Whenever we review any of the furniture or mattress brands we carry here at Woodstock Furniture & Mattress Outlet, our goal is always to introduce you to reputable companies who make products we love. We want to share why we carry them, what we like about them, and who their products are a great fit for. Sometimes, this means introducing you to hidden gems in our industry — brands relatively unknown outside of the world of furniture who offer customers great features, quality, or value. Today we’re talking about one of those brands. Meet Softline Furniture.
As furniture experts ourselves, we can always tell when manufacturers cut corners. For a budget, entry-level piece, maybe a few shortcuts are okay. But is that really what you want in a luxurious, Italian leather sofa? Of course not. That's why they make Softline leather furniture the old-fashioned way, using some of the finest Italian leather on the planet.
By the end of this brand review, you'll know Softline's key features, why we love them, and whether a Softline leather sofa, sectional, or chair is right for you!
Softline Furniture Features Natural Italian Leather
In business since 1989, Softline Furniture descends from the ancient Italian tradition of leather crafting. The life of every piece of Softline leather furniture begins at Softline’s own tannery in Arzignano, Italy. This region in northeast Italy, not far from Venice, is known as the Vicenza Leather District.
For at least the last 700 years, this region has been famous for crafting the world’s finest leather goods. This rich tradition continues to this day. In fact, Softline’s own tannery also produces leathers for a number of high fashion products, like purses and wallets.
Most of the leathers Softline crafts are natural, non-corrected leathers, including aniline, and semi-aniline options. Unlike corrected leathers, these processes maintain the natural look, character, and softness of the leather itself.
Over time, these top quality leathers will also wear naturally, developing their own unique patina. This is something you won’t get with corrected leather. Additionally, this is a premium feature many furniture makers charge top dollar for.
Softline Furniture Is Made By Hand with Traditional Methods
From the tannery in Arzignano, the leathers make their way down the boot heel of Italy, to Sofline’s production facility and headquarters in Bari, Italy. This is where they actually craft and finish their leather furniture — by hand.
Unlike many of their competitors, Softline leather sectionals, sofas, loveseats and chairs are benchmade by individual craftspeople. What does that mean? That means that instead of a modern assembly line, each piece is upholstered by hand using traditional methods that have been used by upholsterers for well over 100 years.
Most of Softline’s upholstery features 1.8 density foam cushions (which is industry standard), but they also offer 2.0 density high resiliency options for even greater durability. These cushions sit on a suspension system of Pirelli webbing, which is an established suspension system often used in traditional sofa construction.
While there are spring systems that are cheaper than webbing, and other spring systems that are more durable than webbing, Pirelli webbing is a sturdy decking that will still last for years if properly maintained. And unlike spring systems, there’s no metal-on-metal contact to cause creaks and squeaks.
Is a Softline Leather Sofa Right for Me?
You’re probably asking yourself, what’s the catch? Benchmade in Italy by craftspeople with authentic, natural Italian leather? Softline leather furniture seems too good to be true. But there is no catch. Softline is the genuine article.
There are other brands on the market selling “Italian leather sofas” that are cheaply made imitations. Some companies only source some of their leathers from Italy. Others source the leather from Italy but make the furniture elsewhere in factories geared for mass production. Very few manufacturers tan their own leather and make their furniture in Italy the traditional way.
So is a Softline leather sofa right for you? Keep in mind that Softline handcrafts premium Italian leather furniture. As such, it isn’t necessarily a perfect fit for every budget. However, Softline is very competitively priced given the high quality leather and detailed craftsmanship.
If you’ve always wanted an elegant, natural Italian leather sofa, why wait? Come to Woodstock Furniture & Mattress Outlet to see Softline and other high-end leather seating options for yourself.
[Editor’s Note: To clarify, today’s article is reviewing Soft Line S.p.a. / Soft Line America, a manufacturer and importer of fine Italian leather sofas and other seating. Although commonly branded as Softline Furniture, they are not to be mistaken for SOFTLINE, a Danish furniture maker of the same name who does not manufacture leather upholstery.]
