Designing a custom leather sofa at Uptown Sebastian comes down to five decisions: the size and configuration, the leather grade, the color and finish, the model's own options such as arm and leg style, and when you need it. You make all of them on the product page before you order, and the piece is then built for you in America. Plan on an average of 8-10 weeks for a made-to-order sofa.

Nothing here is warehoused and relabeled. A custom sofa is cut and built after you order it, which is why the choices matter and why they cannot be changed once production starts. This guide walks through each decision in the order we recommend making it.

1. Start with the space, not the sofa

Measure before you fall in love with a model. Three numbers decide whether a sofa works:

• The wall or zone it will sit in -- measure the full width in inches, then subtract at least 6 in. at each end so the piece does not read as wedged in.
• The walking route around it -- leave 30 to 36 in. for a main path, and 14 to 18 in. between the sofa front and a coffee table.
• The route into the room -- doorway width, hallway turns, stairwell width, and the diagonal of any tight corner. This is the measurement people skip.

That last one is not a formality. Our shipping policy asks customers to measure their space and access route in advance, and if a piece cannot be brought in, the outbound and return shipping charges plus a restocking fee are deducted from the refund. Five minutes with a tape measure is the cheapest insurance in this process.

Once you know your working width, decide between a sofa and a sectional. A sofa suits a defined seating wall; a sectional suits an open plan where the furniture has to do the job of a wall. Each product page lists that model's dimensions in inches.

Shop leather sofas or compare sectionals.

2. Choose the leather grade

The configurator offers five leather grades: Standard, Premium, Signature, Elite and Supreme. Standard is the base grade; each step up adds to the price of the piece. The grade is not a quality ranking in the sense of "good, better, best" so much as a hide-and-finish band -- it determines which colors and finishes are available to you, and it moves the price.

The practical effect is this: when you select a grade, the color palette on the product page changes to the colors offered in that band. So pick the grade first and browse colors second, or you will fall for a color that belongs to a different grade.

Full-grain and aniline hides are the material we build with. Aniline leather is dyed through rather than coated, so it keeps the surface of the hide visible -- the grain, the healed marks, the variation -- and it develops a patina with use. If you want a hide that stays visually identical for ten years, aniline is the wrong choice and a more protected finish is the right one. There is more on that trade-off in our guide to choosing leather color, finish and feel.

3. Choose the color with a sample in hand

Leather is the one material you should never choose from a screen. Two things defeat monitors: the depth of a dyed hide, which photographs flatter than it looks in a room, and your own light. North light cools a hide; west light at 5pm warms it dramatically; warm bulbs push browns orange.

Ask for samples before you commit. Put them on the actual sofa wall, look at them in morning light and again at night under your own lamps, and give it a day. See how to request leather samples.

4. Work through the model's own options

Beyond grade and color, the configurable options depend on the model -- arm profile, leg style, and seat build vary from piece to piece rather than being offered across the whole range. The product page for each sofa shows exactly what that model offers, so treat the page as the source of truth rather than assuming an option exists.

Two choices are worth slowing down on wherever they are offered:

• Arm profile. A track or square arm gives you usable seat width; a rolled arm eats 3 to 5 in. per side and reads softer. If your measured width is tight, the arm decides whether three people actually fit.
• Seat depth and cushion feel. A deep seat with a soft cushion is a lounging sofa and a poor dining-adjacent sofa. A shallower, firmer seat is easier to get out of and better for a formal room. Neither is better; they are different pieces of furniture.

5. Confirm timing before you order

A made-to-order sofa averages 8-10 weeks to build. That clock starts at order confirmation, not at the end of your deliberation, so if you have a fixed date -- a move, a holiday, a renovation hand-back -- count backwards from it and add slack for delivery scheduling.

Two order facts follow from building to order, and both are worth knowing before you click:

• You have 24 hours to cancel, subject to a 5% cancellation fee. After that, production has begun and cancellations are not permitted.
• Made-to-order pieces are non-returnable and non-refundable, except where an item arrives damaged -- including a piece that will not fit through your door. In-stock items can be returned within 30 days, subject to a 20% restocking fee and shipping.

Delivery itself is a separate step with its own choices -- free curbside is included, indoor placement is a paid upgrade, and nothing arrives unboxed or assembled. Read how furniture delivery works before your piece ships, not after.

Common questions

Can I change my configuration after ordering?

Within 24 hours of placing the order, contact us and we can cancel it, subject to a 5% cancellation fee. After that window production has started and the specification is fixed.

Is the warranty affected by customizing?

No. Leather furniture carries a 10-year guarantee on the frame and suspension system regardless of how you configure it. That guarantee covers the structure -- the frame and the suspension -- not the leather's natural change in appearance over time.

Where is it made?

In America. Our leather furniture is designed and benchmade in North Carolina.

What if I am specifying for a client?

Designers and trade buyers can work directly with us on specification, samples and multi-unit timing. See the designer and trade page.

Ready to start? Design your own couch, or call 833-566-6526 and we will work through the configuration with you.