Most leather these days is treated for increased durability through a complex dyeing process. As a result most liquids will bead up on top of the leather. If caught early enough, you should be able to blot the liquid up. Use a soft cloth or paper towel and blot up the liquid. Keep blotting and changing out cloths or paper towels until the cloth or paper comes up dry. Let the leather dry naturally and then evaluate. In most cases, the stain will be completely gone. If it is still there, then a proper leather cleaner can be used.
Common leather care products that we use for car upholstery and shoes are unacceptable for cleaning leather furniture. Saddle soap and mink oil have adverse effects on furniture. First you can discolor the furniture through use of these oil based products. The oil will darken the leather and thereby give it a different look that may not fit in with your décor. Secondly, these products lubricate the leather which can cause stretching and actually pull the leather away from the seams. Whenever you do decide to use a leather care product, you should test it in a small area that would not be easily seen.
Many pet owners are concerned about how their pet will react with leather furniture and therefore, will not consider purchasing leather furniture. A good idea is to test how your pets respond to leather. Leather samples may be available from furniture stores for purchase or even for free. Hang a piece of leather on your favorite chair and see what happens. Also, leather accent pillows can be purchased from various designer stores. Buy an accent pillow for the pet to sleep on and see how the pet treats the pillow.
Has you home lost that great look it once had. Well chances are it still looks ok but you are ready for a change. After coming home to the same thing for years it is time for an interior face lift. There are some inexpensive ways to give your home a new look without spending a lot of time and money. Here are five ways to make some changes worth coming home to.
Choose a Theme
Decide what you want the final product to look like. If you don't have a plan you will never achieve your desired effect. There are some great reference guides to help you with this and show you what is in and what is out. Elle Décor, Better Homes and Gardens, and Metropolitan Home are just a few publications you can use to get some great ideas and they really help in showing a complete home not just a room or two.
Continue reading "Here's a Quick Interior Facelift" »
A recent financial report shows that Natuzzi leather sales were down 18% for the first quarter of 2007 with an operating loss of 7.9 million euros. Upon further inspection sales were sharply off by 27% in North and South America.
Based in Italy, Natuzzi leather has been a top of the line furniture maker for many years. Suddenly, they are faced with the dilemma of a world economy characterized by high local wages and outsourcing. Many European furniture manufacturers are already producing furniture in China such as Kuka and Actona. To further complicate the situation, the quality of Chinese made furniture has increased tremendously. As a result of quality improvements, now there are fantastic pieces of furniture available at a fraction of the cost of a Natuzzi piece. Consumers now find it hard to justify spending a lot more money on a piece of furniture, because the gap in quality has shrunken so much.
Natuzzi has a strong brand that consumers will always recognize. Italian made leather has a history that is unparalleled in the furniture and fashion industry. It will be interesting to see if they begin producing a new line of furniture from China or move some of their manufacturing to that country.
TAGS: Furniture News
