Taking a Chance On A Leather Couch From Article


[Disclaimer: We partnered with Article to bring you this post. All opinions and photography are our own and are not influenced by Article. Thanks for supporting the brands that support this blog.]

Finding a Couch that Coordinates with Gray

Remember when our living room looked like this? We just bought the gray couch, didn’t have the built-ins installed yet and were stumped as to what seating to add in front of the window.

Before

I originally thought two chairs would be perfect and even bought some from HomeGoods.ย But when I brought them home and lived with them in our space for a few days, I realized they just weren’t working and I didn’t want to settle. Bringing those chairs home taught me that I wanted more seating than just two chairs, too.

I also wanted to make sure that whatever seating I chose was comfortable since this is where we relax, watch TV, and entertain on a regular basis.ย That’s when I decided that another couch was probably the answer. But what color? What fabric? What style? I didn’t want the two couches to be too matchy-matchy, so I knew the fabric and color of the new couch needed to be different. I toyed around with colored velvet options, but kept coming back to the idea of a neutral. As much as I loved the idea of a pop of color, I was nervous that I wouldn’t love a bold color for the long haul. So what would I love for the long haul that would coordinate well with the gray couch we already had?

A Leather Couch From Article

Splurging on a Leather Couch from Article

That’s when I saw this gorgeous leather couch from Article. I originally saw theย Sven sofa in Savannah’s house and loved the look of it. I immediately reached out to her and asked about the comfort of the couch, since I wanted to make sure the seating in this room was extra comfortable! She responded and raved about not only the comfort of the couch but just about everything else about this piece of furniture.ย ย nina article chair in leather

I also knew I LOVED Casey’s leather chair from Article. This chair is also very comfortable and the leather is so soft.. and gorgeous! So between these two pieces, I was officially sold on adding this Sven sofa to our living room.

My First Leather Piece
buying a brown leather couch from article

I ordered the 88″ Sven sofa in Charme Tan (although it comes in a chair and loveseat option too) and it was delivered within two weeks. As soon as they took it out of the box, I knew I made the right decision. The style, the soft leather, the color… I loved everything about this piece. And just like Savannah promised, it was super comfortable too. Even Matt approved of the comfort!taking care of a brown leather couch

But this was my first piece of leather furniture, so I was a bit nervous about the maintenance. Did I have to put some type of product on it to protect it? Will it scratch? Should I treat it the same as any other material?

No Special Treatment Required

styling a leather couch from article

I immediatelyย started researching and came to the conclusion that I really didn’t have to do anything “special” to protect the leather. Articleย has some really great advice for maintenanceย and suggests that a dry, soft cloth should be used for wiping it down when necessary and a clean, damp cloth should be used for more noticeable stains. One thing they did note that I would have never thought of is being careful sitting on the leather with new jeans, as the dye from the jeans could permanently stain the leather. To be honest, I don’t think leather is the only fabric at risk of this happening, but it was a welcomed reminder!

leather couch in a family roomBut since it is leather, I do need to be a little careful of scratches.ย ย Casey uses her leather chair all the time and hasn’t had any problems but you never know right? The kind of leather the Sven is made from (full-aniline) already comes with a lot of variations, scratches, and marks from the natural hide and it sounds like the leather will just get better and patina with age. Which works for me as I actually love the look of a worn-in leather couch so I’m not going to be tip-toeing around this couch… especially with a little one in the house now.

Stay Tunedsven sofa from article

Casey and I figured we should report back in a few months with updates on how our 2 leather pieces are holding up. We have a post on our calendar for later in the year to let you know how our leather is looking from the wear and tear of everyday life!

Any Advice?

We plan to report back with our honest reviews then and hopefully give anyone else debating whether or not to purchase a leather piece of furniture some honest insight. Do you guys have any specific questions you want us to tackle in that post or things to specifically report back on over the coming months? If so, leave your requests in the comment below and we will be sure to answer your question(s) in our follow-up post. In the meantime, we’d love to hear from anyone who owns a leather piece of furniture. Do you take any special steps to care for it? How is it holding up? Any general advice? We are all ears and would love to learn from you!

Bridget


The Year of Casey

Hey there!

Iโ€™m Casey Finn, the voice behind The DIY Playbook. I’m a Chicago gal teaching you how to design, DIY, and maintain your home…by yourself! Learn more about me right here.