Design

Design / Style — No Comments
17
Mar 10

Leather and Interior Design

Interior designers often include black leather chairs or suites when designing new living areas, work areas, and especially when marketing an upper-class home. Leather has always remained a constant in furniture manufacturing; it is also constantly used in interior design. We took a look to see why leather remains such a popular choice.  Leather has always been regarded a symbol of status of fortune and power. When one thinks of who would be the first to be affected or interested in purchasing leather furniture the result is usually: a male. They are drawn particularly to black leather, as it is considered a masculine fabric, one that reflects the owners’ masculinity and status.  But of course for the modern home, a lady might like something stylish to mix in with the room design.  This is the modern world after all!

Dark or black leather and chrome are the two staples every bachelor wishes to include in his home. It is only later with the introduction of the feminine in a bachelors’ life and home that the softer shades are introduced. And the war for the black leather chair starts, often being banished to the den, study or more suitable area (if your lucky). Today when selling homes, interior design and décor have started to walk hand in hand, working together as well as independently with the purpose of getting a image of sophistication and class across to the consumer.

With the variety and choice available today, we more often than not make our purchases based on emotion. We like what we see and we therefore buy it. Most home marketing agents and property developers know this, and are developing and marketing with a certain class and client profile in mind, utilising design and décor for optimal results The use of leather in designs is more often found in places meant to attract the attention of the younger bachelor or up and coming male. Who will be drawn to the image projected by the design. Property developments focused on families would be more drawn to earth tones with the inclusion of cream, beige and brown, the leather of choice would be suede for its texture and softer tones.

Leather due to its many forms is a useful staple material that is used in interior design for bringing a sense of earthliness, wealth and status into a room. It sends a silent but firm message that the owner has some level of wealth, especially with black sofas and a black leather chair or two. This is this message that interior designers incorporate into their designs when adding leather, it is a message that is picked up readily and delivers the required results.

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Design / Style — No Comments
17
Mar 10

The Powerful Reputation Of The Black Leather Chair

In today’s time the black leather chair has become a symbol of power and status. But how did this humble and functional object obtain such high status? Why not a white or cream chair? We looked into what made of this piece of furniture so desired and the impressions it has created on us.

Throughout the years in both design and décor the only two colours that always seem to be included in any design, are black and white. But those in the know will tell you black and white are not colours, they are shades, and as such, they are compatible with everything. However there are hundreds of different shades of white: bluebell white, creamy white, lily white to name a few. Thus white with its various shades tends to absorb and then blend with colours, and has therefore proven itself less superior. Where black overpowers colours, it absorbs them and makes them darker. Thus black is a more dominant colour.

Imagine walking into your bosses office and there behind his desk is a white or pale cream coloured chair… Your impression? Now what would your thoughts be if it was a black leather chair? The first one made you think didn’t it, where with the second it seemed right and in place. But how? In interior design, black is colour used to represent power, and white that of relaxation and calm. Think of the amount of white we wear in summer, the colour and outlay of a beach house and its design. The predominant colour is white, often followed by blue and green. Now think of a corporate environment, you immediately start seeing rich colours, burgundies, reds, browns, and black.

Colours alter our moods and perceptions, this is something interior designers and furniture manufacturers keep in mind when designing furniture and living spaces. Were you to think quickly what colour was your principals chair, now what colour is your bosses chair, and what colour chair are you most drawn to. Nine times out of ten the answer would be a black chair, it has been imprinted in our minds as a symbol of power.

Although black has a timeless quality about it, the furniture style it covers are often periodic. And although the black chair has stood the test of time it’s design has often been altered to accommodate the times. The real black leather chair will always remain a symbol of power and status.

Design / Tanning — No Comments
17
Mar 10

How Is Leather Actually Made For Your Chair?

The black leather chair has always imposed the impression of status wealth and power, but is it really that, or is there a darker side to this well known piece of furniture? Join me on a journey and discovery into just what processes are involved in the production of leather and leather goods. And what these processes really cost.

It's the harsh truth that animals are processed daily, every day thousands of animals enter the meat production industry, these animals are processed and their skins or hides are shipped to various tanneries for processing. Most of these being cattle hide. Leather is the end result of animal hides, the only difference between leather and fur is leather is a by-product of the meat production industry, where the animal is slaughtered for consumption. Whereas with fur, the skin or coat is most desired the meat is the by-product and of little importance.

This skin, now known as a hide will on arrival at the tannery enter the pre-tanning stage. This is the first of three stages it will undergo before being classed as cured leather. The pre-tanning stages and tanning procedures are determined by the end product or market that the leather is intended for. The pre tanning process for most common leathers include, preservation, soaking, de-hairing, liming and de-liming

The hide is then ready for the tanning process. Most commercially available leather is tanned using a method known as chrome-tanning. As the name suggests the compound Chromium is used throughout the tanning process. The purpose of tanning is to change the proteins found in hide or skin into a stable and durable material, thus properly tanned leather will not putrefy when exposed to water. Hides undergoing Chromium tanning are loaded into a rotating drum and are submerged in a tanning liquor solution until soaked through. After which the pH of the solution is increased, this process is called basification. This fixes the tanning material to the leather, the greater the amount of adhesion results in a more stable end product with reduced shrinkage properties.

The wet leather is now removed from the drum and will have a bluish hue, it now passes into the third stage known as the crusting stage, where it may be split or thinned before being re-tanned, then dyed, dried and softened. The end result is a hide of leather softened and ready to be for fabrication. To make up a black leather chair could take up to three such hides. Depending on the style and size of the chair.

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