Living Large: Stylish Solutions for Small Spaces

Whether by choice or out of necessity, people are increasingly opting for smaller living spaces. Taking the form of  ‘tiny houses;’ which continue to gain in popularity; apartments, townhomes, or condos, small spaces can still be big on design.

 

Breckin Comfort Sleeper

One of our favorite design blogs is ApartmentTherapy and we’re huge fans (pardon the pun) of the tips for small spaces that can be found there. The Apartment Therapy team is continually on the lookout for inspiring homes that make the most of tight quarters and they are genius at sharing ideas for doing just that. Of course, we are proud that the American Leather Comfort Sleeper® earns kudos each year in the TopTen Sleeper Sofas Annual Guide, but we love all the featured projects and advice for overcoming small space challenges.



Floor space, guest sleeping accommodations and limited storage top the list of those challenges, and American Leather has solutions for all three. Our full size BreckinComfort Sleeper sofa features a standard full sized mattress and is only 62 inches wide. Where space is truly at a premium, the Breckin twin size sleeper is a compact 47 inches and the Comfort Sleeper cot measures just 38 inches across.



Hailey Cot Comfort Sleeper

Don’t confuse compact with uncomfortable, however. Each of these Comfort Sleeper models features solid platforms that provide even support with no bars, no springs, and no sagging and they all boast a sleeping surface that is a full 80 inches in length. Because the patented sleep system extends from the back of the Comfort Sleeper, they take up less floor space than conventional sleepers, which typically have mattresses that are only 70 to 75 inches long.



Darcy Bed

Darcy Bed Open to Reveal Storage

In spaces where closets are virtually unheard of and even a dresser can be a luxury, American Leather’s storage beds are a stylish and practical option. The Beth, Darcy, and Janebeds feature hidden storage compartments under the mattress that provide storage space equivalent to a five-drawer dresser. Accessing those items stowed away underneath is easy. Spring-loaded gas pistons ensure the mattress can be lifted both effortlessly and safely.

Multi-function furniture pieces can do double—or triple—duty and can serve as design accents as well. American Leather’s Leois a beautiful table with a solid walnut top, which slides open to reveal storage space for magazines, books, and other small items. The Unoand the Uno Round ottomans are perfect footrests that become instant side tables when the built-in tray is flipped over. The Otisfeatures the same flexibility and storage, all with an exquisite solid walnut tray.

Otis Ottoman

While space may be limited, the options aren’t. Light paint, simple window treatments, and strategically placed mirrors can all make a small room seem more open and airy. Couple these and other proven tricks with pieces from American Leather, and even the most cramped space becomes instantly more livable.

American Leather Comfort Theatre® : The Best Seat in the House

It’s awards season, with the biggest night of them all coming up this weekend.  If you are like many of us, the Academy Awards ® serve not only as a evening of entertainment, but also as a “must see” list for all the movies we didn't

Comfort Theatre Dean

catch in the theater.

What better way to enjoy these Oscar®-nominated films than in your own theater room, outfitted with your custom selection from the American Leather Comfort Theatre® collection?

As versatile as Meryl Streep, our Comfort Theatre collections can be configured exactly as you need them – as a single reclining chair or in rows that are limited only by the dimensions of your room.

And each seat can be adjusted precisely for your comfort, with separate controls for the footrest and for the reclining back. And if you choose to use the whisper-quiet mechanism to recline all the way back, the headrest can be adjusted to prop your head up so you can still see the screen.

Comfort Theatre Monroe

With names like Monroe and Dean, the stars in the Comfort Theatre collection may evoke a bygone era in Hollywood, but make no mistake; these are innovative marvels of design and innovation.  Monroe is streamlined and simple, with comfort curves just where you want them. Dean brings a little more drama, with buttonless tufting that creates a sophisticated look.

As with any great performance, details matter. You will notice, in particular, how the material over the back of the chair doesn’t sag or droop in the reclining position like so many others. And when you turn the lights down low, you can use the adjustable LED lights in the stainless steel cupholder to easily locate your drink. We haven’t found a way to light your popcorn yet; but we wouldn’t be surprised if our engineers our working on it.

A Thousand Thanks

By Bruce Birnbach, American Leather President

As we prepare to spend the holidays giving thanks with families and friends, it’s also a good time to give our thanks—on behalf of the entire American Leather team—to those responsible for making what we do possible.

For over two decades, American Leather has been crafting custom upholstered furniture three times faster than the industry average—a capability which has kept us at the forefront of our industry. We’ve also been the leader in developing innovative products that redefine the industry standard – from sofa sleepers to recliners to home theater designs.

But we’re only able to do this because of the support and committed focus we receive from our talented designers and product development teams; skillful factory workers and engineers; driven sales, marketing and business staff; loyal customers and dedicated vendors. Each and every one plays a significant role in our end product – from the initial brainstorming to final purchasing stages – and we’re thankful to have you in our corner.

Because of you, we can:

Design Differently.  By applying modern, "just-in-time” manufacturing methods to the “old line” furniture industry, we’ve been able to revitalize the way furniture is designed and delivered. Our collections consist of original designs by some of the industry’s leading international designers – many of whom have brought us award-winning designs. And we are constantly coming up with ways to provide functional, solution-based modern and long-lasting designs compatible with a variety of styles.

Innovate and Create. At American Leather, we’re about forging new roads in the industry – not retreading the same ones. With over 50% of our business being patented designs, our designers and engineers take our collections one step further. Our product development teams are renowned in the furniture business for designing innovative, proprietary products that fill unmet needs in the market, and bring unprecedented comfort to the way we sit, relax, recline and sleep.  Today our Comfort Sleeper^® is in hundreds of thousands of homes and hotels worldwide, and our Comfort Recliner™ and Comfort Theatre^® collections are a growing presence in home theaters and living rooms everywhere. 

Feel at Home. There’s a lot to be said for a furniture company that can create quality products and deliver them at a fast pace. And it’s even more impressive when its 450+ member workforce can be kept 100% in the U.S.  By having our headquarters in a 250,000 square-foot manufacturing facility in South Dallas, we’re able to maintain the highest quality manufacturing standards and attract a very talented team of factory workers, engineers and corporate staff alike – a reality that many overseas manufactures can’t claim. Additionally, we’re able to offer our employees all the comforts of home—such as a state-of-the-art wellness facility—as they work to make your home more comfortable, too!

Our way of doing things is what sets us apart from others in this industry, but our support—both internally and externally—is what makes it all possible. Thank you for standing by us for another year of style and success.  

Solving decorating problems two at a time: Pairs of chairs

Chairs don’t get enough credit. In the furniture world, the sofa is the headliner attracting the most attention. We understand why: The sofa -- or the sectional -- is often the focal point, the place where the most people sit and the centerpiece of the room.

But where chairs really stand out in ways that sofas can’t match is as style accents, much like jewelry for the room. On top of their strong style statements, chairs are physically smaller, which allows people to place them in settings where sofas just won’t fit.

So, since we are soon promoting a Chairs & Pairs sale with some of our best retail partners, let’s talk a bit about how chairs are effectively employed, especially the Accent & Occasional chairs from the American Leather catalog.

This vignette created by our friends at 24e in Savannah, Ga., shows how a pair of chairs creates an intimate seating area perfect for conversation or, with the window nearby, reading. The Cole chairs shown here have a clean, appealing, modern design, and they are also quite comfortable.

A sofa would be so wrong here because it would block the beautiful piano and probably hinder access to the French doors. Instead, the Cantoni designer who created this gorgeous setting employed four swivel Feliz chairs around an ottoman and a leopard-pattern rug. With the swivel feature, which American Leather offers as an option as many of its chairs, attention turns easily to the piano. Notice, too, how the shape of the Feliz chairs is similar to the taller bowl on the piano. Nice touch!

From the Robert Legere Design Center in Asbury Park, N.J., another sumptuous example of the Cole chair being put to great use. With the round table over the round shag rug, this is a fun setting that just calls out for people to sit down and enjoy each other. Beautiful!

In this wonderful display created by Isidro Dunbar Modern Interiors in Destin, Fla., the sweeping curve of the Alyssa swivel chairs make the strongest style statement while the stainless steel base serves as a design link between the Rex bench in the foreground and the Savino sofa.

As we said, chairs deserve more credit. For more ideas on how chairs can make a style statement, check out our assortment here. Or use the Dealer Locator at the top of our web page to find the American Leather retailer nearest you.

American Leather in the news: Monarch

We never get tired of seeing our products featured in beautiful homes or prestigious publications. So, we were doubly pleased to see a sumptuous Monarch sectional featured in a recent slideshow by The New York Times in its Great Homes and Destinations series.

The featured home in the Jan. 15 feature on “What You Get for … $900,000” was a midcentury modern ranch-style home in Portland, Ore., and the Monarch configuration showed up in the first interior photo of the slideshow.

Monarchis one of the more unique designs in our catalog. The arms and the back of each piece have an overhang that allows a bench – or benches -- to slide snugly underneath, creating additional seating. It’s all very informal and fun, especially with the abundance of pillows that are included with each Monarch seating piece.

Here’s one of our photos of the Monarch, showing how the arms overhang – allowing the benches to slide underneath:

Lounging in style, like a Monarch.

In The Times feature, every inch of the 1951 house, surrounded by towering pine trees, is lovely and appealing, but we were so pleased to see how the three-piece Monarch sectional was set up as the focal piece of the simple yet elegant living room. The sectional is covered in rich velvety fabric in a dark mustard color, set off nicely in both contrast and color by the linen pillows. Here is a link to the slideshow featuring the Monarch: http://tiny.cc/9buiax

Several accent chairs in our collection would be right at home in any room of this house, like the Aaron and Cole.

The Aaron has a beautiful sculpted walnut base with a retro feel. The Aaron and Cole chairs are going to included in our Chairs and Pairs promotion starting February 7. Please contact your retailers for more details.

A fine complement to the Monarch, Aaron keeps the midcentury vibe going.

3 more reasons to love leather

The leather on this Danford sectional is inviting you to sit down and relax!

It shouldn’t come as too big a surprise to learn that we think leather is great for covering furniture. It is, after all, part of our name.

Leather has been such a big part of what American Leather has been doing these past 23 years that we occasionally find ourselves assuming that everybody already knows what makes leather such an excellent choice in home furnishings. But we still find ourselves explaining the advantages of leather: It’s a combination of things, actually, ranging from esthetic appeal to enduring value, but here are some of our faves.

There’s a reason Rod Stewart wore those pants: We’re just going to put it out there: Leather has sex appeal. Something about leather makes most of us want to touch it, see how it feels. It’s appealing to the eye like few other natural materials, and it draws us in. We usually recommend that shoppers fondle our leather so that they select the one that looks and feels best.

Leather wears in; it doesn’t wear out:  It lasts four times longer than most upholstery fabrics, and while a fabric sofa will never look better than the day it is delivered, leather gets better looking all the time. As we use our leather sofas and chairs, an attractive patina develops, and the leather seems to develop more character.  Few things in this world look more inviting than a well-used and loved leather chair.

Good leather breathes: It’s cool to the touch in the summer and warm in the winter. American Leather uses only top-grain and full top-grain leathers. Without getting too technical, we’ll say that these are top quality, and like all good leathers, they “breathe.” What that means is that natural oils and moisture moving back and forth in the leather – transpiration -- which keeps the material soft and supple. Your skin won’t stick to it, and it will adjust quickly to temperature changes because it breathes.

We could go on and on about why we are proud to make beautiful, comfortable furniture covered in leather, but we’re going to get back to filling our Christmas orders so that everybody gets what they want when Santa arrives with his delivery truck.

5 more reasons you'll love Ultrasuede

The Malibu sectional in  a chocolate Ultrasuede with a Pink Ribbon chair in the foreground.  With 97 colors, Ultrasuede lets you go radical or keep it on the down low.

American Leather has been offering Ultrasuede by Toray for more than a decade. It was the first fabric we added to our line because of its unique combination of luxury and performance. Simply put, it’s got a great hand and it tailors beautifully. But the beauty of Ultrasuede, which just feels better than any microfiber, is more than skin deep. Here are five reasons why:

You can’t kill it: Ultrasuede carries a 10-year warranty, but that’s the minimum life expectancy. It does not wear out. Period. Our mother has an Ultrasuede pants suit from the 1970s in her closet, and it looks great, even if the lapels are a bit wide. We could bore you with the overwhelming scientific data about double-rubs in fabric-testing labs, but the point is that it stands up to use as well or better than any other upholstery cover, which makes Ultrasuede a great value.

More colors than the rainbow: We use Ultrasuede HP, formerly Ultrasuede Ambience. There are 97 colors in the line. From earth tones like Pebble and Maple Wood to brilliant eye-grabbers like Pink Ribbon and Robin’s Egg, Ultrasuede has the colors that make beautiful rooms.

Unlike the rainbow, these colors don’t fade: Besides being soft, supple and sensuous to the touch, Ultrasuede is also resistant to stains and discoloration. It's even machine-washable or dry-cleanable. The color-fast properties of Ultrasuede make it suitable for demanding use in office furniture and even automobiles.

It’s pet friendly: Nothing will protect furniture 100 percent from aggressive claws or gnaws. But Ultrasuede is better than most. It resists scratching, there are no threads to pull or fray, and it won’t absorb stray hairs. In the event of pet “accidents,” Ultrasuede also resists staining and odor absorption. Most still-wet stains will come up with some gentle patting with a paper towel.  For dried stains, start with gentle brushing, and if that doesn’t work, try wiping the stained area from the outside in with a well-wrung cloth dampened in lukewarm water.

It’s environmentally friendly: American Leather takes pride in being a responsible manufacturer, minimizing the resources we use, recycling wherever possible and leaving the smallest possible impact on the environment. Toray, makers of Ultrasuede, share our values, and Ultrasuede is almost entirely a recycled product, purely reconstituted from such post-industrial material as scrap polyester film. And Toray’s production process reduces both energy consumption and CO² emission by as much as 80 percent compared with conventional recycling.

Bonus reason: It goes great with leather. For subtle yet sophisticated looks, Ultrasuede

can be matched up with leather beautifully, creating a sumptuous monochromatic look or an appealing contrast. Many of American Leather's sofas can be two-toned, with leather on the frame and Ultrasuede seat and back cushions. Your choice! 

 

Menlo Park chairs in two colors of Ultrasuede. Yummy!

The beauty's in the details

A devotion to detail produces furniture with the beauty of jewelry

Something as simple as the stitching and the seam on the front edge of this sofa's arm must be straight and true or it will be upsettingly wrong, unacceptable. Most people will not give that seam much thought, but hopefully we've piqued your interest just enough that you'll now take a moment to notice the tailoring on the next sofa you sit on. Is it as clean and precise as this. Believe it or not, seams this straight require skill and craftsmanship and a whole bunch of engineering beforehand to make sure the frame and leather pieces go together just so.

And there are literally dozens of examples that can be cited in every piece of furniture, although many of them can't be seen. For instance, next time you sit on an upholstered chair, squeeze the arm. Then reach down and run your hand along the side panel. How did all that feel? Could you feel edges of the framing under the arm or was the padding thick enough to hide the hard parts? On the side, was it all padded and reinforced, or was it hollow?

In many cases, the beauty can be found in the shape, the design. Consider the side profile of the Lennon collection's back: 

The plane, angle and shape of Lennon's back create an appealing contrast to both the arm and the back cushion. It works so well and seems so simple, but a ton of creative thought went into developing that design.

There are tons of examples in the American Leather line. Small details that by themselves may not catch your attention. But study it a bit, and we think you'll be impressed. For instance, the button tuft on the seat of the Luxe sofa. A lot of sewing created that perfect little tuft, one of dozens on each piece from the Luxe collection:

The elegant sweep of the Alyssa chair's back:

Or the ready-to-leap stance of the Sandy collection's legs:

These are the small details that make a design special, the beautiful elements that -- we believe -- give our furniture many of the the lovely facets of jewelry. 

Performance fabrics: Upholstery fabrics that defy “wear and tear”

American Leather offers more than 150 fabrics that are exceptionally durable and stain resistant, including Ultrasuede and Crypton.

Although our name says “leather”, American Leather has been producing beautiful fabric upholstery for more than a decade, and our lineup now includes more than 300 fabric covers, as well as COM, that can be applied to any of our sofas, chairs, beds and benches.

And if you’re already familiar with American Leather’s commitment to function and durability, you won’t be surprised to know that many of our fabrics offer superior durability and stain-resist characteristics. They look and feel great, of course, but they’re also tough enough to stand up to heavy use without losing their lustrous good looks.

We’ve been working longest of all with Ultrasuede Ambiance by Toray. This is the original microfiber that still sets the standard for hand, drape and durability. It feels like soft, plush suede, but it’s engineered to meet the most demanding standars for everything from residential furnishings to first-class aviation and luxury marine and RV interiors.

Highly abrasion resistant, Ultrasuede won’t wear out, even after 200,000 Wyzenbeek double rubs; it’s spot-cleanable and washable and it provides excellent colorfastness while resisting sagging, crocking, pilling and shrinking. And on top of all that, Ultrasuede Ambiance, which is covered by a 10-year warranty, is available in 97 colors.

An exciting recent addition to the American Leather lineup, Crypton fabrics are familiar to designers who have worked on health-care or other commercial projects where powerful performance is imperative. With patented barrier technology, Crypton fabrics repel liquids, and stains and spills wipe right up so that cushions stay clean and dry.

American Leather now offers two sets of fabric from Crypton. We have Atlas by Crypton, which comes in 10 colors with a bit of mélange in each, and Eden, also 10 colors but all solids. Both are soft to the touch, and yet they provide this amazing performance that protects furniture and keeps it looking great.

Long-time fans of American Leather and our Comfort Sleeper program will have fond memories of our Life Fabrics, Veelife and Suedelife. Now available on all fames, these microfibers – the 10 Veelife colors have a herringbone pattern and the 36 Suedelife colors are solids with a brushed nap -- provide the the soft, plush feel and comfort of suede, but they are very strong and durable and provide excellent resistance to fading.

Perhaps best of all, light stains on Suedelife fabrics can usually be cleaned with lukewarm water and mild soap; heavier stains can be removed with commercial cleaners, although you should always test a small, discreet spot to make sure the cleaner doesn’t damage the fabric’s color. In our tests, we were able to remover everything from red wine to yellow mustard, even Sharpie ink.

All of these fabrics are easy to live with, comfortable and they come in an array of colors so that you can pick the perfect hue for your design project.

Our Top 5 Online Home Design Tools

Anyone who has ever embarked on a home decorating project knows just how daunting it can be. With endless options available in color schemes, furniture choices and accessories, the ability to see the vision before spending money is priceless. Luckily, there are tons of handy online tools available to help even the novice decorator plan their project in advance. Here are five of our favorite online decorating tools.

Color Palette Generator (http://jrm.cc/color-palette-generator)

Is your entire artistic vision for your design captured in one image? This online tool allows you to upload a photo – your own or from the web – and develop a color palette straight from it. This is a simple way to use a favorite photo as a focal point for a room and match color schemes seamlessly.

Colorjive (www.colorjive.com)

If only shopping for paint was as easy as shopping for jeans. Ever wish you could just try it on? This online decorating tool allows the user to upload a photo of the room they plan to decorate and test shades on the walls without ever lifting a paint brush. Use a stock room just to get an idea or upload your own photo for test run. You can try up to three colors per room and store your images for later.

Sample Board (www.sampleboard.com)



Sometimes you just need a place to keep all of your ideas. Sample Board is an easy-to-use program allowing you to create interior design inspiration boards. It gives a wide variety of stock images, textures and color palettes to drag and drop onto your board and then share on Facebook and Twitter for free. Whether it’s a great chair you saw online or fabric you love, compile your images into one spot that illustrates your vision. Upgrade to a paid membership and you can import your own images, create as many boards as you like and print them in high resolution.

My Deco 3D (www.mydeco.com)

Sometimes you need to see it in 3D. This tool lets you start with a flat floorplan, move your furniture in and then watch your room come to life. For inspiration, check out the site’s online community where users share ideas and their own 3D models. An added bonus: camera view lets you view the room from multiple point of views.

3Dream (www.3dream.net)

This online decorating tool allows users to create a 3D room and then decorate it using furniture, paints and accessories. The program has a huge collection of virtual furniture to add that you can buy offline, too, including American Leather pieces.


Home decorating online is a wise choice before embarking on an expensive journey that may not work in your space. By using these tools, home decorators can save money and time by doing most of the legwork right from the comfort of their own home.