Icelandic or New Zealand sheepskin: which should you choose?

If you narrow a sheepskin search down at all, you end up choosing between these two. They are the most widely sold origins in the world and they could hardly be less alike. One is wild and unruly, the other is even and refined, and the right answer depends entirely on what the room already looks like.

The quick version

Choose Icelandic if you want character, natural undyed color, and a hide that looks like it came off an animal on a hillside.

Choose New Zealand if you want a specific color, an even and consistent finish, and something that will sit tidily on a chair for years.

Icelandic sheepskin

Icelandic sheep are a breed that has been isolated on the island since the Vikings brought them, and they grow a double coat: a long outer layer called tog and a soft insulating undercoat called thel. That double coat is the whole reason an Icelandic hide looks the way it does.

The wool is long, loose and wavy, and it falls in locks rather than lying flat. It moves when you walk past. The long wool version is the most dramatic hide we sell.

The colors are the ones the sheep grew. Off white, natural grey in several depths, blacky, spotted, rusty brown and grey brisa. Nothing is dyed, so no two hides match and the shade varies across a single skin.

The size varies more than any other origin, which is why we list Icelandic hides as ranges: 35 inches, 39 to 47 inches, 47 inches and up.

Where it works. Over a designer chair where you want the hide to be the interesting thing in the room. On a hard oak or concrete floor, where the loose wool contrasts with the surface. In a room with a lot of pale minimal furniture that needs something less controlled.

Where it does not. Anywhere it will be sat on every single day. Long loose wool needs combing to stay lofty, and heavy daily use will flatten it.

Browse the range in Icelandic sheepskin.

New Zealand sheepskin

New Zealand hides come from large, carefully managed flocks, and the consistency is the point. The wool is dense, even, and takes dye better than almost any other sheepskin in the world.

The wool comes in three characters. Long wool is soft and deep, roughly 2 to 3 inches. Short curly wool is tighter, springier and considerably more resistant to dirt. Back Country is a long curly variant with more texture than the standard long wool.

The colors are the widest of anything we carry, more than thirty on some sizes. Ivory, taupe and light grey through to aubergine, burgundy, imperial yellow and spiced apple. If you have a specific color in mind, this is the origin that will have it.

The size is consistent, which matters if you are buying several skins for a set of dining chairs and want them to match.

Where it works. Dining chairs and desk chairs, especially in short curly wool. Anywhere the hide needs to coordinate with an existing color scheme. Sets, where consistency between skins is the requirement.

Where it does not. If you want a hide that looks raw and unrepeatable, New Zealand will feel too tidy.

Browse the range in New Zealand sheepskin.

Side by side

And the others worth knowing about

Mongolian sheepskin has tight corkscrew curls and a distinctive shine. It is the most eye catching hide we carry and the one people either love immediately or do not.

Gotlandic comes from the Swedish island of Gotland and gives you grey curled wool with the character of an Icelandic and the tighter curl of a Mongolian. Small runs only.

Austrian hides are curly, undyed, and come in three natural colors from the Alps.

British hides are natural, in off white and dark brown, and run larger than most.

Still deciding?

The honest test is what the room needs. If it is already busy, take a New Zealand hide in a quiet color. If it is calm and pale and slightly flat, take an Icelandic and let it be the thing that breaks the pattern.

If you want a second opinion, send us a photo of the room. We do this all day.