Austin sofa - some questions

My husband and I just returned from a holiday trip during which we sat in a number of sofas in stores, and one at my uncle's house. That one, by H&M, was what looks to be an Austin sofa dating back maybe 20 years. My husband, 5'11", and I, 5'1", both found his sofa comfortable.

We LIVE in our sofa and loveseat. I have the sofa, he has the loveseat. We eat there, watch tv, do our online stuff, sit with our cats and occasionally (me) nap. I managed to wear a hole in the side of our current leather sofa with my elbow as the arms are way too high. The loft in the seats is half gone; these are tight-back and tight-seat pieces.

We want durability and comfort; I don't want to shop for living room seating again in 10 years. We are in our 60's.
We found a store during our trip that had both the Austin and the Austin high-back in stock. The Austin seemed a little short for my husband, whereas the one at my uncle's fit him fine. My husband did not like the way the high-back version fit him; we like a 21 inch seat depth and that one sat deeper than the regular Austin even though the stated seat depth figure is the same. I would be fine with either. I suppose there might be differences in the depth and height of the two "pillow" sections of the back to account for that.

The saleswoman demonstrated poofing upward on the top back pillow on the regular Austin for more head support; that seemed a bit weird to me but it did work pretty well.

Town & Country promo prices with Document Chestnut and Tobacco (I think) and Cavalier Oxblood and Navy were quoted. We live several states away so it seems unlikely we'll buy from that store. We live an hour away from the closest store with H&M and I don't know what is in stock there or what the prices will be.

Are there other leathers that are priced somewhat close to these that would be aniline dyed and protected? The booklet we were given indicates several lines are aniline dyed but with a protective finish, but there's no indication of pricing. I can say for sure that paying a LOT extra for different leathers is not going to happen. The Town & Country pages Duane posted say some other leathers would be 15 percent or so more, but those leathers appeared to be from the same groups as the promotional leathers.

I could not find tiltback versions of the sofa and loveseat in the Town & Country pages Duane posted. Are they included? If so, could someone explain how the upright seating differs between the regular Austin and the tiltback Austin? Would a tiltback sofa "go with" a regular loveseat. Also, why is the seat depth shallower on the tiltback? Is the overall support (for deck and back) the same?

Any help appreciated! Love this forum!

I am also 5' 11" and much prefer the High Back Austin # 8138 to the standard # 8134 model, though I suspect at 5' 1" you would like the latter. if you keep the hide clean and conditioned, you should not need to ever replace this sofa - the cushion cores have a lifetime warranty to the original purchaser and the only other thing that typically kills the sofa is sun fade. Control that and you're in business.

Be aware that prices on all H&M will go into effect on 01/07/13, which is this coming Monday. Last day to order from any dealer is Sunday (or Saturday if they are closed Sundays as I am).

The T&C promo is much more price friendly than going to the main handles. To get into most semi-anilines (GR 2 through 4) will increase the price at least $ 1K over T&C and possibly more.

There are no tilt-back sofas, but there are INCLINER and FULL RECLINER versions of the Austin that are not in the Town and Country program. An Incliner means just the footrest comes up - full recline means exactly that. They are price. Look at that Bradington Young 912 series if you want that feature...its about 1/2 the price of the H&M and gives up nothing in comfort or durability in my opinion.

Can't tell you why specs may differ - just that measurements from one piece to another can and do vary. Don't place too much stock in fit-by-dimensions!

Thanks so much! I found it interesting that my husband liked the shorter sofa over the taller one. We have footstools so we really don't "need" recliners -- especially since the Austin is a possibility! I also worry about our two tiny cats' getting under and inside an open recliner.