclusively made in the US (except Tempurpedic, which is Swedish).

Wood products, or what we in the industry call case goods (i.e. bedroom, dining room, etc) are increasingly foreign made. Most dinette sets, for example, are from Asia (you can tell by the wood, often Hevia, which is very hard and has pit marks). There is still a large amount of domestically-made case goods. Look for companies such as Keller, Lexington, and Kincaid, among others. But some companies import some lines. If really in doubt, go Amish.

Furniture is a good example of an industry where most is domestically made.

:)

PS.. did you see the skype.com thread.. (free phone calls)???

your old couch ?

The cushions had to be 86'ed.. I tried to clean them myself and since they were Egyptian cotton, and rather fragile, they DISINTEGRATED before my very eyes.. Then I used a conforter to "cover" them, but it kept slipping off, so I threw the cushions out, and folded a futon mattress double and covered it with a large chenille throw..Totally different color from couch..

If anyone ever truly NEEDED a new couch...I am that person..

find it since there's two of every thread.

www.skype.com

I'm jealous. But my wife and I did just pop for two leather recliners last week. One declawed cat - hers - I'm a dog guy, so no risk to any furniture there.

We're thinking of adding a contrasting leather sofa. (All go in the AV room.)

Ank is bugging me for a leather couch (which I can't afford).

My objections (besides the expense):

• It will be hot to sit on.
  
• it will be impossible to get stains off
  
• you can't slide around on it
  
• it will tear easily
  

Many have misconceptions about leather. But I sell it for a living, and many of the common beliefs are not true.

For one, it is not necessarily too hot to sit in. If you have it in a car and park in the sun, where the interior of the car hits 130 degrees, then yes, it may get hot. In a 70 degree room without direct sunlight hitting it? No way!

The grade of leather you choose determines how easy it is to remove stains. If you buy an expensive full-analine dyed leather, then yes, it will be tough. And expensive (these soft, supple hides tend to run $3000+ on sofas). Your run-of-the-mill leather upholstery pieces should hold up to stains well (as they are protected with a clear-coat). Get the leather protection plan (if offered). The warranty covers stains, burns and rips ususally.

If you buy a cheap leather piece, chances are it may feel a little plasticy. Inexpensive leather sofas use lower quality hides that are heavily processed, and not as supple. A nice, soft, supple leather will feel very luxurious.

And no, leather will not tear easy, unless it's a cheap, overprocessed split. What is a split? It's the seperation of what's called the top grain and the suede backing. Applications are for watch bands, wallets, and shoes, among others. Those cheap leather desk chairs from OfficeMax? Splits all the way. Very thin leather with no backing. Yes, this will tear. But when the leather is a complete piece (ask to see a sample next time you're in a furtiture store), it is way stronger than fabric.

Hope this clears up any misconceptions about leather. I sell furniture for a living, so don't be shy about asking me any questions.

It was pricey, but the thing I liked about it, is that if there is damage..(even burns) they will replace the whole set (and it is in writing) so that they preserve the color match perfectly.. THAT sold me on it.. Ours will have the protective coating, and it's very nice quality leather.. We have been looking for about a year now, and this was too good to pass up.. Robinsons May had a 50% off sale and if you bought both the loveseat and sofa, they threw in the recliner for free..:)

It's not quite the color I wanted, but to special order the same pieces elsewhere in the color I wanted, would have cost us 3 times as much..

Our kids are all grown and gone, so no worries about ballpoint ink on the sofa, or shoes with sharp buckles either..

I love the cushy soft feel of it, and cannot wait for them to be delivered..:)

Now I have incentive to clean up this messy house too :)

I noticed you paid $2300 for the set. Just make sure it's leather all over, with no "leather match" (vinyl on the back). And these 50%-off sales are a little suspicious. Many retailers inflate the price by 40-50% and drop it back down. But $2300 sounds pretty good to me for a good set.

I assume it's Natuzzi (you said it was Italian-made). Good manufacturer. Pretty reasonable in price and good hides. All of the hides I've seen from them have at least a clear coat on them, so it should be very user-friendly.

The leather warranty is worth it. IF you get a tear in the leather, they will send a leather tech out to fix it free of charge, and these guys don't work cheap.

Hope you enjoy your new leather set.

My husband stashed the paperwork, so I don't know the manufacturer, offhand, but that rings a bell..

I know that furniture and jewelry have a big mark-up , so they can have "sales"..but I think we will be very happy with it.. The set we are replacing cost almost as much and it was egyptian cotton.. I know I will like this better..

I will post a pic when we get it :)

You may find it here:

http://us.natuzzi.com/

On edit: looks like they took down most of their pics. :(

where are you, and why are you rat terrier? i have 3 rat terriers. they are great dogs.

I have one. Wasn't sure of the breed, since I found it as a stray a couple years ago. A little research determined the breed, but I assume he's a mutt.

I am RatTerrier because I originally signed up as FightingIrish, but must have misspelled my email address for the sending of my password. Never heard back from DU, so I blew it off. Signed up again a month later, and took the name of my fantasy football team (Rat Terriers - better choice than last year's team - the 69ers :P ).

Good dog. A little rowdy, though. He gets pretty aggressive with neighboring dogs.

they are an open bloodline dog, like most of the southern terrier/feist type dogs. i have 2 sisters, and totally unrelated one, and they are very different. there is a wide variation, and quite a few accepted types.

southern wisconsin? i will let you know when i decide my family is civilized enough for nice furniture.

:evilgrin:

I couldn't resist.

My kids hate it because they say it's cold in the winter and hot in the summer. I usually tell them to just shut up.