Faux Leather vs Wood Veneer Desk Sets: How They Compare
What faux leather and wood veneer are, how they differ in look and feel, the marble-pattern print on Pulsar, and which material suits which...
Desk sets
Every faux leather desk set here pairs a desk pad with a matching pen cup and memo holder, and most add a personalized nameplate. Faux leather is a man-made material with a leather-look surface, not genuine leather. Choose a compact set of four to nine pieces or an executive set of ten or more.
This collection lists every set whose product page states its material as faux leather. That is most of our range: the Luna, Vega, Star, Venus, Galaxy, Elegance, Cloud, Pulsar and Chester families. Each is a faux leather desk pad set: the pad comes first, and the larger sets add more matching faux leather desk accessories.
Faux leather is a man-made material with a leather-look surface, and it is not genuine leather. For a leather-look desk set, these are the sets to compare; the Journal explains how to tell genuine leather from faux leather on any product page. Three details change with the model and the color, so check them on the product page, which describes that set's finish and states the material under Specifications.
Compact desk sets have four to nine pieces. In faux leather these are the Luna 4, 5, 8 and 9 and the Vega 4 and 9, all on the 13.4 × 18.9 in (34 × 48 cm) desk pad. An executive faux leather desk set has ten pieces or more, usually with a document tray, a phone stand or both. Executive does not mean a larger pad. Star, Elegance, Pulsar and Chester use the 15.0 × 22.8 in (38 × 58 cm) pad, and the other families here stay on the smaller one. The executive desk sets page shows them next to sets in other materials.
Black and brown are offered on the most sets. Gray, green, white, tan and burgundy each come on several families, and the Luna sets add brighter colors such as blue, orange, pink, red and turquoise. To shop by color instead, open the black desk sets, brown desk sets or white desk sets; the color guide explains how to match a set to your desk.
Most faux leather sets include a personalized nameplate. You type a name and an optional title, and the text is printed, not engraved, on a gold or silver metal plate. Every set with a nameplate, in any material, is listed under desk sets with a personalized nameplate.
| Family | Pieces | Storage interiors | Nameplate | What to note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luna | 4–10 | Velvet-lined | 8-, 9- and 10-piece sets | Finish varies by color; a document tray on the 10-piece sets |
| Vega | 4–14 | Lined with faux leather | 12- and 14-piece sets | Contrast or tonal stitching; a calendar holder on the 9-, 12- and 14-piece sets |
| Star | 10–14 | Velvet-lined | Yes | Picture frame and calendar holder; a desk clock on the 14-piece set |
| Venus | 12–14 | Lined with faux leather | Yes | Fine or pebbled grain; matching mouse pad; desk flags on the 13- and 14-piece sets |
| Galaxy | 12–14 | Lined with faux leather | Yes | Fine grain; two-tier tray; desk flags on the 13- and 14-piece sets |
| Elegance | 11–12 | Velvet-lined | Yes | Pen cup with an integrated clock; a desk flag on the 12-piece set |
| Cloud | 10 | Velvet-lined | No | Mottled finish on most colors; a two-pen stand instead of a nameplate |
| Pulsar | 10 | Lined with faux leather | Yes | Plain black, or a printed marble-look pattern on gray, brown and dark brown |
| Chester | 13–15 | Lined with faux leather | Yes | Fine-grain black; clock attached to the nameplate; none, one or two desk flags |
Paper, calendar sheets and clock batteries are not included with any set.
For a light mark on faux leather, use a soft, slightly damp cloth, then dry the surface. The desk pad is for writing, so use a separate cutting mat for knives and other sharp tools. The materials and care page covers each piece, including the printed nameplate.
The Prestige sets are the wood veneer option: a thin layer of real wood on the surface, combined with faux leather components, and not solid wood. They are listed under wood veneer desk sets, and the article faux leather vs wood veneer compares how the two materials look and feel.
A few sets are listed elsewhere because their product pages state another material. The Vesta sets are wood and faux leather. The 17-Piece Executive Desk Set and the 5-Piece Genuine Leather Desk Set are genuine leather. You will find them, and the Prestige sets, under all desk sets.
Before you choose
What faux leather and wood veneer are, how they differ in look and feel, the marble-pattern print on Pulsar, and which material suits which...
How to measure your desk and working zone, how much room a keyboard, laptop or notebook needs, and which of our two pad sizes,...
A plain-English glossary of every piece in our sets, from the desk pad and memo holder to two-tier trays and nameplates, plus how pieces...
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