Oh, damn. I meant to do more inside instead of FP. :(

Sorry.

Oh my god, that's gorgeous.

But then, I LOVE Tim Burton's aesthetic, so YMMV.

IME, Leather is OK if you have AC. Otherwise you're just asking for punishment. Never owned any myself, although some friends have.

Thanks, kellydmanit.

Some other details: Butter yellow. Soft Italian leather. Three-seater. Perfect condition. Wood legs with matte silver finish (I know they look blue in the picture). 86" long, 35" high (29 1/2" high in middle), 37" deep.

My living room is red and the focus is this large (6x4) painting, though I'm considering moving this one in there instead.

Ugh. Do other folks feel this hopeless when it comes to room design?

That sofa is gorgeous and funky and very very sexy. You're going to be so sorry if you don't buy it! It's a great focal point and has a lot of personality.

We have a super cushy overstuffed leather chair, and a leather sofa in another room. Both are great. The leather takes on a nice patina over time and gives the furniture its own personality. Very easy to care for. I would invest in a leather care kit, which you can pick up at most any furniture store or auto store. It usually consists of a conditioner and a cleaner. Keep the leather conditioned, because when it's soft and supple, it's damn near impossible to stain, no matter what you spill on it.

Nope, leather doesn't smell funny, and it's not heavy. When you first sit down on it, it's very cold (even in summer, and we have no AC), but it warms to your body temperature very quickly, and it's always comfortable.

Hopefully your dog won't think it's a huge chew toy... ;)

The only possible drawback is/are vegan friends who consider it an affront.

I don't know - I like it and all, but that's a pretty extreme couch. It's going to be the focus of the room. Your lifestyle is obviously more fully evolved than mine (for one thing, my dogs would get on it, and one of them would probably eat it, also, my furniture mostly comes from Goodwill or the street) but light colored upholstery, especially leather, scares the bejesus out of me. One glass of red wine on that or god forbid, dog barf, and it's all over. What about something darker or more neutral?

Thanks Iconomy. I'm actually vegetarian myself but I don't mind leather stuff if buying second hand (yeah, I know it's a rationalization). I wasn't looking specifically for leather furniture, it's just that this one presented itself and I like unique looking stuff.

After reading iconomy's post, maybe I'm wrong. I do have one inherited antique brown leather chair and so far it's still pretty spotless. I attributed that to its being so insanely uncomfortable (the design, not the leather) that no one ever sits in it willingly or for long, but maybe leather is harder to stain than I thought. I really don't know.

mygothlaundry, I can't afford the high cost of a new couch. The person selling this has offered me a good deal as he's under pressure to sell as he has new furniture being delivered within days and only has a small window when he's going to be in town. One of the reasons I'm posting here is that I have to decide pretty much today and though most of me says Yes, it's not like anything I've bought before... which gets my hackles/defenses up.

I can't say positively that Satchel would not get on it but I think he'd be fine. He's almost 8 and has his own furniture. He used to sleep with me (for, like 7 years) and I recently bought a new bed. He put one paw on it, I told him no, and he hasn't tried again. I highly doubt he'd try to eat it as well as he's not a chewer.

It's going to be the focus of the room.

Definitely.

Leather is skin, and like our skin, it's pretty damn hard to stain. Yes, if you spill hair dye on it, or write on it with markers, maybe you won't (but maybe you will) be able to get that out.

But wine, food, blood, makeup, dirt, whatever....yep it all comes out. Definitely invest in a leather care kit if you buy that albino sofa !

I thought garish at first but I actually think it would go really well with that 2nd painting.

Usually when I think leather, I think traditional or reserved or something -- ye olde dark brown.

But there's nothing wrong with colour - it sets a modern tone for a bright atmosphere to me.

And leather is really comfortable - all year round for mine.

Thanks, all. I'm really appreciating the comments.

One question: this leather care kit thing... what is it? Like a spray or something? Do I get that at a shoe cobbler or a furniture store or what?

Hmm...I think there's like 2 philosophies isn't there -- protection versus dressing.

ie. Waterproofing spray like for shoes which will help prevent staining.

Or...lanolin based cream to rub in periodically to keep soft and prevent cracking.

At least that's how I understand it. If this was an AxMe though, I would sit on the sidelines and watch for more learned colleagues to wax *cough* lyrical.

The kit I have consists of a nice chamois for buffing, a liquid conditioner in a bottle, and a liquid cleaner, also in a bottle. I got mine when I bought my most recent acquisition - the leather chair. In the states you can get them at any respectable furniture store...just go to the leather or seating dept. and ask. You can get them at most automotive stores as well, and higher end car dealers sell them - BMW, Mercedes...like that.

I've never actually waterproofed leather. The crucial thing is to keep it from drying out, because when it's dry, just like our skin, it's prone to cracking, and to staining, and so, the conditioner is what's called for. I don't think waterproofing is necessarily a good idea, because although it keeps water and stains from getting in, it also prevents the conditioner from getting in.

Don't think this is something you have to do every week or anything - I do it, oh maybe once every 2 years or so. It takes 10 minutes, and the leather looks great afterwards. I do have radiator heat, though, which is very moisturizing. If you have a different kind of heat, you may have to do this every year. Every time you sit on the leather, your clothing is wicking tiny amounts of moisture out of the leather, so eventually you're going to have to condition it to replace the oils. It shouldn't affect the color, since the sofa's been conditioned at least once already, somewhere along the line in the manufacturing process.

When I go home for lunch today, I'll get out the kit and check the manufacturer for you, dobbs. Maybe there's a place online to order it. Also, googling for leather furniture care might yield some good tips.

On preview: yikes I didn't intend to write a novella! Anyone still awake?

Have you actually sat on it, or just like the shape?
My partner and I fell in love with and nearly bought a similar sofa, but it was so uncomfortable to sit on that we passed it up.

We have a leather sofa (in a completely different style) now, but it's a breeze to keep clean.

This is what I use.

But......where's the picture of lunch?

Hee. It was a blueberry/bananananananana smoothie. Really good!

Thanks to everyone for their opinions, help, and links! I am going to sit and see tomorrow and make my decision in the flesh. Hopefully it'll all go smooth and I'll be NSD (new sofa dobbs) by early evening.

The only possible drawback is/are vegan friends who consider it an affront.
That's not a drawback, it's a bonus!

Damn that's a sexy sofa.

Are cats naturally disinclined to scratch leather sofas? I've given up on stopping mine from scratching my knobby fabric sofa, so one day I will have to replace it.

Thanks to everyone who answered. I bought the couch tonight. C$800 and it's mint and very comfortable... had to carry it down 7 flights of stairs as it would not fit in the elevator. That took like 20 mins. Worse? Took almost 90 minutes to get it into my apartment because of the turn in the entrance. At one point we literally thought there was no way it was coming in. Ha.

Thanks thanks thanks!

Dobbs, you know this means that now you can never move, right?