H&M Burnished Leathers

I recently received some H&M samples and have a couple questions about burnished leather, more specifically the Hyde Park leathers.

I have samples of Mesquite (lightly burnished), Cameo, Matrix, and Imperial Whiskey. All these have a real sheen / shine to them and feel slick compared to the samples of the Hyde Park i have. I have both the Hyde Park Earth and Cognac and they are alike in appearance and feel. The Hyde Park samples i have do have a very light shine / sheen. Is this typical of the Hyde Park leathers? We really, really like the Hyde Park leathers but do not like the shine / sheen / slick feeling of other burnished leathers. The Weston Cane sample i have is similar to the Hyde Park in that respect as well. It has a little sheen / shine but not nearly the amount of the others i mentioned and does not feel slick. Is it because the Hyde Park and Weston Cane has more of a textured (wrinkles) surface? The others i mentioned are all very smooth leathers.

I'm trying to determine if i order the Hyde Park leather if it'll be like my samples or completely different and have a lot of shine / sheen when i get my furniture. To me the Hyde Park is the perfect leather. It is really soft and feels super durable.

From doing a little research i know burnished leathers will all be different due to the hand finishing, and i like that. Leather should have light / dark areas and not be uniform in color :cool:

Can anyone chime in on this? Maybe some folks that have actually bought Hyde Park covered furniture.

Duane - do your dealer samples exhibit what i'm stating? OR have you received any customer furniture with Hyde Park?

Thanks

We did a cutting for approval when we ordered Hyde Park Cognac. It adds about a month to the order process but worth it IMO. The cuttings we got were very close to the actual piece even though, as I understand it, burnishing is done after furniture is constructed.

Lloyd,

Does your Cognac feel real slick or look shiny? Care to post pics? Did you ask for light burnishing or anything?

We didn't make any special requests on the burnishing. Hyde park is both slicker and shinier than the other leather pieces we have. Also a bit noisy. That said, and even though I prefer a flat/matte finish, it is a beautiful leather with color that almost changes depending on the light. The reddish/orange tones work well with the original woodwork color we are using as we restore a 125 year old house. I would order it again.

Burnished leathers, by design, are all toned after the piece has been made up in upholstery. Its done by hand so each one is a little different. Once the toner coat is wiped onto the leather a sealer coat is applied to keep the toner 'locked' onto the leather. This is the glossy topcoat you are seeing. Some leathers like Cameo get a very light burnish and light topcoat, they are not as extreme as say Buckingham or Imperial. Dealers can request a light topcoat with a burnished order, but that's opening a can of worms as what is the definition of 'light'? To convey that to the artisan at H&M is akin to telling a portrait painter how to paint, or a master chef how to make the sauce on your meal.

Each burnished piece is unique, and they are not for folks who like to 'dial-in' a color tone and sheen. That's the honest truth, not sugar-coated. If you need precision colors or effects, its not your leather. Rather it's a fantastic hide for people who can enjoy an artistic appreciation of a hand-toned leather and accept each piece for what it is. Myself for example, I have never seen a piece made up in a burnished leather that I didn't like! Light/dark, low-sheen, high-sheen - I like em all.

I also love the Hyde Park leathers. From what I've seen, there's a modest sheen, but it's not nearly as shiny as most of the burnished leathers. I snapped a few pictures of a Sundance recliner with Hyde Park Cognac leather, which I've attached. (Note that there are some pretty large windows to the left of chair (looking from the front), so you can get a pretty good feel for the sheen even in natural light.) To my eye, it ends up being less shiny than even Cameo, perhaps due to the slightly pebbly texture of the leather. If you're looking for durability with a softer feel, I think Hyde Park and Cameo are definitely the way to go.

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Thanks for those great pics cschulte! Those look exactly like the sample i received. Good to know you observed the same thing i did on a finished piece.