The Secrets of Fine Leather Furniture

From a Metallic gold leather sofa for Alan Carr’s Chatty Man series, to the more traditional such as our Grand Fully Buttoned Wilmington Chesterfield Sofa or our Sumptuous Duck Feather filled Grenville sofa. We have crafted pieces for people such as Alfred Dunhill, Google and even Harvard University.

 

 

Here at Robinson of England we craft all our pieces

in the same manner as antique pieces were crafted over 100 years ago! We aim to create legacy pieces of furniture, entirely unique, which will last lifetime upon lifetime.We continue techniques rarely seen in modern crafting, such as using loose coil springs which are hand tied in place for maximum comfort, along with hand dying our own leathers to ensure perfection and character!

 

Due to years of this artisan style of crafting, we consider ourselves somewhat leather experts, from crafting entirely new pieces to the restoration and recovery of antiques! Here we explain some of the knowledge and tips we have amassed over our years of hand crafting.

 Not all leather is created equal!

Leather is not just leather! There are different types of leather giving different finishes and style but also offing different levels of longevity and character.

 

Here at Robinson, we exclusively use Full Grain Leather as standard!  This is considered the best and most luxurious leather available, as it is not only the strongest and usually thickest but it has also not been processed.  This means the leather has a natural finish with pigmentation and variation which adds to its character and appearance and is also extremely soft.

Over time full grain leather gains more patina and wear, however due to its quality remains very strong. This means that pieces will continue to develop character and improve in appearance over many years to come!

 

 

Unlike most, we hand dyed our pieces! This is a rare practice due to the time and skill involved. We upholster in the top 1% of leather being raw full grain, natural hides, which are then lovingly hand dyed by massaging the dye into the leather to ensure a stunning finish! We also mix our own dyes giving us an unlimited colour palette and the ability to experiment and create bespoke colours for our clients. Due to this, every single piece is entirely original!

  

Top grain is commonly mistaken for the best leather due to being called “top”, however this is merely as it is the top of the hide. 

 

 

  

Top grain leather has had the top layer (full grain) removed to minimise pigmentation and scaring then is usually sanded to increase uniformity and then dyed. Unlike full grain leather, top grain is unlikely to gain patina over time however still has natural grain and some variations. We also upholster in this leather if uniformity is desired. Like full grain, Top grain is very very soft and also immensely strong giving endless years of comfort and longevity!

 

Both of these leathers are of the highest quality and feel, being extremely soft and comfortable but also strong. Other the years using a leather cream every now and then will not only extend the life of the leather, but will also give the piece a stunning shine and not to mention that luxurious leather smell!

 

 

 

These leathers are what are more commonly seen today, representing leather that has been sanded smooth and has an artificial grain imprinted into the leather. These leathers were usually not suitable to be used as full or top grain leather either due to quality, scaring or texture and therefore require more processing. This process creates a uniform finish with little or no variation.

 

 

These leathers are created from the remaining fibres from the above leather types. These leathers are split multiple times in order to create more leather. These again are either imprinted with a false grain and sometimes coated with polyurethane to give more strength or again emboss a false grain.

 

 

 

When it comes to pieces of furniture the way they are crafted is vitally important but also the quality of the materials used! If a solid and well-crafted frame is used, high quality fillings and an outstanding leather, then you can expect your pieces to last multiple lifetimes! We craft all our signature pieces using solid beech wood frames, carved to perfect sizes and upholstered in a range of manners from foams to, boars bristle to coconut and loose horse hair. All of this is lovingly crafted by hand by one of our artisan upholstered from start to finish to create true legacy furniture!

 

 

 

 

These values and practices can be seen in antique sofas and chairs today. Pieces we restore have been crafted in such a manner that they have stood the test of time, some being used for over a hundred years yet are still as strong and stunning as any new piece.

 

 

 

 

These amazing examples of craftsmanship are restored anywhere from being fully recovered to light restoration, retaining all the character gained over the century. Many with beautifully hand carver legs and frames carved to last until the end of time!

 

 

These antique pieces represent the true birth place of the values that define Robinson of England's Crafting exceptional furniture to such a level of artisan attention and detail, that they too one day age beautifully into the realms of luxurious antiques!