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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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.

So let's investigate some easy ways and means on how you could spot that fake leather chair and come home with the real goods. A big indicator on whether it is the real McCoy or El Cheapo - the price. However once outside the store it may be very difficult to at first glance tell the difference. So if your looking at some ones’ furniture and going, “mmmmm...is it real?” Here are a few simple ways of determining whether it is genuine or artificial.

Real or Fake Leather Here?

Genuine Leather

• Will once it has warmed up or when kept at the correct temperature, have a unique smell.
• Will have small variants in the colour, tone and texture. Remember leather is animal hide it differs in thickness and tone. This is particularly true in the instance of black leather. Due to the limitation on real black leather, leather is mostly often dyed black, especially in the best quality black leather chair..
• Will absorb water and liquids and will darken slightly in the area. (Please do not toss your drink on it to see if it’s real, unless you dislike the company. Your host will not be pleased)
• Will not scald you if heated by the sun. Although leather does heat up, it rarely warms up past 40’C and in those instances it will be damaged.
• Most suede finish materials are fake.

Artificial leather

• Will have no sent, even when warm.

• Will have an overall smooth feel, with no changes in texture, tone or colour.
• Is waterproof, only the suede like fabrics will absorb water.
• This is due to the fabrics containing polyester and other poly fibres, water will often remain on the surface or be drawn through the upholstery.(Again. Do not toss your drink on it!)
• If left in the sun for a period of time, fake leather will scald you. This is also due to the poly fibres found in the fabric, these may heat to temperatures above 50‘C.

Should you still be unsure ask you host about the care of his furniture. Should he claim it is simple and only requires the use of a cloth and some mild detergent your probably dealing with a fake. However should he go into details about cleaning solutions and creams that need to be applied to your black leather chair, this to prevent it from cracking, perishing or becoming hard, chances are it is genuine leather.

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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.

One design that never goes out of style is to contrast your black leather furniture with white furniture. Think about lightening up by tastefully placing colorful items around the room, such as colorful pillows, lamps and other pieces of furniture that coordinate or contrast well. Here's some ideas for you: for that black leather chair in your home-office, contrast with white lamps or lamp shades, with a classic white desk, and a small black loveseat with orange pillows. Maybe in your living room, you'd like to place a large black leather sofa and have a mixture of crimson and/or muted purple pillows with it. Remember that when picking pillows - swirls or stripes will soften the contrast. Solid pillows will create a sharp contrast.

Enjoy Your Black Leather Furnishings

Wood furniture even works well with black leather furniture, blending in with the classic look. Think about matching it up with something like an anchor swivel barstool in your living room.  Remember that leather is a harder type of fabric, so when decorating, mixing in cotton or smooth synthetic fabrics will lighten the atmosphere and blend well with the harder, black material. Think about what kind of blinds, curtains or shutters will blend in with your black leather pieces. Again wood is a great choice here, but you could always go with some high-quality drapes or curtains that are more colorful.

Perhaps you'll choose to be bold and go with all black leather for your furniture, so you can use linen-clothes or thin tapestries to cover over foot stools or chaise lounges. Back to the black-and-white style, where you could even go zebra-patterned with the pillows if you're feeling adventurous! Try white curtains, perhaps with a soft lined pattern or swirl in them.

Let's not forget about metallic looks such as silver or brass to contrast the leather. Perfect for blinds or a glass table with a metallic frame. Pick your favorite metal and blend it in. If you'd like to go retro style you can go with a light Miami-style green, or baby blue pillows on your couch or black leather chair.

Obviously there are many ways to decorating around your black leather furniture. So have a blast decorating around it and don't hold back!