Guide To Cowhide Furniture

Cowhide furniture is rapidly gaining in popularity probably in part due to the belief that we should recycle as much as possible. As the animals are slaughtered anyway for their meat, it makes sense to use their skin to produce leather goods and furniture. Most of the hides come from South America from countries like Argentina and Brazil where there are huge cattle farms.

Once treated and ready for use in the furniture business they are turned into things like a cowhide chair, rugs and other forms of cowhide furniture. You may even fancy a cowhide bar stool to complement your games room. Given the diverse nature of western home decor, this style of furniture is becoming increasingly popular as it so easy to integrate with your existing color schemes.

That isn’t the only attraction of a cowhide ottoman, rug or sofa though. The fact that every piece will be unique is a huge selling point as people are moving away from mass produced items. The cow will have been reared for its meat so the farmers are not out there protecting their cattle from insect bites, cuts, grazes etc that can damage their skin. It is these flaws that make every cowhide different. Some are more noticeable than others. If the hide is too damaged it will be used on the areas of the furniture that do not get seen i.e. the undercarriage of the cowhide sofa or the chair.

Before they can be turned into cowhide furniture such as cowhide pillows and chairs, the skins need to be treated. Some manufacturers will use natural oils while others use chromium as they believe that the chemical treatment is better at preventing the hide from splitting or cracking. Personally, I don’t like exposing my kids to more chemicals than I have to so I would opt for the natural oils method. It depends on your point of view and of course your budget with the chemical option usually being the cheaper of the two. You can find hides that have not been bleached or dyed if you want to go completely natural. If you want to be environmentally friendly this option is a lot less damaging to our world than the production of synthetic rugs and furniture coverings.

So does a cowhide rug resemble the animal? No, not in the same way that a sheepskin rug was obviously a live animal in the previous life. The hide can be dyed virtually any color or design you want and the end result no longer resembles any living animal. This means that you can buy cowhide furniture to complement your existing decor choices. Some people like the zebra and tiger effect where the hides are dyed to resemble those belonging to these animals. Of course most people wouldn’t condone killing an animal to use his skin for furniture, but as cattle provide meat, their skins might as well be used to produce furniture rather than left in rotting heaps poisoning the atmosphere.

Once quality hides have been used and treated correctly, nothing beats quality cowhide furniture for its softness, sheen and comfort factor. If taken care of properly it will last for years and will probably become a family heirloom.