Modern twists on an ancient hide

OH, how those Paleolithic decorators would have been dazzled by the leathers of today. No more plain animal skins draped over cave floors. These days, leather can be pearlized, tie-dyed, woven like a traditional textile or even gaufraged like textured velvet.

Advances in embossing, dying and chemical treatment mean that furniture designers are no longer limited to simple variations in texture and color.

“There is a trend, I would say, toward a more couture-like leather in interesting patterns, innovative finishes and fresh colors, but all still very usable like a traditional textile,” says Thomas Lavin, whose eponymous showroom is in the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood.

Embossed leather, for example, is nothing new. But companies such as New York-based Townsend Leather Co. are reinventing old technology and techniques. Rather than using the same flat-bed embossing machines that have long been a staple of the industry, Townsend has begun employing gaufrage rollers that had been reserved for textiles such as velvet. The rollers create a continuous embossed pattern free of the telltale “match lines” or seams that defined the old embossing plates.

The result: interesting leathers such as the line of faux shagreen called Galuchat, which mimics the shimmer of more expensive shark or stingray skin.

“We originally developed this product while working on the interior of a private jet belonging to a head of state,” says Townsend designer Sarah Eckler. “Though we used real shagreen on that project, we realized that we could create a faux product that duplicated the look for a better price.”

Shagreen can cost hundreds of dollars per square foot. Galuchat costs about $17 per square foot to the trade.

Designer Judy AmicAngelo introduced a technique that embeds recycled glass onto the surface of leather, producing a distinctive sheen. The process, she says, reduces surface temperature and increases durability.

“Leather is the ultimate recycled material,” AmicAngelo says.

Her line, Illuminare, which also includes faux reptile skins and embossed hand-wiped leathers, is available through Thomas Lavin. But she says the real hot market is custom leather. Having designed interiors for the Porsche Carrera GT and the Maybach, AmicAngelo says clients want furniture with a couture-like look.

What else is in? “Weaves, damasks and paisleys are big right now,” Eckler says. “We’re doing less and less of the traditional florals and animal prints.”