Trends may go round in cycles, but the last time leather was this in favor with designers was 20 years ago, seen on battered Chesterfield sofas, the more distressed the better. Now, however, it's soft, smooth, faultless. Often the color of caramel, but if not that exact tone, always with caramel's same silkiness, playing into the overall desire for sensual, sophisticated schemes that make the people in them feel smart.
"Leather is very sexy, very refined if used correctly," says the designer Enass Mahmoud, founder of Studio Enass. "I didn't use to be a huge fan of it, but the number of ways it's now available in, and the huge leap forward in quality, make me feel suddenly much more drawn to it. Used on walls, it gives you a subtle hint of texture, while, as an upholstery fabric, it's quietly luxe. When you see upmarket leather in a room now, you instantly know you're somewhere you're going to be able to relax."
