H&M Leather advice please

Hi. We need help in choosing a leather color for a sofa. We're looking for an unprotected leather but we have a golden retriever so it has to be durable. Don't really like the shiny look of protected leather. We've had nothing but problems finding a leather . We want a nice rich medium brown with significant texture, not shiny. The sofa is a Kennet model. We tried Buchkingham Cocoa burnished and asked for light burnishing but the sample came back about 4 shades darker than the showroom sample. The first sample we wanted was mislabeled and came back a completely different color. At this point I don't think I can even go with a burnished color for fear it will be completely different than the sample. Any good rich browns unprotected in class 2 or 3 leathers, even a 4 if it's really great. Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks. John

Hi John,

The short answer is you want the Antelope series leather. Its a GR3, fully protected out of Germany, and looks like a pure aniline. Probably the Harness or Nugget color for you. Its going to give you the most of what you are looking for.

Now for the long answer. There is no perfect leather when it comes to having pets on the furniture. Protected hides have the higher sheens as a rule, and dog nails can put surface scratches in the topcoats. Aniline hides won't get the surface scratches, but can be stained by the oils in the dog's coat. So as they say "pick your poison". Burnished leathers are no good for anyone wanting a swatch to be any more than a hint of the finished product. They are all hand-applied and vary considerably, even wildly from one to another. You have to have a sense of adventure on any burnished leather and enjoy an artistic interpretation of the art of hand-antiqued leather. Leathers you may want to look at that I happen to like in a rich brown are Upton Cafe, Fenway Saddle, and the Kipling series both of which are pull-ups and GR 2 hides. The Equestrian series would be another good choice as its reasonably protected (though not 'officially'), thick and durable, and has a soft sheen to it. Some of the new leathers that are not yet available might be perfect as well...we're still 2 months out from having samples on these however you can see them here:

http://www.myfurnitureforum.com/show...rs-Spring-2010

Thanks Duane. You helped me realize I don't want any surprises when my sofa comes in. Therefore, no burnished. I'm having enough trouble dealing with the variations in hide lots from the samples. I picked up some of the samples you mentioned and they all look good. Now to make a decision. Thanks again. John

Definitely good advice!