Leather Decor
Even though animal-friendly leather substitutes are widely available for home decorating purposes, many people still prefer the real deal, and it's not hard to see why. Besides the stately impression that a well aged piece of leather furniture offers, the material's softness and durability are unrivaled. Leather also looks great against almost any background, whether your home is modern and minimalist or cluttered and homey. But if you don't have the budget for a home makeover or even a living room set, you can still work this versatile material into your decor with a few carefully chosen pieces.
Home Accents
Playing with textures is a great way to add some visual interest to a room, and one way to do that is to add a leather accent piece. Contrast wooden and metal decorative accessories with a cute leather object like A&G Merch's Boar Babu animal bookend ($60). A similar item from CB2, the Zuny hippo ($39.95), is made from polyurethane leather but looks just as chic.
Target's Round leather trays ($249.99) are a functional and attractive tool for entertaining, but also serve as handsome accents for entryway tables, shelves and tabletops. Pair these trays with a set of Colby leather coasters (4 for $29) from Pottery Barn for a coordinated effect. The coasters can be monogrammed for an additional fee, which makes them either swankier or tackier, depending on your viewpoint.
Leather home accents also make excellent gifts, partly because leather just seems expensive. For your vino-loving loved ones, the Caddy-O leather wine tote ($42.99) at Target is an elegant bar accessory that doesn't require advanced wine knowledge to pick out. It keeps wine cold for eight hours, and comes complete with a pourer, stopper, wine pull and six wine glass charms. And for the bachelor who can't pry himself away from his MP3 collection, Pottery Barn's Colby leather MP3 audio player ($79.99 on sale) offers two built-in speakers and comes upholstered in "richly pebbled espresso leather". It even sounds manly.
Furniture
Even if a leather sofa or bed frame is too pricey for your blood, you can still find leather furniture pieces that fit your budget. Central Park ottoman ($249.99), which is big enough to serve as an extra seat or makeshift coffee table when it's not in use as a comfy footrest.
Every home bar needs a soft place to perch, and the Baxton Studio Erebus black leather barstool ($251.99) from Sears is a more than adequate option. A couple of those and a martini shaker are all you need to achieve that cocktail bar atmosphere. Well, that and some booze.
For a sophisticated bedroom look, instead of blowing a ton of money on a tufted headboard, put a low bench like Crate and Barrel's Pullman leather bench ($299) at the foot of your bed. If you're willing to part with a bit more money, a modern chair like the Baxton Studio Gianna white leather chair ($539.99) from Sears makes a very slick impression in any room.
Lastly, don't forget about antiques! A visit to your local flea market or antique store could yield a beautiful piece of vintage furniture at a fraction of the price of a new piece.