Now more than ever, the world is championing sustainability, and people are being mindful while trying to figure out ways to incorporate tenets of the sustainability movement into their everyday life. There is a myriad of ways to go about living in a more eco-conscious way, but did you know that even your home theater can have sustainable elements to it?
If you’re trying to more eco-friendly with your spending, look no further than entertainment room seating that’s both luxurious and sustainable. While we’re not advocating for never, ever buying another high-end multimedia room couch upholstered in leather again—far from it. However, it has to be said that theater room chairs constructed with vegan leather upholstery are going to give your home theater that green seal certification. Here’s how non-leather entertainment room recliners stack up against their leather counterparts.
Why Consider Vegan Leather in the First Place?
First, we need to look at why someone might want to invest in a new row of three multimedia room recliners that are made with vegan leather upholstery or a pleather home theater sofa in the first place. The production of traditional leather, of course, stems from cattle ranching. Running a cattle farm takes up a large quantity of both water and land use, and the cattle themselves naturally produce methane, which is a potent greenhouse gas.
The other reason some might want to steer clear from those snazzy, high-end leather theater room chairs are purely moral and ethical beliefs. Some people don’t believe in owning animal byproducts, as in the case of leather, animals are farmed for their hides. Whether you’re coming from an environmental standpoint or a matter of ethics, there are some reasons people would want to avoid owning all-leather home theater furniture.
Durability and Comfort
Everyone’s used to leather seating kind of being the gold standard when it comes to both longevity and comfort. After some break in and use, you’ll likely be the owner of one of the best entertainment room recliners to relax and sink into. Plus, with proper care like upkeep and cleaning of the leather upholstery, it will also last you a long time. Entertainment room seating that isn’t constructed with leather has the unfortunate reputation of not holding up to the real deal, however that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Like a lot of things, it all comes down to the quality of the product you’re buying. Vegan leather has earned kind of a bad name, mostly due to cheap, imitation leather knock-offs that seem to shed and fall apart almost in front of your eyes. However, if you stick with a quality manufacturer of entertainment room seating, you’ll find that not all vegan leather is created equally, and the good stuff holds up just as well as real leather does, and—best of all—it’s just as irresistibly comfortable.
Cost Comparison
In today’s world, we’re all looking for a home theater recliner that isn’t going to break the bank… but, those luxurious features that come included with top-of-the-line media room seating is too tempting at times to pass up. What’s a potential buyer to do?
Genuine, well-made leather makes for a luxuriously beautiful reclining home theater chair—one that holds up to the test of time with ease—but, it’s going to cost you a pretty penny. If you’re shopping for home theater chairs that save you some money, you might be a bit shocked at the price tag. Seating upholstered in vegan leather, on the other hand, fits right within a reasonable budget for some of the best entertainment room seats on the market that are loaded with features. Leather, being made from animal hides, takes many long, drawn-out steps to create, resulting in higher production costs. The vegan alternative takes far less steps to craft, and it’s able to be produced at a much larger scale, creating a much more affordable product.
Maintenance and Upkeep
When it comes to maintaining that vegan leather media room couch that seats the whole family, it couldn’t be easier. Take a damp cloth, wipe it down top to bottom, and that’s pretty much it. Stains aren’t a problem as long as you catch them quick enough, and they wipe right off. It really can be that simple—that white leather-upholstered multimedia sectional isn’t going to be nearly as hassle-free. Water can damage leather, and you’ll need a specific leather cleaner to wipe down the upholstery spick and span.
Upkeep also looks a little different between the two as well. Vegan leather isn’t a naturally occurring product, being made from polymers and recyclable materials, and because of this, there’s really no upkeep needed to preserve its lifespan indoors other than the aforementioned dusting and cleaning with a damp cloth.
Genuine leather is of course made from animal hides, and like any other natural material, there’s some upkeep required to keep it looking pristine. You’ll want to apply leather conditioner a small handful of times per year to the upholstery to keep the leather hydrated and looking its best. Dry leather, over an extended period of time, is prone to cracking and tearing if it’s not maintained.
While we would never advocate for throwing away comfortable theater chairs upholstered in high-end leather, there’s definitely a clear division between the two materials, and each one suits different kinds of clients based on the unique needs and beliefs they have for their products.