If you are in the market for a sofa, the choices are limitless. Designs have come a long way-and so are the materials they are made of.
Two of today's top choices for sofa fabric are leather and microfiber. While choosing one over the other remains a personal decision, the reasons you will base them from will depend on the type of usage you have planned for the couch.
If you want a sofa that you will love to use everyday, microfiber might be the top choice. Microfiber is basically polyester made from very thin strands. The strands combine to form a suede-like fabric that is very smooth and soft to the touch, not to mention stays relatively cool to the skin even in hot weather. Microfiber also has a good natural ability to repel liquids so maintaining one is not that big of a drawback. However, being porous and absorbent, microfiber needs constant cleaning because it attracts dirt and debris-the same reason it is popular as a cleaner.
On the other hand, leather has been around for ages and has always been associated with luxury. A leather-covered sofa will with no doubt look beautiful with whatever interior theme your house may have. Leather is also very comfortable, but there seems to be a short objective debate on this one. Leather is especially comfortable on cool-weathered places as it takes on the temperature of the atmosphere. For tropical climates, leather can be very hot and make you sweat more-it is non porous and gets sticky in hot climates. As for maintenance issues, with normal use, maintaining leather is as simple as wiping it and using an occasional leather conditioner.
To make decisions easier, microfiber leads the comfort race and leather leads the looks and low-maintenance race. Of course, this is not absolute because both also score some points in the other's strengths. But, the above advantages and disadvantages should easily guide you into ultimately deciding what's right for your home.
