6-12K if you want American made full grain leather like Hancock and Moore. Depends on the style, size, and color.

Isn't Hancock and Moore top of the line, lifetime furniture? Isn't there something in between crate and barrel and Hancock and Moore in price and quality?

My Smith Brothers of Berne (made in Berne, Indiana) recliners with Grade A leather upgrade (the most supple is what I liked) were $2000 each. The couch to match was $4000. This was 5 years ago. We didn't buy the couch because I didn't have $8k at the time, but we bought the 2 recliners and they still look like new. We don't have kids at home, but we have 3 grandsons who spend a couple days a week at our house, and we have 3 chihuahuas who are allowed on the furniture.

Sure, it depends on what you want and how much you are willing to spend. For example some place like La-z-boy has some nice all leather sofas in the $2000.00 range, pottery barn has some really good leather sofas in the $2-3000 range, they should last several years. I think it just takes some research and looking to find what you want. I only have leather furniture and love it. I am sure you can find a variety of pricing and quality, hands on is the way I choose.

Pottery barn

Does "should last several years" translate to "would last fifteen years"? (I don't think even seeing the leather in person would give the average person the slightest clue as to whether the sofa and leather will withstand family living for 15 years, hence the OP's original question!

Leather furniture is not something I've ever considered, but I don't know why not. I wonder how it holds up to cats.

We have 2 leather ottomans. The cats don't scratch them, but there are some puncture holes from their rear feet from leaping off.

My cats tore the corners of my Emerson leather sofas to shreds.

My cats didn't care for leather and would merely cross it to get to a lap or throw. You just never know about a cat...until it's too late.

I have a H & M sofa that we purchased a year and a half ago. It was done in a burnished leather so it already has the patina of an antique. I am sure it will last a life time. WTBS, I love, love, love Smith Brothers of Berne furniture. I ordered two wing chairs and the construction is wonderful, the upholstery is perfection and they are so comfortable. I would think a leather couch from SB would last a very long time.

Thank you all!

Yes, I'm not able to judge based on looking how long something will hold up. I have tried researching and my impression is that crate and barrel is generally considered better than pottery barn for price. I have the impression that lazy boy is somewhere in that same category. And at the time that I bought our current sofa from club furniture, they had good reviews and seemed to be considered in the same category as crate and barrel. But the leather has not held up nearly as well as the leather on a crate and barrel recliner we have.

I feel like there must be a few makers in between decent and fabulous. So crate and barrel, I think would cost around $2-3,000 and be likely to hold up for 6-10 years with heavy (though not abusive) use? And something like Hancock and Moore, I think is supposed to be lifetime furniture--40 plus years and could apparently cost as much as $12,000.

Maybe Lee industries? Or Bradington and Young? Or ??? At some price point like $4,000 and would hold up for about 15 years? Or am I delusional?

Holly-Kay, thank you. We cross posted. I will see if I can find Smith Brothers of Berne pricing.

sas95, that's exactly what I'm talking about. I've trained my cats not to scratch furniture (thanks to Sticky Paws) but they have serious chasing games over the furniture, sometimes turning quickly and launching themselves into the air. Claws play an important part and punctures will happen.

So Smith Bothers of Berne don't appear to have any California dealers. Do they sell directly or have any online retailers?

I have a Pottery barn Manhattan leather sofa and chair in what I think was called camel. The color has faded quite dramatically; it's almost greenish now. And the cushions are pretty much flattened. Not terribly impressed by the quality.

crl_, we are in the market for a new leather sofa too. Anyone have a view on Room and Board?

As far as I know, Smith brothers does not sell directly or online.

I have a leather chair from Pottery Barn that didn't hold up well even after a year or two of mild use. The cushion got flat and uncomfortable and the leather kind of feathered off.

We bought a leather couch and loveseat two years ago made by Palliser (made in Canada). We have three kids and two cats and use our furniture frequently. We also moved it twice. It still looks and sits like new, but it has only been two years. It was even moved twice with no issues. I don't know if it would last 15 years, but I would think it could take 5x the wear it has had and last 10.

I can't say the same for the Rowe accent chair we bought. The fabric started to pill after less than a year of use.

I can't remember what it cost...somewhere in the $1000 to $3000 range. I remember that the loveseat was more expensive than the sofa.

My cats don't scratch the sofa, but poke holes in it with their back claws. I prefer having leather with cats around because their hair doesn't stick to it.

I have been wanting to buy a leather sofa for several years. I haven't, because I don't think I'll ever be able to afford the level of quality in construction and type of leather I'd like to get.

From what I understand, Lazyboy has gone down in quality pretty significantly. They used to have a factory in my area, but closed it because they moved all production to China. I'd probably avoid their furniture. I've heard Lee Industries is good, but have no personal experience.

I have a Thomasville leather sofa purchased 7 years ago and it's held up very well. Got it partially because we have two cats and I really dislike the thought of cat hair and dander on a piece that can't be cleaned easily so upholstered was out. My animals haven't damaged it since they don't seem to like it much and generally stay off. Just tried to check the Thomasville website but, annoyingly, they don't post prices so I'm not sure how much they sell for now. Mine was ~$2400 retail and on sale I think I got it for $1800. You might want to check Thomasville out, it seems to be good and solid and wasn't in the very high end price range.

My Room and Board club-type chairs are very well made-I would definitely check out Room and Board. I ordered online and once delivered, one was scuffed from the box, I guess-not bad at all, and they sent out a new one within a week or so. They of course, let me keep the other one until I got the new one. Have heard wonderful things about them. I am going to order a bed from them as soon as our bedroom gets overhauled. And, new couch in a couple of years. Still trying to recover from our outdoor area-pool, outdoor kitchen, etc.

Just saw your California comment. I can't get Smith here either. The Omnia leather I have been looking at is based in California. They are US made and 100% leather. The ones we've been looking at are all very cofortable and I especially like that the cushions (seat and back) can have the inserts replaced. Even those pillowy arms that are the first thing to go flat (though I still prefer a true arm for myself). Surely you can find a dealer out there. They have a couple of online retailers I'v found -- if nothing else, you can compare pricing (leather furniture expo and leather showroom, which is the online part of texas leather interiors).

We had two cats when we got out current leather sectional and they were with us another 10 years. I have exactly one small scratch on the end where back claws tried to did in as one was being chased. It could be coveed up with shoe polish but because of the location, I tried it once and never worried about it again. Don't be tempted to use a marker -- someone did that on a spot on a reclinging sofa we saw at a clearance center -- the ink soaked right in, bled and made it larger, dark and awful.

We've had the sectional now for nearly 13 years and 2 boys and their friends and family grew up during those years as well as aquired two 50-60 lb dogs who have lived on that sectional with us. It's still functional, but one seat is showing wear and the arms have lost some oomph in the padding. And it was a Lane -- which people now say is junk. Maybe not the same reputation 13 years ago -- I don't know.

The leather should hold up well -- if the frame is solid, you should be good for a long time.

crl, are you in the Bay Area? If so, I would recommend going to Giorgi Bros. in South SF. They carry many quality brands and will walk you through different qualities and different price points. I usually purchase used or antique furniture, but did purchase a sofa and some office furniture from them. I found their prices to be better than what I could find on line and definitely a better value than PB or C&B.
There were small issues with some of the furniture and they resolved them immediately. Terrific customer service.
I have no affiliation with them, just a happy customer.

http://giorgibros.com/

Good luck.

Lisa

We have a Century leather sofa that we bought a few years ago on clearance at Stickley. Regular price was around $3,800 I believe (we bought it for $1,800). So far so good. It looks and feels like a higher quality sofa than other leather pieces we've had in the past.

Have you heard of Luke Leather? Their leather furniture is made from Italian leather. Very nice. You can find them on Facebook, eBay, or Google them. They have multiple lines and sell to many retail stores around the country but you can also buy from them directly. I've seen some listed on Houzz too.

We had a basic leather set from Macy's that held up great for 12 years. It was a 3 piece set and we paid around 2K for the whole set. It was perfect for our family as the kids grew up. They were hard on that thing!

I've had a new set from Macy's for about 1.5 years now (Martha Stewart brand). The leather is a bit more delicate but seems like great quality so far. My kids are 12 & 13 now so no more jumping around on the furniture. Mostly just stinky soccer uniforms so I love the ease of cleaning the leather.

I would check out some sets at Macy's. If you do research and read the reviews you can find some quality furniture that isn't too expensive. I'm not ready to go high end till they fly the coop!