High Back Leather Chairs

Does that sound like a bold statement? It shouldn’t. High back leather chairs have long since been regarded as a staple in office and home furnishings. What kind of high back leather chairs you are looking into will depend on some factors that I am more than willing to discuss here.

Where you put your chair, what you will be using your chair for and how much you are willing to spend on a high back leather chair will be a few factors to consider. Fabric would be the final factor; like writers, not all leather was created equal. Me? I’m double stitched cow shoulder; tough, rugged, elegant and a little bit shiny.

Location is the first thing you might want to consider. Are these chairs going to be used in a home office, living room or an office waiting room? For waiting rooms and the like you might want to consider a side chair or reception chair. These are pretty blocky in appearance, but they are sturdy and relatively comfortable. Wing back high back leather chairs are great for forays and living room furniture but are pretty heavy, so for instances where you might have to rearrange furniture often these are not a good option. Not because you are not strong but because they tend to leave permanent imprints in the carpeting even when not used often. For you office high back leather chairs complete with lumbar support and wheels is just the ticket.

Now that we’ve covered the where and what portion of this little ditty I call an article, let’s talk about quality. As I stated earlier, not all leather was created equally. Try to stick with me and I will do my best to be as entertaining as possible, but there are several types of leather to choose from beyond color. For the record, naugahyde is not leather at all. I’m not even sure what a nauga is.

Basic leather types of leather to look for are bonded leather, bycast, Shagreen and Nappa. Though other leathers are used at times for furniture these are the common types used for high back leather chairs. Both bycast and bonded leather are manmade from polymers while Shagreen and Nappa leather are made from natural hides.

Bonded leather is not actual leather at all but rather a manmade composite made from leather scraps. While this covering might have the look and feel of leather it does not have the durability. Though it is also man-made Bycast is not the same as bonded leather and is much stronger. The benefits are that chairs covered with bonded leather and bycast leather furniture cost a fraction of natural leather coverings.

Shagreen is common leather used for furniture. This type of leather is smooth to the touch and has a shiny appearance, thus its nickname of shark skin or stingray skin. Finally we have Nappa- or Napa leather. Napa is commonly found in use with wallets and is prized for its supple texture. Nappa can be used in higher end leather furniture, though commonly you will see two covering first.

Which type of chair you chose will determine the price you pay for your high back leather chairs. Often a combination of a larger chair covered with manmade material will run in the same price range as a smaller, natural hide covered high back leather chair. Really, the quality and size will determine whether you blow out your budget or not. When it comes to high back leather chairs though you cannot help but to smell the leather and smile, so happy shopping!