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without having an idea of what your general decor is like, i'd go with the octave. it's a versatile style and a more inviting color

I buy a LOT online but a sofa is not something that I would recommend buying sight unseen. I have a leather sofa from Ikea that has held up amazingly well over the years.

Regarding the cats: I have two cats, and we had leather sofas. One of the cats scratched it in a small area, but then I bought a spray called "Boundary" and that stopped the scratching. I had to respray the area once in a while, and provide alternative scratching posts in the area. Tell us more about your room and colors. Are you going with the white or off white? I think white or off white are wonderful choices. I might be more inclined to go with white if you are using cheerful colors in the room and the off-white if you have a more nuetral, earthy pallete. Elisabeth

If I needed a new leather sofa, I'd look on craigslist for sure. My white Italian leather couch and amazing green Natuzzi chair both came from craigslist in like-new condition for $200 each.

as much as i love ikea, especially for bedding and curtains, i don't think i'd trust their sofas. still, the one pictured had the nicest, cleanest lines of your three choices. apparently they are working on improving the quality of their big ticket furnishings. good luck.

I really like the Octave. It looks like a high-end sofa. Thanks for posting this. I had never heard of Palliser before. This looks very much like what I have been looking for.

I have had a leather Ikea sofa for 3 years now, and it has held up well. The leather is stretching a little now, and you can tell where my husband's favorite couch spot is, but all in all I think it was good quality for the price.

My one complaint is that the sofa is very light. When my husband plops down on it, the sofa moves a couple inches across the hardwood. Also, you can't sit on the floor and lean on the sofa without it moving back.

The Palliser sofas are essentially the same - one is a T-Cushion and the other isn't...

...for style alone, I'm inclined to go w/ the T-Cushioned sofa.

I like the T-cushioned better, too, as well as fewer tufts in the back cushions. I'd make sure those back cushions are good and square and firm, though. It would be really ugly to me if it got schlumpy. The Ikea cushions look like they're already on their way to schlumpy.

i haven't tried the pallister sofas, but i found that ikea sofa very comfortable in store. wish i could have afforded it at the time. and actually, it looks better in person than the picture above. you should also check the as-is section at ikea if you can make it to a store! i found a piece of that sofa there.

i like the octave better of the two pallisters, but not a fan of its base. i'd rather save the extra money and try to find a C&B Petrie sofa on sale or on craigslist.

good luck!

JulieLeanne--

Have you tried going to your hardware store and getting some of those clear rubber adhesive pads that folks use to cushion glass tabletops? They also function well as grips on the bottoms of furniture legs to keep them from sliding across slick floors...

A sofa is like a bed -- the perfect spot to loaf. And just like I'd never buy a bed without testing, I'd never buy a sofa untested either. What if the cushions are too short for your taste? What if the recline is uncomfortable? I could see dropping a few hundred dollars on a "temporary" sofa, but I couldn't see dropping $1200 sight unseen on such an integral piece of furniture.

I agree with some of the others: look on craigslist, or save up for something you know you love.

If I had to pick I would say the Leah sofa. I do not know the quality of leather they use but inexpensive leather can really smell, off gas.

I hate the third one (from Ikea). I don't like "modern" looking furniture, and that was, by far, the most modern-looking to me.

I like the middle one (the yellowish one) the best, however, you may have more flexibility with the first one. It's white, so you can get get colorful pieces if you want a bolder look in the room, and it will look good with the white. But with the yellow one, some colors will clash against that, and really draw attention to the difference.

Personally I like the T cushion on the Leah a little better. It just seems a little more open and inviting.

Two things to ask when buying a leather sofa:
1. Is it a split hide or full grain.
A split hide is just that, a hide that has been split into two, sometimes three hides. Generally, they are thin and somewhat delicate (think of accidentally poking a finger through the side). A full grain hide is superior. Much much more durable.

2. Is the hide dyed or painted.
Both are pretty even regarding durability, but a painted hide finish is a bit harder to repair. Pretty much all colors other than browns and deep blues, greens and reds will be painted.

fyi: leather sofa suntan lotion = permanent greasy stain

I'm also in the "try it first" camp. I have seen too many gorgeous sofas feel like airport seating once you sat in them. A sofa is a comfort piece. Very little is more frustrating than not being able to relax and be comfortable in your own home. Having said that, here is a review of the discontinued Trevor from the Canadian Home Depot. Might give some general thoughts on brand quality.
http://reviews.homedepot.ca/1998/949828/reviews.htm

A practical consideration is that most lower end leather sofa cushions are not reversible and can't be flipped to compenste for wear. You will not be able to flip the "T" cushions. However, you will be able to shift the square curtains.

Enjoy whatever choice you make.

My advice, after buying both online and in person, buy in person. Find something you can sit on, and test properly, regardless of the price it's just too BIG a piece of furniture to farm out the decision making on. It doesn't matter what others think since YOU are the one that has to sit on it day in & day out. Comfort rules!

I think all three are quite nice-looking, but leather is not something I would recommend going budget on - and certainly not sight-unseen (or bottom-unsat). I'm not an expert, but my sense is that cheap leather does not feel nice and only gets worse with age (brittle, cracked, etc.), whereas good quality leather ages well, getting softer and more supple over time. We all have cost constraints, but it might be worth saving longer in order to be able to afford something higher-end. If not, at least try to see the pieces in person! My husband and I recently picked out new dining chairs on the internet, but when we went to a showroom and sat in them, we ended up choosing something completely different than what we first thought.

"You will not be able to flip the "T" cushions."

You do realize that T-Cushions can be flipped from left to the right...
...at least as long as they're upholstered in fabric.

However, leather seat cushions at this price-point are rarely if ever leather all the way around. The underside of the seat cushion - from about 6" from the front of the cushion to the back - will be a plain heavy-woven fabric such as what is used on the seat deck beneath the cushion resulting in a cushion that is never intended to be flipped, regardless of the shape.

If, however, you meant flipping the cushions front to back - you do realize the backside is where the zipper is?

1) I would repost this question with pictures of the living room. Any advice you receive regarding sofa choice that doesn't involve placing the piece in context with the room is as valuable as pulling the names of one of the sofas out of a hat.

2) Unless the piece is returnable, always view furniture in person before buying. Find a retailer that carries the pieces you want and take a little weekend trip to wherever that store is. Factor the cost of that trip into the price of the sofa and call it insurance. Cheap furniture is cheap for a reason. They aren't just being generous. Make sure you can live with whatever compromises have resulted in that lower price before you drop your hard earned cash. If you don't love it when you first lay eyes on it, keep looking.

@bepsf

Exactly. With "T" cushions, the only way to change their position is to flip them left to right. As you say, if the bottom is woven, that is not possible. Hence my comment.

However, with square cushions, you can move the left cushion to the right side and vice versa. That way you can somewhat distribute wear without flipping either left to right or back to front. Invariably, one cushion gets sat on (and squashed) more than the other.

Did that explain it better?

I have the Arild, and the cushions are as hard as rocks. Plus, it's not wide enough to have a decent nap. It holds up well, though. The leather is good quality.

I also have the Arild in white--got it 3 years ago. I love it. Easy to clean and care for with durable leather, great looking, and comfortable to sleep on (I'm 5' 5"). HOWEVER, it has taken 3 years for the sofa to soften up (with very limited use) (the cushions were hard as rocks for me, too). The Arild sofas at the store are very comfy because they are sat on frequently. I almost gave up on mine before it finally got comfortable. If you get it, don't give up on it--just keep using it.

Hi everyone and thanks for your comments! I'll elaborate a little more and then maybe this will clarify things a bit and you can respond. Also, is there another place in the at blog to post questions on decorating advice, other than "good questions"? I love the feedback.

I'm basically starting from scratch, with the sofa. I have a 70's sideboard/credenza in a cherry-walnut stain that I keep my 42" flat tv on and an ivory/natural flokati. I also have a small calligaris 29"square dining table in cherry stain that opens up. (I plan on getting RB Jake chairs in orange or real Series7 Arne Jacobsen (red) from ebay, but 1 thing at a time.) This will be a triple zone living room. As in LIVE. I need to eat, work, and lounge in this room. This is all the furn I have so far, so I will need alot of advice. :)

Although the sofa photos are in white, I will be going either with a brown or maybe a deep cherry red, which is what I really have my heart set on. but brown would be more practical, I know. (I like orange, red, yellow, browns - warm colors, with some ivory or white.) I've received leather samples for the Palliser sofas. There are different grades available and I would be going with one of the higher mid-grade semi-aniline or aniline plus top grain leathers because of the cats and because of the coffee, red wine, cigarettes - yuk, I know. The price variation I listed depends on grade. The cheaper quality leathers would be $999, the better leathers that I like put it in the $1250-1300 range.

I didn't know about t-cushions and am still a little confused. Do you mean t-cushions are only leather on one side, the "facing out" side. The other, back and under, sides are fabric of some sort?

Ive been trolling craigs list for months and in the 500 or so leather sofas that come up in a search, 99.9% are those putrid, puffy, 80's den sofas. yuk! They should have their own sub-section! I'm keeping my eyes open for a RB Jackson/Jasper/Loring in leather, or a MGBW Dexter in leather. I like the looks of Petrie, but a.) it'not leather, and b.) all the used ones ive seen look lumpy and bumpy.

One of the online places, furnitureoutletwarehouse.com, has a showroom right across the GW Bridge in Jersey and they have a fabric version of the Octave sofa in their showroom, not in leather. (But I do have the leather samples.) The same style sofa in fabric or leather should be the same in terms of comfort, right? Only the covering is different. So I'm going to get a zipcar and go check it out either this weekend or next. Also a trip to IKEA is in order.

Thanks for all the advice. Sorry this got so wordy.

I would go with the Octave.... however I think you will be disappointed with all three when you actually sit on them and try to relax your head. You will notice that the backs are too low and thus you must slouch on the couch to relax. If that is your thing, go for it, otherwise seek higher back solutions and raise your budget :-) - Corey

Mary Jo -
By now you have probably already ordered your sofa. However, if you are still shopping, I would recommend that you special order your sofa in one of the protected leathers (grades 1000, 1500, or 2000). These protected leathers are easier to clean and will have a uniform color. A nice red is the Tulsa Red Geranium in the 2000 grade.

While we do not have the Octave frame on the floor at our store in Cincinnati, we do carry some of the other frames from Palliser including the Genessa and Wynona. I think for a contemporary sofa company, the frames are comfortable.

Good luck with your decorating. It sounds like you will soon have a beautiful home.

To JosephWilliamsHome --

Thanks for your comments and advice. I'm so glad to hear from a designer/retailer with first hand experience with a Palliser sofa. I had never heard of the brand prior to my internet search and have had an amazingly difficult time gathering info or reviews on quality and comfort. I do want a comfortable contemporary sofa, as opposed to one that feels like sitting on a concrete wall.

Because of an unexpected financial blip, I still have not purchased my sofa. :( However, I am leaning toward the Octave. Of the leather swatches I've received I like the Bronco Cerise - although I'm wondering about the shading and color consistency, Classic Blossom, and yes Tulsa Geranium! In photos both Blossom and Geranium appear much brighter and glossier than my swatches, which is confusing me a bit. I also LOVE, maybe prefer, the quality and texture of the Rendezvous (Sonora/Marquis) and Carnival (Riviera) leathers, though the colors are deeper, more brownish, not the brighter red I have my heart set on. It's so difficult to choose from a 3"x3" swatch.

I'll post back once I make my decision. Any other helpful info will be greatly appreciated.

We just purchased 2 of the Leah. Beautiful, Comfortable and very well made! Seat depth is sooooo right! Well designed! We went with 2500 grade, in the espresso/coffee color, didn't get the real name (only 4 choices in the 2500) they were a little more but we hit a sale. Palliser is know for their quality and frankly I think better than some of the Natuzzi I seen since they have gone more commercial/mainstream. Even My husband was woo'd and he is not a fan of leather furniture. Try to find a dealer if you can, Palliser dealers are usually quality/higher end contemporary shops that are "mom&pop". Nice to support your local community. & you can try it out! & you will find the price to be the same or even better. Also, we came a click away from ordering the Ikea one's, they don't sell the couch size... but the quality was nice (we are in Buffalo and I relaxed on it in Canada & the price in CAN is 1300.=1245 USD. Did want to deal with transport, gst etc... I am thrilled with the much much better quality of the Palliser and can't wait to sip wine next to the fire in them! Oh! 8 to 10 week delivery time isn't a plus!!! but I've waited 2 years so what's 10 weeks!
Good Luck.
Good luck.

Opps I meant to say they don't sell the ARILD sofa size "online."