Leather Dining Chairs
Our Top Grain Leather Dining Chairs
Buying dining chairs seems to be an easy task. You pick the style of frame and match it to your dining table, and you’re good to go, right?
But there’s a bit more to it if you want to make sure that you spend your money on a set of dining chairs that will look not only right but also be comfortable and last for a long time.
Unfortunately, there are a lot of companies around that use clever marketing techniques to sell low-quality leather dining chairs under fancy names.
And we’ll help you avoid such tricks.
Let’s start with leather quality to help you better understand why you should only consider top grain leather chairs.
Why Is Top Grain Leather A Great Choice For Dining Chairs?
There are four main areas we need to cover so that you understand why we would only recommend top grain leather for dining chairs.
Great Durability
Let me start with some basics.
Top grain leather makers start the preparation process on the hide by removing the outer grain layer. While that is the toughest layer, going through this process makes it a lot easier to work with the hides.
It’s still an exceptionally tough leather that includes the so-called split layer. And manufacturers can also then spray or roll a protective coating onto the hide.
Let me explain what that means.
Suitable For Protective Coating
Because the hide is slightly thinner and more workable, manufacturers can take additional steps to add protective layers, and that’s important for upholstery material that will be exposed to a lot of regular use.
Between constantly sitting down, standing up, and moving on the seat, the leather portion will get a lot of friction with clothing. But that’s not the worst part.
As you spill liquid, food, and even the dreaded glass of red wine, that protective layer will stop stains by not allowing the spills to penetrate down into lower layers where you simply won’t be able to get rid of them.
Easy To Wipe Clean
Top grain leather upholstery material is also ideal for wiping clean with a damp cloth and a gentle soap.
If you have a busy family home or like to entertain friends for dinner parties, then it will inevitably happen that food and drink spills off the table and onto your dining chairs.
With other types of leather, you’d most likely require special sponges and cleaning solutions to remove the dirt and reduce the risk of staining.
In most cases, you can simply wipe down a top grain leather chair with a soft cloth, and it’ll look like new.
Many Choices For Pigmentation
Top grain is also an upholstery material that is favored for the flexibility it provides when it comes to colors and shading.
First of all, there’s the possibility of using liquid dyes to penetrate deep into the hide and bring up the natural shades. This is called aniline, and we’ll cover it in more detail below.
However, because the outer grain layer is gone, and there’s already a process of spraying or rolling on a protective layer, it also makes it so much easier to apply a completely uniform color.
It’s the perfect look for a modern or contemporary interior design.
How Do Top Grain Leather Dining Chairs Compare To Other Leather Types?
So, there are four types of leather that I want to use as a comparison so that you better understand why we think top grain is the best choice for most people.
Full Grain Leather
Yes, this is the toughest and hardest-wearing type of leather. But once you add protective layers to the top grain, it comes pretty close to that toughness.
The downside with full grain leather for a dining chair is that it’s difficult to apply the same kind of water-resistant materials. If you don’t immediately wipe away some foods or liquids, it could get into the lower layers and leave a permanent stain.
Faux Leather
This is a clever marketing trick and should never be considered for upholstery material on dining chairs. Faux is French and means “fake,” but that would immediately turn people away, and rightly so.
These are generally synthetic materials that might make a seat cushion look like real leather, but it’s far from it.
If you want a top grain leather dining chair to last decades, then faux leather is not your best choice.
Bonded Leather
While bonded leather still technically is made of an animal hide, it’s nowhere near as tough as real leather would be.
It involves a process where manufacturers collect leftover pieces of hide and then chop them into a pulp. By mixing it with a bonding agent, it’s possible to make an upholstery material that looks like leather, but it will have lost all the toughness of a leather hide.
Genuine Leather
Genuine leather is another clever marketing term. It sounds great if something is “genuine,” but what it means is that it’s just about still leather.
Genuine leather is made of the lower and softer layers similar to suede but with a different surface treatment.
A genuine leather seat will not stand the test of time, and you’ll likely see cracks and peeling within a few years.
Finishing Touches On Top Grain Leather Dining Chairs
We already mentioned that top grain leather has the capability to provide more flexibility in the manufacturing process, especially when it comes to the finishing touches for visual effect and protection.
Here’s what you gain.
Aniline Leather
Aniline refers to a process of using water-soluble dyes after the tanning is complete. Essentially, it involves soaking the hide in the aniline dye.
And rather than cover the hide, it soaks into it, which gives it a unique effect.
What it does is bring out the subtle changes in shade and any natural imperfections to make them more visible. The result is a level of uniqueness that no other coloring process can achieve on dining chair leather.
Protective Coat
You have to protect any kind of upholstery material that is exposed to a lot of use with a high chance of food and drinks spilling on it. No matter how careful you are at your dining table, something will always end up spilling.
But those spills shouldn’t ruin a significant investment.
What top grain leather manufacturers do is spray or roll an additional protective layer onto the hide so that any spills don’t soak down into the deeper leather layers.
As a result, it should always be easy to wipe away a spill before it can do any lasting damage.
Uniform Colors
While the above-mentioned aniline effect is something a lot of shoppers look for, it’s not always suitable for every dining room.
Depending on the interior design and the kind of environment you’re trying to improve, you might prefer a completely uniform color that takes away all the natural shades and imperfections.
This is possible with pigment-based dyes that soak into the hide and create a layer on the outside to hide all the imperfections.
Top Grain Leather Dining Chair Styles
Visually, dining chairs come in hundreds of different types of style, but you can generally classify those styles in a few ways.
From slim legs to heavily padded backrests, there’s a lot to consider, but if you start with these three, you should be able to make your search a lot easier.
Traditional Classic Dining Chair
Classic furniture design has come into fashion a lot more. It has origins in 19th century France and Britain, and people like that these chairs make quite a statement.
It would be common for them to have a lot of ornate details. These could be in the form of nailhead trim, carved and tapered legs, and natural shades in the main material details.
They are designed to be an inviting seat and to stand out as a key feature in your dining area.
Modern Dining Chair
In a somewhat complete opposite style, the modern design of a top grain leather dining chair aims to make an understatement by keeping things as simple as possible.
You’ll recognize modern furniture design by a streamlined silhouette with very subtle and symmetrical lines. There will be no fancy and ornate features, but they can still provide a wow factor in the right dining room.
People prefer this style if they don’t want their dining chairs to become the center of attention.
Contemporary Dining Chair
A top grain leather dining chair with contemporary flair is a bit of a mix of modern chair features and mid-century designs. The result is not so much an understatement, but also not the ornate vintage vibes of classic designs.
It’s a creative blend that you sometimes see advertised as seventies-era Italian styling.
If you’re not entirely sure where to get started, then a contemporary top grain leather dining chair design might be the best place.
Different Types Of Dining Chair Frames
The next thing you need to pay very close attention to is how the frame of the chair is designed and constructed. This goes far beyond finding the right dimensions for your dining space and involves a close look at the materials and frame structure.
Let me explain.
Solid Wood Frame
Solid hardwood is by far the most popular and probably the most suitable material for the frame of a dining chair.
There is something very inviting about a wooden dining chair with a comfortable leather seat and backrest that just makes it ideal for an area of your home where you spend a lot of family time.
The important thing is to look for kiln-dried hardwood construction to ensure that the wood lasts as long as the leather.
Metal Frame
A stainless steel frame can be a very attractive and stylish addition to the right type of dining room. It certainly ends up in a more industrial look, but that doesn’t have to be negative.
You’ll mostly see metal base dining chairs and tables with a modern take in overall design, but a few companies have also created very detailed designs in the metal the structure to make the chair stand out a lot more.
Frames With Armrests
One thing you have to keep in mind with a top grain leather dining chair is how much space it will take up around the table.
If you choose a design that adds armrests to the sides, then those chairs will become wider even if the seat depth and width remain the same.
However, those armrests can provide a significant amount of extra comfort, and for elderly people, they might even be good support for getting in and out of a dining chair.
What Types Of Wood Are Best For Dining Chairs?
We mentioned above that wood is the most common type of dining chair frame. But what type of wood should you look for?
Here are some of the best hardwoods you will find.
American Oak
There are two reasons why a lot of people choose American oak for their dining chairs.
First of all, it’s possible to grow oak in a highly sustainable way with eco-friendly practices that replace and even extend existing oak trees.
Along with that sustainability comes wood that is very hard and long-lasting. If you look at antique furniture that is over 100 years old, the chances are that it’s made of oak.
The hardness of oak also makes it suitable for clever furniture design features, including cantilever frame, which might otherwise put too much strain on other types of wood.
Beech
Beach is another popular type of wood in the furniture industry. It’s not as hard as oak, but that flexibility is often helpful when it comes to adding a bend into the wood or carving out designs.
It’s also generally more affordable while still being durable enough to last many decades.
Maple
Maple is another very strong and long-lasting wood because of the slow tree growth. The reason furniture makers like to use maple is that it has a very straight wood grain and uniform color.
That gives it a more refined look without any differences in the shade when using wood stains and varnishes.
Ash
Ash is another wood that has a very straight grain, and while it isn't as hard as oak or maple, it does provide the benefit of being more elastic and lighter.
As a result, there’s more flexibility for bending wood into a specific shape, and moving around leather dining chairs is easier as well due to lower weight.
Birch
The final type of hardwood we would recommend is birch, and again it comes down to a great combination of strength and a very appealing wavy wood grain. The natural reddish-yellow aging effect is also very suitable for combination with leather.
Why Is The Foam Padding Important For Leather Dining Chairs?
At this stage, you’ve got a good understanding of the right leather to look for, what styles are available, and the types of wood to look out for.
But there’s one important factor left, and it’s all about making your top grain leather dining chair as comfortable as possible.
Quality And Foam Weight Capacity
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that there are vastly different qualities when it comes to foam. Most people just think that if it feels right, then it will work fine for years to come. But many furniture makers try to keep their costs down with low-grade foam materials.
It’ll feel perfectly fine for a few months or years, but the foam can break down quickly, making it feel like you’re sitting on solid wood.
The second feature to look at is the foam weight capacity. This is also referred to as polyester weight capacity, and it indicates how dense the foam is. There’s a happy medium between too dense and too soft, so make sure you don’t ignore this.
Overall Thickness
A comfortable dining chair needs enough padding under the upholstery material to not let your butt go numb. But it shouldn’t be as deep and soft as a sofa.
Rather than focus on the thickness, try to get information on the weight capacity mentioned above, as that’s a much better indicator of comfort.
Padding For Seats And Backrests
A top grain leather dining chair has to have padding for the seat section, but if you really want a comfortable dining chair that you can spend a few hours on, then maybe look for a padded backrest as well.
The extra back support and comfort will go a long way to keep your family and dinner guests happy for several hours.
Browse Our Extensive Top Grain Leather Dining Chair Range Today
We have partnered with the best top grain leather dining chair manufacturers in the USA to bring you the best craftsmanship, including the highest quality leather upholstery material.
All of our products are handcrafted in America, giving you the added benefit of knowing that you’re supporting the American jobs market.
If you have any questions about leather dining chairs in our collection, then call us today or use the contact facility on each of our product pages.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Our Top Grain Leather Dining Chairs
Buying dining chairs seems to be an easy task. You pick the style of frame and match it to your dining table, and you’re good to go, right?
But there’s a bit more to it if you want to make sure that you spend your money on a set of dining chairs that will look not only right but also be comfortable and last for a long time.
Unfortunately, there are a lot of companies around that use clever marketing techniques to sell low-quality leather dining chairs under fancy names.
And we’ll help you avoid such tricks.
Let’s start with leather quality to help you better understand why you should only consider top grain leather chairs.
Why Is Top Grain Leather A Great Choice For Dining Chairs?
There are four main areas we need to cover so that you understand why we would only recommend top grain leather for dining chairs.
Great Durability
Let me start with some basics.
Top grain leather makers start the preparation process on the hide by removing the outer grain layer. While that is the toughest layer, going through this process makes it a lot easier to work with the hides.
It’s still an exceptionally tough leather that includes the so-called split layer. And manufacturers can also then spray or roll a protective coating onto the hide.
Let me explain what that means.
Suitable For Protective Coating
Because the hide is slightly thinner and more workable, manufacturers can take additional steps to add protective layers, and that’s important for upholstery material that will be exposed to a lot of regular use.
Between constantly sitting down, standing up, and moving on the seat, the leather portion will get a lot of friction with clothing. But that’s not the worst part.
As you spill liquid, food, and even the dreaded glass of red wine, that protective layer will stop stains by not allowing the spills to penetrate down into lower layers where you simply won’t be able to get rid of them.
Easy To Wipe Clean
Top grain leather upholstery material is also ideal for wiping clean with a damp cloth and a gentle soap.
If you have a busy family home or like to entertain friends for dinner parties, then it will inevitably happen that food and drink spills off the table and onto your dining chairs.
With other types of leather, you’d most likely require special sponges and cleaning solutions to remove the dirt and reduce the risk of staining.
In most cases, you can simply wipe down a top grain leather chair with a soft cloth, and it’ll look like new.
Many Choices For Pigmentation
Top grain is also an upholstery material that is favored for the flexibility it provides when it comes to colors and shading.
First of all, there’s the possibility of using liquid dyes to penetrate deep into the hide and bring up the natural shades. This is called aniline, and we’ll cover it in more detail below.
However, because the outer grain layer is gone, and there’s already a process of spraying or rolling on a protective layer, it also makes it so much easier to apply a completely uniform color.
It’s the perfect look for a modern or contemporary interior design.
How Do Top Grain Leather Dining Chairs Compare To Other Leather Types?
So, there are four types of leather that I want to use as a comparison so that you better understand why we think top grain is the best choice for most people.
Full Grain Leather
Yes, this is the toughest and hardest-wearing type of leather. But once you add protective layers to the top grain, it comes pretty close to that toughness.
The downside with full grain leather for a dining chair is that it’s difficult to apply the same kind of water-resistant materials. If you don’t immediately wipe away some foods or liquids, it could get into the lower layers and leave a permanent stain.
Faux Leather
This is a clever marketing trick and should never be considered for upholstery material on dining chairs. Faux is French and means “fake,” but that would immediately turn people away, and rightly so.
These are generally synthetic materials that might make a seat cushion look like real leather, but it’s far from it.
If you want a top grain leather dining chair to last decades, then faux leather is not your best choice.
Bonded Leather
While bonded leather still technically is made of an animal hide, it’s nowhere near as tough as real leather would be.
It involves a process where manufacturers collect leftover pieces of hide and then chop them into a pulp. By mixing it with a bonding agent, it’s possible to make an upholstery material that looks like leather, but it will have lost all the toughness of a leather hide.
Genuine Leather
Genuine leather is another clever marketing term. It sounds great if something is “genuine,” but what it means is that it’s just about still leather.
Genuine leather is made of the lower and softer layers similar to suede but with a different surface treatment.
A genuine leather seat will not stand the test of time, and you’ll likely see cracks and peeling within a few years.
Finishing Touches On Top Grain Leather Dining Chairs
We already mentioned that top grain leather has the capability to provide more flexibility in the manufacturing process, especially when it comes to the finishing touches for visual effect and protection.
Here’s what you gain.
Aniline Leather
Aniline refers to a process of using water-soluble dyes after the tanning is complete. Essentially, it involves soaking the hide in the aniline dye.
And rather than cover the hide, it soaks into it, which gives it a unique effect.
What it does is bring out the subtle changes in shade and any natural imperfections to make them more visible. The result is a level of uniqueness that no other coloring process can achieve on dining chair leather.
Protective Coat
You have to protect any kind of upholstery material that is exposed to a lot of use with a high chance of food and drinks spilling on it. No matter how careful you are at your dining table, something will always end up spilling.
But those spills shouldn’t ruin a significant investment.
What top grain leather manufacturers do is spray or roll an additional protective layer onto the hide so that any spills don’t soak down into the deeper leather layers.
As a result, it should always be easy to wipe away a spill before it can do any lasting damage.
Uniform Colors
While the above-mentioned aniline effect is something a lot of shoppers look for, it’s not always suitable for every dining room.
Depending on the interior design and the kind of environment you’re trying to improve, you might prefer a completely uniform color that takes away all the natural shades and imperfections.
This is possible with pigment-based dyes that soak into the hide and create a layer on the outside to hide all the imperfections.
Top Grain Leather Dining Chair Styles
Visually, dining chairs come in hundreds of different types of style, but you can generally classify those styles in a few ways.
From slim legs to heavily padded backrests, there’s a lot to consider, but if you start with these three, you should be able to make your search a lot easier.
Traditional Classic Dining Chair
Classic furniture design has come into fashion a lot more. It has origins in 19th century France and Britain, and people like that these chairs make quite a statement.
It would be common for them to have a lot of ornate details. These could be in the form of nailhead trim, carved and tapered legs, and natural shades in the main material details.
They are designed to be an inviting seat and to stand out as a key feature in your dining area.
Modern Dining Chair
In a somewhat complete opposite style, the modern design of a top grain leather dining chair aims to make an understatement by keeping things as simple as possible.
You’ll recognize modern furniture design by a streamlined silhouette with very subtle and symmetrical lines. There will be no fancy and ornate features, but they can still provide a wow factor in the right dining room.
People prefer this style if they don’t want their dining chairs to become the center of attention.
Contemporary Dining Chair
A top grain leather dining chair with contemporary flair is a bit of a mix of modern chair features and mid-century designs. The result is not so much an understatement, but also not the ornate vintage vibes of classic designs.
It’s a creative blend that you sometimes see advertised as seventies-era Italian styling.
If you’re not entirely sure where to get started, then a contemporary top grain leather dining chair design might be the best place.
Different Types Of Dining Chair Frames
The next thing you need to pay very close attention to is how the frame of the chair is designed and constructed. This goes far beyond finding the right dimensions for your dining space and involves a close look at the materials and frame structure.
Let me explain.
Solid Wood Frame
Solid hardwood is by far the most popular and probably the most suitable material for the frame of a dining chair.
There is something very inviting about a wooden dining chair with a comfortable leather seat and backrest that just makes it ideal for an area of your home where you spend a lot of family time.
The important thing is to look for kiln-dried hardwood construction to ensure that the wood lasts as long as the leather.
Metal Frame
A stainless steel frame can be a very attractive and stylish addition to the right type of dining room. It certainly ends up in a more industrial look, but that doesn’t have to be negative.
You’ll mostly see metal base dining chairs and tables with a modern take in overall design, but a few companies have also created very detailed designs in the metal the structure to make the chair stand out a lot more.
Frames With Armrests
One thing you have to keep in mind with a top grain leather dining chair is how much space it will take up around the table.
If you choose a design that adds armrests to the sides, then those chairs will become wider even if the seat depth and width remain the same.
However, those armrests can provide a significant amount of extra comfort, and for elderly people, they might even be good support for getting in and out of a dining chair.
What Types Of Wood Are Best For Dining Chairs?
We mentioned above that wood is the most common type of dining chair frame. But what type of wood should you look for?
Here are some of the best hardwoods you will find.
American Oak
There are two reasons why a lot of people choose American oak for their dining chairs.
First of all, it’s possible to grow oak in a highly sustainable way with eco-friendly practices that replace and even extend existing oak trees.
Along with that sustainability comes wood that is very hard and long-lasting. If you look at antique furniture that is over 100 years old, the chances are that it’s made of oak.
The hardness of oak also makes it suitable for clever furniture design features, including cantilever frame, which might otherwise put too much strain on other types of wood.
Beech
Beach is another popular type of wood in the furniture industry. It’s not as hard as oak, but that flexibility is often helpful when it comes to adding a bend into the wood or carving out designs.
It’s also generally more affordable while still being durable enough to last many decades.
Maple
Maple is another very strong and long-lasting wood because of the slow tree growth. The reason furniture makers like to use maple is that it has a very straight wood grain and uniform color.
That gives it a more refined look without any differences in the shade when using wood stains and varnishes.
Ash
Ash is another wood that has a very straight grain, and while it isn't as hard as oak or maple, it does provide the benefit of being more elastic and lighter.
As a result, there’s more flexibility for bending wood into a specific shape, and moving around leather dining chairs is easier as well due to lower weight.
Birch
The final type of hardwood we would recommend is birch, and again it comes down to a great combination of strength and a very appealing wavy wood grain. The natural reddish-yellow aging effect is also very suitable for combination with leather.
Why Is The Foam Padding Important For Leather Dining Chairs?
At this stage, you’ve got a good understanding of the right leather to look for, what styles are available, and the types of wood to look out for.
But there’s one important factor left, and it’s all about making your top grain leather dining chair as comfortable as possible.
Quality And Foam Weight Capacity
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that there are vastly different qualities when it comes to foam. Most people just think that if it feels right, then it will work fine for years to come. But many furniture makers try to keep their costs down with low-grade foam materials.
It’ll feel perfectly fine for a few months or years, but the foam can break down quickly, making it feel like you’re sitting on solid wood.
The second feature to look at is the foam weight capacity. This is also referred to as polyester weight capacity, and it indicates how dense the foam is. There’s a happy medium between too dense and too soft, so make sure you don’t ignore this.
Overall Thickness
A comfortable dining chair needs enough padding under the upholstery material to not let your butt go numb. But it shouldn’t be as deep and soft as a sofa.
Rather than focus on the thickness, try to get information on the weight capacity mentioned above, as that’s a much better indicator of comfort.
Padding For Seats And Backrests
A top grain leather dining chair has to have padding for the seat section, but if you really want a comfortable dining chair that you can spend a few hours on, then maybe look for a padded backrest as well.
The extra back support and comfort will go a long way to keep your family and dinner guests happy for several hours.
Browse Our Extensive Top Grain Leather Dining Chair Range Today
We have partnered with the best top grain leather dining chair manufacturers in the USA to bring you the best craftsmanship, including the highest quality leather upholstery material.
All of our products are handcrafted in America, giving you the added benefit of knowing that you’re supporting the American jobs market.
If you have any questions about leather dining chairs in our collection, then call us today or use the contact facility on each of our product pages.
We look forward to hearing from you.