Luxurious leather … or inferior vinyl? Expensive office chairs vs affordable office chairs? The leather vs vinyl debate in terms of office chairs (and office furniture more generally) is often couched in simple terms … but the decision is not always a pure matter of cost vs quality. If you’re weighing up the pros and cons of each material with an office chair catalogue in front of you, here are a few issues you might not have thought of.

4 Reasons to Choose Leather Office Chairs

Leather is thought of as a luxury material, thanks to its heaviness, durability, and in no small part because of its extra cost. However, it also has some very practical benefits when it forms part of your office chair material:

1. Comfort

Leather allows for air circulation through the fabric, so leather office chairs are cooler and more comfortable. Vinyl sweats and traps both heat and moisture, meaning that the chairs are uncomfortable in the summer.

2. Flexibility

Leather is a far more flexible fabric than vinyl. Vinyl retains a bias within its structure, so it will stretch differently in different directions. In a high stress item like an office chair, this means that vinyl can end up forming bubbles over time if not well made.

3. Durability

Leather is as durable as vinyl. However, it is far more durable than other thin fabrics like cotton or artificial yarn blends.

4. Status and image

While status and image would not be a ‘practical’ benefit in your personal life, in business the image IS the reality! Your customers’ impressions of your firm’s quality and success come from things as small as the fabric your chairs are made of … and leather is truly the higher status choice.

6 Reasons to Choose Vinyl Office Chairs

Vinyl is not really the ‘poor cousin’ of leather any more … in fact, as vinyl manufacturing matures the material has become quite close to leather in both look and feel. Choose vinyl office chairs because of:

1. Ease of care

Vinyl office chairs can be easily wiped down with soap and water. You don’t need to worry about how long the water stays on the fabric, whether it will soak in to the material and make it swell or dry out. You don’t need to purchase any special cleaning products, or implement any particular cleaning schedule (as long as you take care not to get your vinyl chair too dirty!).

2. Versatility

As a fabric, vinyl can also be hardier and therefore more versatile than leather. It won’t fade or crack when your office chair is accidentally left next to a window is the direct sunlight. There is no problem with having vinyl office chairs in humid climates.

3. Perfection of appearance

Leather was once an animal – an animal which was prone to scarring, scratching and wrinkling just like we are. These imperfections can sometimes be seen in leather office chairs … although it would take a fairly picky eye to notice them! Vinyl has a small advantage in its utter smoothness and perfection of grain.

4. Stability of appearance

As an organic product, outside substances can influence the look of leather. If you wear a particular colour suit to work every day, some of the colour can transfer onto white or light coloured leather. Vinyl is stable in its appearance over many years.

5. Hygiene

As an organic product, leather is more prone to bacterial colonisation than vinyl. It is also more difficult to clean, so hygiene is a small but notable issue.

6. Pricing

An obvious point, but one that must be made! Vinyl is generally cheaper than leather.

Though the number of reasons for each type of office chair fabric may be uneven, these are two very similar fabrics! Either choice will serve most office well.

Rosier Commercial Furniture have a large range of office chairs to suit any business environment and design. At Rosier, we know how important having a comfortable and ergonomic office chair can be, which is why we have such a variety on hand. For the full range of office Furniture, visit our website now.