Loving Leather

3 years ago we decided it was time to purchase good quality furniture that we wouldn't have to keep replacing. With 5 kids at the time, our old furniture was torn, worn, and dirty. No matter how often we cleaned, it still looked gross. I researched obsessively what big families recommended and discovered source after source, all recommended leather. Don was thrilled with my findings as he had always wanted leather. I didn't want leather! I wanted soft, cozy, comforting, relaxing, and light colored feminine floral fabrics. More than anything as we both talked, we wanted something that would endure our growing family, be easy to clean, and look clean most of the time. The only other thing I could find fabric-wise that came close to these specs was micro-fiber. We looked at several of both types of living room furniture and we finally decided upon leather. Previously we had a sofa and love seat. We ended up purchasing a leather sofa and a club chair from Slumberland, and a recliner from Sams...ironically it goes together just fine. To make things more affordable, we purchased the floor models that were clearanced out and we also were able to negotiate a little as well. A year later, we added 2 leather storage ottomans from Target that holds most of our children's books, we use this as a make-shift coffee table/footrest. It's only been 3 years, but it's held up remarkably well, better than any fabric covered piece we've owned in the past. I do finally love leather, to make things a bit cozier, we keep plenty of soft cushy throws on hand and to clean it, we discovered leather wipes. Leather doesn't work for everyone and I can certainly understand any reluctance, but for our bustling family, it's a perfect fit.