I JUST bought a Smith Brothers sofa, so I'm not the best reference for how well it's wearing (yet). I also read the various threads about the brand and fabric before purchasing, so I took great care to press the salesperson about their fabric. She said, overall, that the more polyester content in the fabric, the better it will wear. Then, if the buyer has animals or small children in the home, they need to pick a tight weave rather than a looser one. There are also statistics about "double rubs" that quantitatively determines the strength of fabric, so you should ask about that for the fabric you have in mind. My only complaint at the moment about the brand is that I paid a premium for an extra firm seat/back cushion package. The seat is nice and firm, but the back cushions are way too soft/collapsible. The store rep came out to see what the tag said about the weight of the padding inside the back cushions and is checking with the company on what the weight should be for extra firm cushions. I expect to hear back this week about that.

Links show the reason why this is done at times. http://www.upholster.com/upholstery-forum/index.php?action=printpage;topic=8818.0 http://www.smithbrothersfurniture.com/guidetoupholstery/leatherfacts "Leather Seat Cushions Unlike with fabric, it is impossible to make a reversible leather cushion. This is because leather does not breathe, so any air inside the cushion cannot escape when you sit on it. This would be very uncomfortable, so we use a special breathable fabric on the underside of our leather cushions (as well as on the backs of our leather back cushions). For that reason, the cushions cannot be flipped around like they can in fabric."

i bought this from someone for$600 recently and am trying to figure out exactly how good a purchase i made...i researched what to look for in a leather sofa before i bought but had no one to ask the usual questions to such as what king of leather is this (or is it?) and how dense in the foam and what kind of contruction..it is a pebbled texture and very comfortable to sit on..does the pebbled finish mean anything to type of leather or quality? it is dated 2004. See picture of the label. And it weighs a ton..Also do you think i should add a rug in front of it or not?i found a possible one thats pier 1 that ill add picture of. What about a coffee table?

LOL, you may want to re-write your question....