Maybe it's time to chuck it.

i had a black couch that this happened to, i put a sharpie over it. the shine/color was still a little off but it was a lot less noticeable. Before it totally dries you can smudge it a little so it blends better. if there is any leather on the underside maybe try that out on there first. i tested it on the back of the couch first before i did it and decided it looked better than the spot.

Someone gave us the same ottoman (used) and we use it as our coffee table also. I would try saddle soap or some sort of leather cleaner/leather oil. It won't make it disappear, but, it should make it less noticeable, or at least mellower, so that it looks artfully "distressed" instead of just messed up.

here's a long shot, but maybe worth a mention: if there is any extra leather underneath, scrape a thin layer off the surface of the leather, in the general size and shape of the patch/patches you want to cover. Glue the new layer on with a thin layer of tacky glue, smoothing the edges with a paint brush. Polish the whole thing.

I say embrace it. Treat the leather with lanolin or something, and continue to allow the ottoman to distress.

I agree with Onkel. It'll be ok.

While this won't solve your problem, Pottery Barn says that this is a top grain leather ottoman, meaning it is a leather hide.
Only PU leather separates this way as it is split leather with a layer of polyurethane applied to the surface and then embossed, meaning it will peel off eventually. Sounds like PB has some explaining to do.

How come you haven't tried the shoe polish? Not the stuff in a bottle , the old fashioned kind in a can. That's what it's made for, scuffs and discolorations on shoes. It works good . I scraped my brand new black leather couch trying to squeeze it through a narrow doorway.Anyway I have a little kit with brown and black and I put it on and polished and buffed it just like you would a shoe and it worked.

I agree with tricia23. My first thought, after reading Monica's question, was ''only pleather does this".

Agree with Tricia as well. This is Bicast or PU Leather. Real leather will disress nicely, and can be maintained with leather treatments. This is essentially the plywood of leather. It's sort of bits and pieces fashioned into a single sheet with some batting material underneath to which it is glued to hold together. It's literally the difference between buying something made of solid wood, that is sturdy and will last, and something made of plywood at Target made up to cheaply resemble the real thing. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicast_leather

Continue to use the tray but add a felted back to it.

Hi all - thanks for all the comments so far! I will say that I'm almost positive that this is not pleather and is in fact real leather (I mean, PB charges almost a grand for this thing!). When I called PB customer service, the rep explained that the top layer is dyed of the leather used for this ottoman, and that is what peeled off. Not sure if that's true or not, but I did try the suggested shoe polish (from a can) remedy. It helped...but obviously did not totally fix the problem - the patch is still a different texture - rougher and more almost suede-like. To be honest, we've almost stopped noticing the patch, and have continued to use the original offending tray, but any more suggestions are completely welcome! - monica

You'll probably always see a different texture, but you could try buying leather dye. We have a leather store here in town that caters to shoe repair shops. I've bought leather dye and finish, etc. You could also ask a shoe repair person. Some of them know how to fix all kinds of leather problems. (Usually horse shows have a leather repair person close by.) In the end, you'll probably just get used to it. Still doesn't excuse Pottery Barn's indifference.

Just because something is "real leather" does not mean it is good quality, or that it won't wear out.

I would proceed with the shoe polish, however, it seems that the top layer of leather is probably coated and sticking to objects (like the tray). Just put the tray back to cover the weird spot, but remember to wiggle and move a round a bit every once in a while!

They take "real leather" and mix it with something and apply it to either cheaper leather or fabric. Which means it's still "real leather", but not in the way most people think it is. They have a name for it that sounds innocent. They can also split the leather and use a super thin layer of leather on top of fabric. It's still real leather, but not thick leather.

I've worked with horses and have handled a lot of leather saddles, bridles, halters and I've made leather chaps. This does not happen to a normal piece of leather. It's thick and tough. Most garment leather is not a full thickness of leather. The top layer is used for coats and such, the bottom layer is used for shoes, shoe soles etc....So it is never a full thickness of leather, but it does matter how much they use.
This is more like real oak veneer on a plywood bookcase.

I'd keep using it though.

not knowing what the solution is and "being indifferent" are worlds apart.

if there is moisture on the tray... and it gets the leather and you do not let it dry... it could be reacting to the tray coating as well...

surface transfers only happen when moisture is present. did someone spill and not clean it up?

I have experienced a similar situation. First of "sharpie" pens are useful and are available in a variety of colours but unfortunately their BLACK appears to have a tint of red or purple in it and this noticeable when it dries. I have been successful with scuffs on my leather furniture by applying craft paint which comes in little plastic bottles and is available at craft stores and I have seen it in Walmart as well; cost about $2.00. Once applied to the area you mention it will bring back the colour but not the texture. To complete the repair process rub a tiny bit of hair conditioner or WD40 if you have some into the area once the paint has dried. This step seems to bring back the feel of the leather. I agree with another poster who suggested a felt glued to your tray bottom to prevent future problems. Shoe polish while a very temporary fix will come off on anything you place on the spot - socks, books etc. which is why I prefer the craft paint (acrylic) which will not.

Just glue some felt to the bottom of the tray and use it to cover up the spot.

I have the exact same ottoman from PB and had the same issue. Some milk spilled underneath a wooden tray that was sitting on top. There was a small peeling sound when I picked up the tray. I am going to try some of the great suggestions above. We love our ottoman. It's stood up to alot from the bachelor pad to puppies to babies to toddlers. It even looks great a little worn!

Good call, Onkel. Distressed leather is beautiful!

Glue some felt to the bottom of the tray too,k so it won't stick to the leather and there will be some 'breathing room' between the two. Putting a wooden tray directly on leather - or on wood - without either little feet (when setting it on wood) or felt (when setting it on anything else) is just asking for trouble.

If you go to any auto store, they will have someone there (or know someone) who repairs leather upholstery. Or you can look them up in the phone book under Vaspro or another name. The guy who I have repair leather car seats uses this mixture of paint and glue colormatched to the leather upholstery. They can fix ANYTHING, even rips on upholstery and cracks caused from belts and jeans rivets.

eh, even with the felt under the tray, I wouldn't be so sure the problem won't get worse.

I had a set of split leather club chairs - they were cute, super comfortable, but cheap, so I didn't expect the world - that started this peeling business. It got so bad that when it was hot or humid you couldn't sit in them at all without having bits of the surface come off, stuck to your clothes (which would subsequently not come off). I tried everything to stop the peeling - never ended.

I would go with the tray to cover the spot, but I don't think you should expect this to get better, and it could possibly get worse, no matter what you do. It's just bad quality leather.

Buy sticky-backed felt and you won't even have to fuss with glue. Just peel off the backing and press to the underside of the tray. Available at Michael's and other craft stores.

I apply felt pads to the undersides of many objects so they don't scratch or mar surfaces.

Felt! So genius. Thanks for the great suggestion - I'll be picking up some of that this week.

@blackink and @BlueSkiesTX- it's definitely possible there was some liquid on the ottoman that went unnoticed. It was also extremely hot and humid that day, so that probably played a part too. In any case, I'll be extra careful about spills and liquids from now on.

Thanks again to everyone for the suggestions and help! - monica

Monica,

The thing to watch is not so much the liquid but the heat.
The issue is not that the leather has been damaged, but the protective coating on the leather has. Top grain leather, as the ottoman is described by Pottery Barn, is not always a naturally finished leather which distresses beautifully and marks over time. In order to get that smooth, almost shiny look, that top grain leather has had a thin protective coating made of some sort of polyurethane (kind of like wood furniture with a lacquered finish). It is this coating that has peeled off. The best thing to do is trim the edges and seal them with something like a clear nail polish so it won't keep peeling. If the color on the inside is even remotely related to the color on the outside, it will still be considered a top grain leather. Bicast and PU leather look completely different on the inside than the picture you provided.
On a hot, humid day, the wood sealed with the protective layer and pulled it up, kind of like when you sit on plastic on a hot day and it sticks to you. The felt will help in the future, but so will watching the temperature and making sure to seal the edges of this so it doesn't keep peeling. - Michelle, Schneiderman's Furniture

If you're going to use shoe polish, be careful about what gets set down on it - you could end up with a stain.

If you can clean up the edges a bit so they do not look as rough, the whole thing will be a bit less noticeable. But..really..embrace the imperfect nature of it or you'll be driven crazy by it.

Years ago, tape did this to a beloved leather skirt - and it was pure leather. I took it to Superior Leather on Lexington Ave. in Manhattan and they fixed the problem completely. It was the dye layer (?) that stripped off. Superior Leather is NOT cheap, but if there is a good leather refurbishing company near you, that is the best solution. I would do it before I did anything to the leather scar, so they don't named to deal with wax, dyes, etc.