Struggling to pick the right Natuzzi Editions grade for your sofa? Let’s make it easier for you.
Choosing the perfect leather for your home is key. Why? Because the right leather sofa will complement your lifestyle and last you for many years.
When it comes to quality, style, and choice, Natuzzi stands out amongst the best! They offer a wide variety of leather grades, and understanding the nuances amongst these grades is important as it impacts the sofa’s appearance, texture, and durability.
While the abundance of choices might feel overwhelming initially, with the right guidance, you’re sure to find just the right one for you and your family.
Overview of Natuzzi’s Leather Selection
Before we unravel the intricacies of leather grading, let’s pause to appreciate Natuzzi’s legacy, tracing back to 1959 when Pasquale Natuzzi started making sofas in Italy. From humble beginnings, he has grown the business to be the most successful furniture company to come out of Italy. Natuzzi is known as a quality sofa and furniture manufacturer with factories in every corner of the globe and has made the planet a little more comfortable and a lot more stylish!
What Are Leather Grades?
Leather grades are basically different types or categories of leather. This is evident when you look at Natuzzi’s swatches. Each grade displays various features like appearance, feel, and natural beauty. Some are super durable against spills and accidents, while others are soft and sumptuous and show all the natural characteristics of the leather. No matter what, there’s definitely a suitable leather grade to match what you like and need.
Natuzzi’s Leather Grading System
Every Natuzzi grade has its own swatch, so it’s not simply a matter of picking a colour and getting a grade. Instead, it’s more of a chance to explore each grade sample and pick the colour that suits you best within that specific swatch.
Natuzzi leathers start in a Category (CAT) 10, the next is Category (CAT) 15 and then a Category (CAT) 20. Each grade has distinct features designed to cater to different preferences and needs to suit your lifestyle.
Decoding Leather Grades: (What You Need to Know)
Before we delve deeper into the specifics of each grade, the most important place to start is whether to choose protected or unprotected (natural) leather.
Protected leather is known as PROTECTA. This leather is supple, strong and coated with an invisible protective layer that guards against spills and stains. Whereas Natural leather, known as NATURAL, retains all the characteristics and markings on the hides. Variations in grain size and finishes are expected and indeed loved as it means that the sofa will wear in and age beautifully, but without the protective layer it means that spills will have to wear out over time.
Let’s break down each Natuzzi’s grades:
Grade 10 PROTECTA leather:
- Finish: This leather is pigmented, dyed, and embossed with a grain.
- Thickness: Approximately 1.3 to 1.5 mm.
- Appearance: Semi-shiny look — it has an invisible coating and uniform appearance that guards against spills.
- Characteristics: Designed to withstand liquid spills and resist staining, catering to active lifestyles and great for family use. Leather will soften and stretch over time which is normal and natural.
Grade 15 PROTECTA leather:
- Finish: This leather is pigmented and dyed with natural grain textured buffing and embossing features.
- Thickness: The thickness range is approximately 1.3mm to 1.5 mm.
- Appearance: This leather will feel smooth and soft to the touch and has invisible stain protection.
- Characteristics: Family-friendly, soft and stretches with use. It has a uniform look, but natural characteristics will be evident like scars, veins and differences in grain.
Grade 15 NATURAL leather:
- Finish: This leather features a natural grain. The finish is semi-waxy and can easily be marked and scratched.
- Thickness: The leather is 1.1mm to 1.3mm.
- Appearance: Smooth and soft to the touch, leather may have colour variations as the dye takes to different areas.
- Characteristics: Spills on this leather will leave marks that may wear out over time. Given its soft nature, this leather tends to soften and form pools. Therefore we recommend that you dress your sofa daily.
Grade 20 PROTECTA
- Finish: A soft leather with a natural grain and slight protection against spills.
- Thickness: The thickness range is approximately 1.4mm to 1.6mm.
- Appearance: Super soft and sumptuous to the feel, and suitable for family life.
- Characteristics: Inherent natural traits will be evident. Leather will gradually soften and form pools over time therefore, we recommend that you dress your sofa daily.
Grade 20 NATURAL
- Finish: This leather is beautifully soft, and all the natural grain will be evident.
- Thickness: The leather is 1,6mm to 1.8 mm.
- Appearance: Super soft and sumptuous to the touch but remains vulnerable to spills as there is no protective layer.
- Characteristics: Scars are evident, and Italians believe this leather shows all the natural life the hide has had, from insect bites to scars. Spills and stains will have to wear out over time, so this leather is not one for the faint-hearted; children may need to be wrapped in cling film!
Factors to Consider When Choosing Natuzzi Leather
We think that sofas are bought as a 10-year purchase; that’s why we offer a 10-year frame warranty, so it’s important that you get the right sofa for your home. Many people forget that they like to have a takeaway in front of the TV at the end of the week with a nice glass of vino, so take a moment to consider how you like to live, unwind and relax.
In Ireland, we have always loved protected leather for its durability and versatility. On the other hand, natural leather is more vulnerable to stains yet has the softest and warmest finish. Despite this, we had numerous customers who love the marks and talk about them as ‘battle scars’, giving their sofa a lived-in look they adored. However, it wouldn’t be for many who would like their sofa to continue looking stained, so those customers should look to PROCTA leather for practicality and ease of maintenance.
Conclusion
Have we confused you even more…Ultimately, it’s important to look beyond just the grade and take into account factors like your lifestyle. Living spaces have to be multi-functional, so consider how you will live, work and relax, and you won’t go wrong.
We have the experts here to help you with your choices, so all you need to worry about is who will pour your wine when you have your feet up on the electric recliner! Should you have any questions, feel free to visit us or give us a call; we’re always here to provide guidance and help you find the perfect solution.
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