The leather sofa is a controversial piece of living room furniture, and it's not for everyone. Whether you're on board with real leather or not, it's a material that has had some unsavory design applications that have tarnished its reputation over the years — bulky, deeply unstylish recliners being the worst offenders.
However, recently, images of leather sofas in living rooms have been creeping onto my Pinterest boards, and I've found myself bookmarking them for future inspiration. Could I be coming around to the prospect of this contentious living room sofa idea? It seems so.
So why are they having a moment? "Leather makes everything feel sleek and brings in Mid-Century elements," interior designer Shona McElroy, of Smac Studio, suggests when I ask for her opinion. That classic 'tan' leather is a color re-entering the design zeitgeist, too.
Whatever the reason, there are a few specific ideas I've spotted for making a leather sofa work in the context of the living rooms of today. These eight are the spaces that sold me on the leather couch making a comeback — whether you go faux or not, I'll leave it up to you.
1. Make it the centerpiece
If there's one living room that makes the sofa the main event, it's this design by Lauren Moore of Design Assembly, who chose a supersized style to anchor an open-concept living space.
"That sofa is a vintage leather Croissant Sofa by Raphael Raffel for Honore Paris, from the 70s," Lauren explains, "and I loved the profile for the space as low furniture in here invites the feeling of higher ceilings. I also wanted something with a low back so that the room didn't feel split in half."
It's an inviting prospect from every angle, and plays up the softer, slouchier side of leather, in case you were in any doubt of how comfortable leather sofas can be. "It is the coziest of cozy sofas, but let me tell you — a real challenge getting down the stairs," Lauren adds.
2. Opt for classic colors
I'd attribute some of the resurgence of leather as a sofa material down to the biggest color trends of the moment. Neutrals are, generally, timeless, but the recent revival of brown color palettes makes leather an easy go-to for bringing a contrast in texture to a living room.
"It's a bit like velvet in that leather does something magical when the light hits it that makes the color come alive," says Hugh Metcalf, an editor for Livingetc.com. "Light and shade feel more pronounced, especially in designs which play with forms beyond straight lines."
A classic sofa, like this "snake" sectional by De Sede, pictured above in a project by Madrid-based De La Villa Studio, is the perfect vessel for making this fabric look its best.
3. Or something a little more unusual
Leather sofas don't have to be restricted to brown and black — it's a material that can be dyed to custom shades, completely changing the feel that the textile brings to a space.
You can take your pick of sofa color trends to inspire your design, but I'm particularly drawn to this design by Monica Fried, which includes a pair of Air sofas by Atraform in a rich olive green. The sofa style, along with the material and color, triples down on the mid-century inspiration for the design.
Price: $1,799
If such a bold shade of leather feels a step too far, this rich dark green shade is a more pared-back approach. It's still sophisticated but feels a bit more special in this color, so it's a great choice if you're looking to make a statement.
4. Choose leather with character
In this effortlessly cozy living room designed by Australian studio Arent&Pyke, the scheme was built around the client's existing cream leather sofa by Italian design brand Edra.
It's a couch that looks comfortable and casual, eschewing the sometimes stark quality that comes with a material like pristine leather. And this worn-in quality is by design. The mottled surface of the fabric is referred to as "two-tone leather," and is created by overlaying light and dark dyes onto the fabric. It creates a textile that has more of a sense of depth and texture, but also that's going to be a little more forgiving to scuffs.
Price: $899
This mottled leather couch, in a striking raspberry colorway, is made from recycled cantina leather and made to order by Urban Outfitters.
5. Embrace the patina
There's a difference between not maintaining and cleaning a leather sofa, and leaning into the natural patina that comes with a material like this. Some designers even look for leather with this quality in mind, as Emil Humbert and Christophe Poyet did in the design of this Parisian apartment.
"The material used to upholster this sofa is the result of a specific aging process which creates this exquisitely unique patina, providing a great textural contrast while accentuating the warmth of this south-facing room," the designers shared. This aged leather is a much-needed contrast to the luxurious sleekness of marble, brass, and glass in the apartment living room.
6. Mix up styles
There's (most likely) no real difference between the leather used for those pre-mentioned ugly recliners and the sort of leather sofa living room ideas that are offering design-forward inspiration today — it is, of course, all down the style and shape of couch you choose.
"The shape of the leather pieces you choose is so important," Shona McElroy, founder of Smac Studio echoes. "In this space, we chose streamlined shapes to create a contemporary feel, whereas if we'd chosen an old Chesterfield shape it would have immediately felt antique."
Think about your overall living room landscape too — mixing living room accent chairs with different sofa silhouettes will make the space feel more modern, too. "With leather, I think it's important to use individual items, rather than purchasing a set because that can get too matchy-matchy very fast," Shona advises.
7. And switch up textures
The wrong leather couch can leave a living room feeling anything but cozy, but whatever style you choose, it's worth considering finding one that contrasts with the other textures in your room. "You need to amp up the plushness of other textures around leather to avoid a cold bachelor pad vibe," Shona explains.
In this small living room by designer Lisa Staton, a leather couch design with a wooden frame helps to break up the expanse of the material, while a deep-pile rug and sheepskin throw introduce a warmth and coziness that brings out the best characteristics of the leather.
8. Choose a design classic
If all else fails, you can't go wrong with an iconic sofa in leather. The Barcelona daybed sofa, De Sede's Terrazza sofa, Scarpa's Soriana sofa — there isn't a classic sofa around that hasn't been imagined beautifully in leather.
In terms of current sofa trends, the big name in couches is the Camaleonda. "The Camaleonda sofa, by Mario Bellini for B&B Italia, is such a great canvas for showcasing this caramel leather," says Nildo Jose, founder of NJ+ Arquitetura, who included it in this Parisian apartment design. With its tufting and the way it utilizes textiles, wrapped around its plump form, this sofa makes for a unique showcase of how leather can look.
How do you style a leather sofa in your living room?
If you're looking for what complements a leather sofa, it, of course, depends on the color of sofa you've chosen — but let's assume we're talking about a classic brown couch, in which case, look to modern brown color palettes to make your scheme come to life.
Here are a few suggestions for building a color palette around a brown couch.
- Tonal neutral scheme — pair a brown leather couch with off-whites, beiges, tans and even darker shades for a calm, cohesive scheme.
- Dark and dramatic — a dark charcoal, midnight blue or deep rich green can make a perfect backdrop for a brown couch.
- Soft natural palette — consider natural pairings for brown, like sage green and light blue, for a serene take on the leather couch living room.
