Coordinating leathers for sofa & chairs

The H&M leather samples arrived a few days ago and all I could do was drool. They are fantastic! At first I was bummed because we can't agree on an H&M sectional that fits our needs and then I thought "I still need chairs!" So... I think I’ll deviate from my original plan of fabric chairs and get a leather recliner instead. I've spent hours sifting through the forum and am relieved to see that most of you agree that there is no such thing as too much leather! :)
I particularly liked the Milan Saddle (Duane you put an asterisk next to it – did you suspect I would like it the best? If so, GEE you're good!). It looks like many of you mix up the colors of leather though. If the sectional is a light-milk chocolate color with low shine do you think the Milan saddle will be enough of a contrast with the pull-up effect and a bit of shine? Milan Saddle does seem to have some lighter brown running through it, is the color variation visible when on a chair? I did see one example in the resource photos but I still can’t really tell. Would it look odd mixing shine with mat? Does it sound like too much brown? The curtains (wine, gold, taupe and brown) clash with many of the leathers that have a red or orange tone. I hesitate to go too light because I think it will throw the balance of the room off. There is also some black in the room, but I haven't seen much black leather in the stores lately. Must be out of trend right now?
I have also been reading the threads about the huge selection of recliners. Duane you gave the tip in one thread about keeping the height fairly consistent in the room. I'm hoping that is give or take a few inches since that gives me more selections. The sofa (I think) we've agreed on is 37 inches. The Sadler is mentioned frequently as being one of the most comfortable (I think that is what I loved in the store too) but it is 45 inches, so probably too high right?
thanks again!

Hi Terri,

You can have a lot of fun with those leather samples. I was really glad to go to the furniture market and see some pieces made up in the exotics, really opened up my eyes to what is possible (and to have some FUN with your selections). Furniture is as much about fashion as it is utility at the Hancock and Moore level, so don't be afraid to adventure a little bit and step outside the norm.

I'd love to take credit for the asterisk on the Milan, but the samples came right from H&M so .... Now Milan is what we call a "Pull-Up" leather. Take your fingers as you hold the sample in your hand and push in from the backside as you hold the sample tight. See how the color changes and lightens? That's a "Pull-Up" effect. When the leather gets stretched or tensioned, you are going to see that. So as they make the piece and pull it tightly around the arms, its going to lighten up. As you use the pieces over time, pressure points will also cause lightening up. It creates a very interesting and wonderful pattern as it ages, and gets a really nice patina to it because of that.

General rule of thumb. Select your one color for the main unit (sectional) and if it happens to be an earth tone (Brown, Gold, Green, Reds) then you are safe using any other earth tones with it. In my family room, I have a leather sofa, loveseat and recliner and not only are they three different brands (Leathercraft, Brad-Young, and Hancock & Moore) but none of them match. They all harmonize however - so the right answer to that question is what will work for you?!

Black leather requires its own decor scheme. You can work with it and bring in some light browns to use with it, but it requires more planning. Dark blues the same way. They will tend to make a room feel cooler, whereas the browns warm it up.

As to chair heights, that's applicable to multiple chairs in a room. You don't want a 45" tall recliner and then four feet from it a 32" Tub chair. That makes it look odd. Buy don't worry about keying chair heights to the sofa/sectional at all.

The # 1044 Sadler rocks. One of the best. Thats my personal chair at home in Kipling Whiskey.

I went back to the leather descriptions to read about the Milan, but I didn't see it. Can you give me any insight on that particular leather. I know in several posts you speak highly of the Kipling, but I don't think it has as dark shade of brown as Milan. In your opinion, how does the Milan compare with the kipling leathers - both having the pull-up characteristics? I may be doing this backwards focusing on the leather before the chair style, but I am anxious to choose a paint color too...

Milan is a heavy pull-up, whereas Kipling is a light pull-up. You will get more of that effect by a factor of three or so with Milan. Kipling also has more of a waxy topcoat than Milan, and you have (5) color choices in Kipling, only the one color in Milan.

i have sat in and felt kipling and it is pretty nice (for the price). I will be buying Kipling this time and they do have a dark brown.

Is the kipling less prone to scratching and/or fading due to the waxy topcoat? I don't think I'll mind the scratches much since that can add to character, but the chair is going in front of 4 large windows. It's not realistic that I will always have the shades drawn, so fading is a worry. :(
But I really like how rich those unprotected leathers are!

Only finished leathers stand up well to direct sunlight, Terri. Everything else is going to fade. There are things you can do to minimize the fading however.

* Are the windows relatively new? If so, they may have a UV coating on them and that helps considerably.

* Have a solar tint film applied over the windows (I have done this in my home). Makes a big difference and saves everything in the room from fade (floors, rugs, tables and even lampshades deteriorate in direct sunlight). Some of the solar films are so light in color you won't even know they're on the windows. A bonus is that they cut the glare down in the room considerably and help to insulate the windows and that in turn saves on energy to heat/cool the house.

* Use LeatherMagic SPF 90 "Suntan lotion" on the piece. Spray it on periodically. It works!

* Drape throws over the piece on high sun days or when the sun is playing on the pieces.

Fade issues are slow enough that you can see it occurring and have time to correct them if it happens. Most stores never tell you about it and therefore you're not aware it can occur and it kind of sneaks up on you one day when you walk around the back of the sofa and see it bleached out. Knowing it can fade makes you forewarned and you have some tools to counter it. I have five huge palladium windows in my family room where all the leather is aniline. By doing the above I have zero fade issues. But if you just place a untreated aniline-dyed sofas in front of a bare, sunny window it will blow the color out by the time its a year-old, and kill the finished leather in three to four years, likewise fabric. Direct sunlight is very powerful, and very damaging to anything with color in it.

Kipling doesn't scratch much. I have it on my recliner at home (3 years now) and there may be a few - it justs adds to the patina of the piece as far as I'm concerned.

Duane, I am so glad that you told me about this sun fading issue as I never would have thought of it. I faithfully drape all of the H - M pieces whenever we leave the lake house. Then when I arrive it is part of my "welcome back" routine to whisk the sheets off of the pieces!