Leather was part of our story long before it came part of our work.
We chose to work with it because it felt a natural companion to the antique and vintage pieces we preserve. It is a material that has already lived, one that carries its own variations, markings and character, and one that becomes more beautiful with time.
There is also an incredible world with leather itself. The colors, texture, patterns and different origins give us an almost endless language to work with. No two hides are exactly alike, and that individually feels specially meaningful when paired with a piece of furniture that is already one of a kind.
Sometimes the right leather is quiet and allows the wood to lead. Other times, a color or pattern completely changes the conversation. We love that moment where the two come together and suddenly it feels as though they were always meant to belong to each other.
Leather also brings something else to the work, a sense of warmth, richness and yes, a little touch of luxury. But never at the expense of the piece itself. Our intention is always for the leather to add to the character that is already there, not compete with it.
Provenance matters deeply to us. We are thoughtful about where our leathers come from and especially careful when working with exotic hides, making sure they are legally and responsibly sourced. For us, loving material also means respecting where it came from.
Perhaps our connection to this process is more personal than we realized when we began,
Suzanne grew up with a mother who loved antiques, so the search for old furniture feels most instinctive to her. She can spend hours looking for the piece that makes us stop.
I grew up in Leon, Mexico, a city where leather is woven into everyday life and has shaped generations of craftsmanship. Maybe that is why I can spend just as long looking through hides, imagining the possibilities in a color, a texture or an unexpected pattern.
We both love the entire process, but we each have the part that make us especially excited. Suzanne often finds the piece. I often fall in love with the leather. And somewhere between those two moments the next GS Furniture Company piece begins to reveal itself.
That may be what we love most about working with leather. It doesn’t cover the history of an object.
It gives us another language with which to continue it.
