A Little Design Help with Nailhead and Wood Finish

Hi Duane~

Our samples of Burl Elm Polished and Burl Cognac Polished arrived. They are both gorgeous in all the right "categories"--color, hand, and smell! Thanks so much for arranging that for us. We think either would look great on the small Kenneth chair we will be adding to our order.

We are definitely leaning toward the Burl Elm, but are waiting for the CFA for our sofa to make our final determination. We want the two leathers to be compatible, with enough difference to not look like a failed match! We will not be doing a CFA on the final chair.

So, my questions to you, (or opinions from others) are:

1. Do you think that the H&M 1857 Warton Chair http://www.hancockandmoore.com/image...rton_SC_HR.jpg
on the website might be Burl Elm Polished? It looks very similar and we have not been able to find one photo of the Burl Elm Polished actually on a piece with the exception of the Councill Contract Beat Chair that is no longer available from Cabot Wrenn.

2. If that Warton chair is Burl Elm Polished or a similar leather, what nails were used? We are still debating on the nailhead trim, but feel we might go with the whole nine yards if the nails weren't too glitzy. What nail would you think would work best with that beautiful light leather? We will definitely be going with the tapered legs rather than the turned ones as pictured for the upcharge you quoted.

3. And lastly, if we do go as planned with the Burl Elm, what wood finish do you suggest? Our recliners are ordered with Lineage, and the sofa wood finish is Napa. Any ideas as to what might look best with this leather and the other pieces we have ordered?

Thanks for any advice you might be able to offer.

Wendy

The polished leathers are beautiful, but they are a bit slick, so keep that in mind. I do prefer them on chairs rather than large sofas because of that.

The 1857 chair in that photo is in Lambskin Almond, and that was dropped several years ago. I know I have photos of Burl Elm leather on pieces, but they are in one of the High Point Trade News posts when I photoed the new pieces at Market. There is no way to search for them, you just have to tab through the photos in each Market entry report.

That's the "A" nail in that photo and leg finish is Mahogany Distress. I don't have a favorite finish and tend to match them up with leathers just depending on what I happen to like, there is no right or wrong.

Thanks for the information, Duane! I'll look through your Market photos for Burl Elm Polished again--I must have missed it! That cover on the Warton is beautiful, even though discontinued.

By the way, which Leather Solutions Kit will we need for a polished leather? I'm thinking it will be different than the Kit we bought for our other pieces.

Thanks again~

Wendy