A living room is often the heart of a home. The place to gather and relax and spend quality time together. And the way that you furnish it is a reflection of you and your family’s personality and preferences. We love the variety of living rooms and living room furniture out there – from overstuffed and sink-in cozy to minimalist and quiet. And everything in between!
Living room sofas are especially important in tying a room together, and the shape, design, and material are worth spending some time thinking through before deciding.
Vegan Sofa
One of the trends that are picking up steam over the last couple of years are vegan sofas. To qualify as a “vegan” sofa, the materials must not contain animal materials. When people choose to live a vegan lifestyle, this can often mean that they don’t use animal products in any areas of their lives. This takes leather and suede out of the running for living room furniture. But there are still plenty of beautiful, durable, and interesting materials to choose from!
Vegan leathers have come a long way over the last few years. Let’s take a closer look at this versatile material, and why you might want to consider it for your living room furniture.
What is Vegan Leather?
First – what is vegan leather? Faux leather or synthetic vegan leather is made from petroleum-based plastics like polyurethane (PU) or polyvinyl chloride (vinyl or PVC). Like all plastics, PU and PVC are derived from petroleum or natural gas. This may come as a surprise – but all synthetic materials like polyester are made from petroleum-based plastic, which comes with its own thought-provoking questions.
Pros of Vegan Leather
But there are some definite “pros” to using vegan leather in living room couches and sofas. Here are just a few of them:
- Cost effective and cheaper than furniture made with real leather
- Animal friendly and suitable for vegans
- Can be produced in every colour under the sun
- Customization can also include finishes like high gloss or matte
- Easy to clean and stain resistant
- Little maintenance required, especially compared to real leather which requires oiling
- UV resistant, so it doesn’t fade as easily in the sun
- This material doesn’t easily crack like real leather
- Comes without the real leather smell, which can be off-putting for some people
Cons of Vegan Leather
Of course, there are some “cons” with vegan leather, too. In order to make an informed decision, you should know about those, too.
- Faux leather is not breathable so can feel uncomfortable, especially in more extreme temperatures
- It does not develop the same kind of patina as real leather and it doesn’t “break in” like real leather does
- By some measures, faux leather is more damaging to the environment than real leather, which is a by-product of animals that are processed for their meat, while faux leather supports the fossil fuel industry
- Faux leather may off-gas for several weeks, which means that the chemicals used in producing the product are released, creating an unpleasant smell
Conclusion
As you can see, there is a lot to weigh in making this decision. And it will come down to the vision that you have for your living room and living room furniture. Cost, lifestyle, and other preferences will also inform your decision.
Vegan furniture can also, technically, consist of other materials, too – textiles like microfiber, tweed, and other polyester blends – since none of these come from animal sources. Once you consider these fabrics, a whole world of vegan-friendly options opens up to you, and you can find the exact colour and design of your choice! You can even look into sofas that are manufactured in Canada to see the top-quality craftsmanship that local producers are releasing into the world.
A vegan sofa can certainly tie a room together, and can be the perfect fit for your living room. They are versatile, colourful, well-made and free from animal products, which might be the exact checklist you are working with.
Call M&N Sofa
If you are in the market for new living room furniture, we invite you to come and see the selection in our showroom and to talk to our expert salespeople. Our experienced and passionate team will help you find the living room sofa of your dreams!