Burnished, Hand-Antiqued, or special effects?

Here's a photo I took for a customer today and I thought it a good time to go over some of the differences in these hides while I have the photo handy. These are Hancock and Moore leathers, but would apply to any leather house that works in a similar vein.

You're seeing three leathers here:

Document Tobacco: A price class 2 leather from China, that has the blackish swirls put in at the tannery. There are called 'special effects' in the trade, and applied to the hides when they are loose and stretched out. Its very even, very uniform and attempts to mimic the look of a hand-antiqued leather. This leather will not soften or change over its usable lifespan. It is very consistent from batch to batch. This is a fully protected leather and will not show any natural markings.

Sunrise Hand -Antiqued: Price class 3. This is an Italian leather "crust" and the entire piece is fully made at H&M right down to the nails set into the sofa. The piece then goes back to the finish room and is shaded and glazed by hand to achieve this antiqued effect. Everything is glazed, even the nails and stitching, the a light protective sealer top coat applied when the artisan is satisfied with their work. This leather will 'break-in' with some use and soften as well. While technically an 'unprotected' leather, it will repel most all food and drink, though heavy oils and acids should not be spilled or placed on the leather. Natural markings will be abundant.

Weston Cane Burnished: Price class 3. Another crust from Europe, it follows the same process as the Hand-Antiqued. Essentially, "Hand-Antiqued" and "Burnished" are the same, however I find that generally the Burnished is done a little lighter in the glazing effect. As these are both artisan-toned leathers, done by hand - expect them to vary considerably from one to another and be very difficult to match to at a later date.

Sure like that weston cane burnished. Of course, that's what my author chair is covered in! Sure is nice on a blizzard-like night in MN.

I think these pictures show how depressingly artificial Document looks next to the hand applied finishes. When I bought my Document Copper September Sofa and Loveseat it was strictly a cost saving decision. Next time I purchase a sofa I will absolutely spend the money for one of these fantastic hides. I definitely get more enjoyment from the other H-M pieces we did in more interesting hides!

Its that age old dilemma....do you spend more to get what you really want, or make do with something at a lower price point? On one hand you have a number of pieces in Town and Country in the artificial-looking leathers like Document at truly a large savings - and on the other you have to weigh that against a 20-year or more lifespan of the piece.

Let's say the Document covered sofa costs $ 2,500. The one you REALLY want in a class 3 leather is $ 4,000. Money is a bit tight - many do go for the lower price piece - but if you take that 20 year lifespan and divide it by $ 1,500, its really costing you just $ 75 a year more to get the one that really moves you. That's just a dinner out for two!

Buying leather is also a learning process, and you develop a palate for it if you're into it - just like wine. At first if its 'real leather' instead of vinyl or a chemical hybrid product you're happy. And first time buyers ALWAYS want protected leathers. So hides like Document fill the bill. But as time progresses and you are exposed to the finer leathers, it won't be long until you only shop in the class 3 and 4 categories and don't care all that much if the leather is protected or not. I can tell you that for the most part, no one in the leather furniture trade ever buys a finished leather. We all buy the unprotected anilines.

I was at Nordstrom's on Satuday in the handbag department, looking for a nice wallet for my wife for Christmas. The sales clerk pulls out a Coach and sets it on the counter. I poo-poo it immediately and said "Show me something that doesn't have cheap Chinese leather on it". The clerk stutters and says "That's a nice leather on that Coach..." but I cut her off and say "Hon, I know leather - trust me when I tell you I do". Next out comes the Marc Jacobs piece at twice the price. Ahhhh....much better. A pure aniline, probably Italian. Then the Ferregamo. Oh yeah! Now that's a fantastic piece of leather on the Ferregamo! But the $ 500 price tag on that one is too high for me to stomach, so I settle on the mid-line Marc Jacobs. The leather snob in me can't do the Coach piece. Its easy to get spoiled.

I have to agree with artielange. It's a night and day difference between the Document leather and the other two. The Document looks flat while the other two seem almost to be glowing with an inner life and have a certain dimensionality to them. After seeing that it's really difficult to even consider the Document leather.

These pictures are also a great way for people to see what a welt trim (Document Tobacco Cushion) looks like versus a non-welt (Sunset Hand Antiqued Sofa).