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Leather Choices and My Growing Family.
Lol Duane might eye roll when he sees this post thinking I have changed my mind again:rolleyes:. I have just come through this process and thought I would give a little input on my leather selection for a York sectional. I only ever considered aniline from the get-go. To me it was worth the cost consideration because paint can flake over time... And it's boring. I know I am going to have this sofa until the leather is no longer good, a very long time because I am going to take care of my cow!
I first thought I wanted Capri. It absolutely blew me AWAY! The smell, the oh so soft lambskin feel, the drape... It is just innnnncredible! You may not even realize it until you get your hands on a big sample. The smaller samples did it no justice whatsoever. In fact had I not already handled the big ones and knew Capri was magnificent, I would have passed it right by. Why? Because the little samples had texture and didnt have that sumptuous softness or drape! Honestly, I still am in love with Capri. One day WAY down the road, I AM going to have it on a chair :). I will, I will! Ah a millionaire's budget on a sailor's budget...
I have three children 5 and under and plan on another on in the near future, Lord willing. I realized I needed something just a bit more protected. Plus sometimes spills happen, though we don't allow the kids to eat on the sofa, we ourselves occasionally do, and the kids sippies sometimes dribble or leak, and diaper accidents have happened in the past... This is all nothing compared to what may happen to it when the kids are teenagers and have friends over, though... I think they will need their own sofa, fully slipcovered, at that point lol.
So I ordered more samples.
Equestrian: Pebbly, shiny, had a texture to it that felt like it had been sprayed with hairspray, without the stickiness. It is fully protected though still aniline because of that topcoat... But it just wasn't right for me. I do feel quite sure equestrian could hold up to teenagers, though!
Weston: read about how soft the unburnished westons are and thought it might offer a bit more protection than Capri. There are a lot of color offerings in it it, though for our large sectional I wanted a neutral. Weston tobacco was nice. It was a little slick, conpared to zero slickness of Capri, but was matte in shine and still had a bit of a buttery velvety type touch/ drape; it was nice to handle! It is difficult to scratch, but if you press hard with your nail you can, though it does not show up much (since it is not designed to.) I decided I wanted something a little more interesting, though Weston no doubt would look awesome on the York.
Hyde Park tan and brownie burnished: I liked these a lot. So much so that for a while I had almost decided on the brownie. They are burnished, so I thought they would offer a decent amount of protection, but still soft! Not weston or capri soft as "soft" is relative, but they were pleasing to the touch. if I went the burnished route, I wanted something that still retained some softness and did not have extreme color effects... Hyde park fit. I dont know if it was my small samples or not, though, but the cut was thick. They did scratch which confused me at first, making me think they were a bit of a pull-up, too, but those scratches did not color burst. Hyde park was a strong contender. I later came across some other photos of a few other burnished hides that looked pretty, though I did not order samples of them. The only other burnished I got was weston cane burnished, and it wasn't soft enough for me.
Decided pull ups sounded amazing. Different marks and shading over the furniture's lifetime... If it is "scratched" in one of our numerous moves, it will look normal and will likely fill in with wax over time.
I did not want the pull up effect to be extremely pronounced as to make the piece look rugged, though. I believe there are a few of those in the pool....
Tuscany Harness: you almost had me. I loved the colors of the dark brown and the light brown burst. They just look great. I was surprised on a larger sample how VERY easy it was to "scratch" or show color with the faintest of nail pressure, though. I decided this may look a little busy on such a large and transitional York sectional. I loved it on the tufted ottoman, though.
And lastly Tiburon.
I thought Tiburon would be just like Tuscany, but it wasn't. The only brown they had was Java, and the stock photo on h&ms website made it look black. Then I saw it on a bohemian chair on an old forum post. Ah, I loved it! Got a sample and loved it! It is softer and more pleasing to touch than the stiffer tuscany, and the color burst doesnt show scratches quite as easily. I love it!!! It is rich and interesting, just a little shiny, and seems to have a good hand/ has a softness and flexibility that is good, while the waxes will offer it some protection. It was not as stiff as the tuscany. It is neat to make scratches and then rub them quickly with your finger and watch them disappear as the heat from the friction moves the wax back over it. There are a ton of colors to choose from for tiburon too. I only wanted a shade of brown or caramel, though, so my only choice was Java. I still wish they had a nice caramel color in it similar to capri harness, though. I can't wait to see it on my sectional in person.
The moral to this story is keep ordering samples. Everyones tastes and needs are different. You can try to ask Duane all day long what he likes and what different hides feel like and only get a few steps down the road... You need samples in your bare hands. Your tastes may change as you handle more leathers, and you may love something you had initially never considered. I tried various kitchen spills on the hides as well. None of them stained for long. The only ruin was when I was initially considering bradington young and subjected my 9085 sample to some vinegar, like I did with all of my samples... Instant devastation on that one! My 6 month journey has been fun! Submitting my order before I can change my mind again ;). Good luck!
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Re: Leather Choices and My Growing Family.
Thanks for this post Savannah!
I am too a mom of a growing family -although mine are a bit older than yours and less in number. I am considering almost the same leathers you are and I am guilty of bugging Duane with a million questions on "how he likes this one or that one" :( However, I am getting my order in to him today for some samples so I can do what you did -touch, smell, spill on them. Can I ask you if you got to see and sit on the York sectional? If you did, how does it sit? Is it "deep seating"? Does it have "visual weight" (does it look big) or is it more of a "small scale" sectional ? (I'm sorry if these are dumb questions :S ) and are you adding nails to it?
thanks again!
Viviv
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Re: Leather Choices and My Growing Family.
I have not seen the York in person :eek:!! I have gravitated toward that style for years... The legs, the t-cushions... Just love it. When I started sectional shopping over a year ago, I was so bored with all of the sectional offerings everyone else had. They might have a few decently styled sofas, but their sectionals were so frumpy, plain, and hugely square and chunky. Enter hancock and moore. I could not believe it when I saw what I loved right in front of my eyes on a SECTIONAL! It is 26" D inside, one of the deepest (though I believe their deepest pieces go to 29"?) that they offer. Later I switched gears and considered the La Cross, thinking the curved arms and slightly less depth might be better before deciding I should go back to the York and stop trying to make myself like something I didn't really care that much for. I love tons of throw pillows... I make my own using amy butler fabrics... So it will be great to have the extra depth for pillows and for lounging as a family. York is relaxed, yet elegant. It is simple, yet refined. The outside depth is 42"., so I would definitely consider it a sofa with presence. Yes, I am adding CC nails along the bottom all the way around, on the very outside framing the arms, and framing the back! It's going to be beautiful! Also added ultradown to the seat cushions. I submitted my order today! I can't believe I finally did it! I will be happy to answer any other questions that you have.
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I have only seen two photos of the York:
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Re: Leather Choices and My Growing Family.
Savannah it sounds perfect!!! I love it too but husband is not too keen on the "modern" look of it. I don't think its too modern at all; just clean cut ;>. So we are considering the September sectional. I submitted for a quote today and ordered samples as well. We'll see how they look in our space. I think that its going to end up being a toss between the Weston Sand and the Tiburon Mink.... maybe! I'm going blind from looking at color swatches and sofa pics on my monitor for hours on end. LOL!!
Thanks for the reply! Post pics when it arrives please!
Be well!
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Re: Leather Choices and My Growing Family.
Gosh! The York in the "white" leather is stunning! :)
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It really is so pretty in white. I could never talk my husband into white leather, nor am I that brave ha. Well what is important is to find something yall will love. Everyone's tastes are different! My husband has offered zero input on this process other than he wanted brown. I was just floundering for months trying to decide!
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On and as for modern, I don't think the York is either! My style is shaker/ farm house/ beachy (we have lived in hawaii so I do have a few beach things around)! My decor is clean lined, as I also agree the York is :). Modern to me is metal/ industrial with chunky and/or angular square lines to it. The York's t-cushions soften it up, and that with the tapered legs help to make it transitional. This dresser and bed that my husband and I built are good examples of our personal style:
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Totally agree! I love that look. So fresh. I can't wait to see your pictures of the new sectional when it arrives!! I feel we have a few months worth of decisions before being ready to order :S. It's such a big investment and decision.
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I'm happy to hear that I am not the only one obsessing over endless little squares of leather. We are going for the Martini sofa (need two of them) and wanted a caramely brown pull-up. We want to do the top of the arms and the gimp with a contrasting, darker leather. I have learned so much from this forum, have read and re-read Duane's leather manifestos, but still undecided. I think I am on my 4th (or could be 5th) order of samples. I thought I was the only one who was so indecisive! Our first choice was Mesquite Saddle and we still do like it, but I think it may be too light for us. Then we turned towards Hyde Park Tan, then Hyde Park Earth. Couldn't get past the pebbly texture of the Hyde Park samples. Our new favorite is Prairie Caramel. It is a new leather so Duane doesn't have much of an opinion about it. We had also passed over the Tiburon Java since it looked so dark on the website. I decided to take a look at a couple more samples, so I asked for the Tiburon this time too. They should be here any day now and I WILL MAKE A DECISION! I so admire people who can order 3 or 4 samples, make a decision, and forget about it.
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Lol, Jake, now you're going to make me second guess tiburon and wish I would have gotten some prairie samples! In the pics you took, I liked the prairie chestnut. I would be interested in how the hand of prairie compares to tiburon. It is hard to tell with the small samples, but when I handled the larger ones, I could immediately tell a big difference between it and Tuscany. Tiburon has a nice drape and softness to it, to be a pull-up. {In my own very limited experience, lol}. Can people REALLY order after just a few samples??? Maybe so if they want luxury and start with Capri... there's no reason to keep looking, lol... Seriously it was love in sight, smell, and touch, immediately!
I am incredibly indecisive. My indecision was on steroids with this purchase seeing as how I am going to be living with it until it is in tatters...! You better believe I am going to clean and condition this baby. My friends jaws dropped when they heard how much we would be spending. One of them has two new leather sofas from a big box furniture store that her young boys already managed to tear... Because the leather isnt full grain and is so thin! I doubt their sofas will ever make a move unharmed. My husband still thinks I am insane to be spending so much $$$$$ on this since we move every two years, and I do worry about it. If something happens, the moving companies will be paying to fix it, so I guess I need to just let it go.
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ViviV, since you like the september, have you considered the la cross? You can get it without tufting if you want. It has a big presence. Here are some pics of it, custom without tufting, except the back. You could go sans tufting on the entire thing if you wanted. It looks so different in a good leather like in these pics than the stock photos. It is roomy, 24.5" inside depth, and you can configure it to be long... The longest is 129x131. That is a lot longer than the september. Btw, I like quilting too... That parisian sofa is pretty! I wouldn't mind a chair with some quilting, but my husband said, "ugh!", when he saw quilted leather... Attachment 8174
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Re: Leather Choices and My Growing Family.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Savannah
ViviV, since you like the september, have you considered the la cross? You can get it without tufting if you want. It has a big presence. Here are some pics of it, custom without tufting, except the back. You could go sans tufting on the entire thing if you wanted. It looks so different in a good leather like in these pics than the stock photos. It is roomy, 24.5" inside depth, and you can configure it to be long... The longest is 129x131. That is a lot longer than the september. Btw, I like quilting too... That parisian sofa is pretty! I wouldn't mind a chair with some quilting, but my husband said, "ugh!", when he saw quilted leather...
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I love this sofa!!! I like the plain front and tufted back! If you are going to float a piece of furniture and interesting back is a must. Very good choice!:D What leather/color is this? It looks like Butternut.
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Savannah you read my mind! I've requested a quote on the Lacross too!! AND absolutely without the buttons at least on the front bottom piece.
I LLLLLLOOOOOOVVVVEEEEEEE the quilted Parisian in white leather in the H&M catalog!! If I had to ask nobody else to consider (hubby and our boys) id be ordering 2 of those babies!! Totally feminine and elegant but still with "presence and weight". :o
The Lacross is a huge contender right now. I hate the front legs though.......I would like plain legs.
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I am so with you on not liking those legs. That's a big reason I changed my mind... It was going to bring it too out of budget to change them to tapered, and I just could not bring myself to like them as-is. It is a nice and deep size, though, which is great! So much can be changed if $ allows.
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Hmmmm i really do wish I could see all the sectionals side by side in order to decide!! If I go with the Lacross I'm definitely going to modify it and the price will go up which is not what I want. I like the York for the depth but would probably end up with the modifications you've spoken of in the other threads. And Id want an extra seat added to the sofa side (I need one loveseat side and a sofa side. I'm trying to get a sectional 105"x 140"). I like the chaise and that would get us close or over 140" but my husband said no chaise. :(
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Re: Leather Choices and My Growing Family.
For some reason, furniture makers - all of them - struggle with explaining sectional components to their consumers, especially on their web sites. I complain to them CONSTANTLY and get the 'we will look into it' and nothing seems to happen much. I am always crusading for better website information from them as today's shopper needs those tools to figure out their purchase. If I had the time to do nothing but detail all that, I could do it here myself, but there are so many hours I can put into the forum as the nuts and bolts of running a store take precedence.
Here's some tricks on sectionals to remember:
L-shapes are very easy to compute the size on the wall. You take the length of the non-corner piece, say an LAF Sofa (has a single, arm 3 seats and connects to the corner) that may be 82", then add in the overall depth of the perpendicular piece which is probably around 42" and your wall space on that segment is 82" + 42" = 124". Want to add a seat? Most seat widths are 22" to 24", just add that to the 124" and you have 148" or so.
Quarter turns are harder to compute on wall space. I spend most of 8th and 9th grade asleep in Geometry and never got it - but I think the answer is there. Any math teachers here?
Trying to get a custom size sectional is tricky, because say you want 140", but the choices are 124" (2-seat) and 148" (3-seat) and you want 140". The only way to do that is take 8" out of the (3) seat cushions which for this exercise are 24" wide each, so you are going to shrink them in width by 3" each. This will alter the visual proportion of the piece because maybe we did not shrink the opposite side the same, and the seat cushions are wider on that side. Also, we have not altered the depth so the whole piece goes out of balance somewhat.
Folks say "I only want to shorten it by 8", why does it cost so much?" Well, everything on it has to now be custom. The frame has to be made shorter, the entire spring grid layout has to be reconfigured in the suspension, the cushion maker has to make new cores up, and the pattern maker has to do a custom pattern for the every aspect of that side of the frame. There is quite a bit of work in a custom mod, its not a profit center for the maker. Most companies won't do custom, because to do so you have to do all parts of the build in-house, and have people smart enough to read a work order <G>
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Re: Leather Choices and My Growing Family.
ViviV, you mean you would do the mods to the york, add nails and single panel sides? Yeah, it is definitely much more budget friendly than a modified la cross since the la cross is already a lot more to begin with before mods. I like chaises too, but we move a lot, so it would be hard to always fit in... Right now in our current house we would have no living room left if there was a chaise, lol. Sometimes when we PCS, the rentals are slim pickings! Ahh, it's the life! A nice large ottoman is what I plan on after we move next, and it is multi functional ;).
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Re: Leather Choices and My Growing Family.
Savanah and ViviV,
We got a chance to look at the complete H&M leather sample selection and we really liked the Tiburon Mink and Tiburon Java. We are changing our minds (again) and going that route instead of the Prairie. We like both the Java and the Mink. The Mink is a gorgeous color. Brown, but has something else going on. Do you know of any pictures of pieces done up in either Mink or Java? Thanks!
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Hi Savannah and Jake,
I haven't seen the Tiburon in person. I did order the Tiburon mink sample and can't wait to see it. I'm sure I saw a pic of Tiburon Java on the pictures section of the forum. If I find it again ill send you a link.
Savannah, I have been a pest to Duane asking a thousand and one questions and exploring how to get what we want out of a sectional. I'm pretty set on the Lacross. I'm waiting for leather samples and for some prices on how much it would cost to change the Lacross' legs and remove tuffing buttons from the front of the pieces. At minimum the legs have to be changed. I'd like simple legs. It's already got enough going on. But I have to tell you that I'm secretly hoping that your York sectional arrives extra fast so I can see how it looks with nails, etc. LOL!!
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Jake, here is Tiburon java Attachment 8199
http://www.myfurnitureforum.com/show...ir-and-leather
Haha viviv, I know right!? I think it will be May before I get it, though!!
I just realized I never ordered a mink sample!
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And now I am wondering if I missed a gem and made the wrong choice! Pretty sure it is TOO late, but I need to see mink lol.
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Found mink. It is on the cushions and gimp. My favorite way to search is not actuallywith the toolbar on here, it is with google. Put in your search term in your google search, then space, then site:www.myfurnitureforum.com.
For example put in: tiburon mink site:www.myfurnitureforum.com
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Oh thank you Savannah! Don't worry, you didn't make the wrong choice. Java is stunning! What nails and wood did you use with it? I could see a rustic nail. But then again, silver nails would give it a cool look too. Mink..... Java...... Mink....... Java...... must decide.... time's a'wastin!
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Whew can you tell I am nervous lol!?!
I was sooo torn in my nail selection. What I REALLY wanted was the lone star or el paso nail spaced along the bottom, but budget wouldnt permit that :(. I ended up going with the dull silver nail, carpenter's CC, though I leaned ttowards wanting S nails for a more rustic look...
For the wood I chose dark oak just because I think it goes best with our wood furniture. I considered walnut too.
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Pics of my tiburon java sample
Attachment 8208
Trying to upload a better one from outside, but it isn't working. Maybe later...
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Re: Leather Choices and My Growing Family.
Hi there! Thanks for the searching tip Savannah! That's going to save some time!! I love both of the Tiburon colors. Java is luxurious!! However I'm leaning towards lighter tones and away from orange and red undertones. I'm not sure where I'll end up but I can tell you my favorite leather so far is Weston Sand ..... But I've seen it on screen only! :S so we know what that means..... Nothing! I'm anxious for my first samples to arrive. I check the mailbox daily with as much anxiety as the kids have on Christmas morning!!! So silly!!
BTW, have any of you seen any sectional pictures in the forum that show an H&M sectional in light leather color?
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I'm sorry, I haven't, other than the photo of the sundance sectional in Weston sand that you already saw. I did see one other picture of Weston sand on another piece when I did my google trick. It looks very nice. Weston has an almost velvety type touch to it; I think you will love it. A lighter neutral leather such as a taupe like Weston sand would be pretty on your sectional. You really can't go wrong whether going light of dark, though since all the full grain aniline hides they offer are so pretty and are 1000x nicer than you would ever see in a big box furniture store... unless you get something maybe a little too bright or wild that you might not love so much down the road ;). With a sectional I think neutral is good!
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Finally got my other photo up of Tiburon Java, Jake8! Apparently the file was too large.
Attachment 8209
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Re: Leather Choices and My Growing Family.
Thank you Savannah. Ours came in the mail today and we think it is perfect! Funny that we like it so much because we originally were looking at caramel colors. The sofas we have now are medium brown leather. We have had them for nearly 20 years and wanted something different, so we thought lighter would be a nice change. Then we saw the Java and really fell for it. We'd like to get an ottoman, so maybe we will do the ottoman lighter. I need to decide on nails and wood now.... would like a little contrast with the dark Java. Thinking the Antique Oak wood but not sure about the nails. Maybe the brass or silver since they would contrast with the Java. We are running out of time so I won't be able to get nail samples.
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It's hard "not" to fall for tiburon java! Contrasting legs and a complimentary tan or caramel ottoman would be pretty... Java goes with a lot. You're getting a sofa, right? I didn't have time for nail samples either. What's around your house, and what do you like- brass and golds or silver/nickel/ pewters? I like the galvanized metal look, and I gravitate toward serene silvers such as brushed nickel, so that is why I chose CC.
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Yes, we are getting 2 Martini (5736) sofas in Java and I'm thinking about the Campaign Ottoman in Hyde Park Tan. I guess I go more for the brass nails. Actually, Duane says that I still have time to order samples so we will wait until they come to make the final decision.
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I don't know how they did it, but we got nail samples in the mail today! I wasn't expecting them until late this week. The S, L, and Y are very dark and would not show up on Tiburon Java. They would look very nice on a lighter leather though. Even the A and DD nails are dark and I don't know that they would show much contrast. Which leaves the 2 silver nails..... J and CC. About the same color but J is shiny and CC is duller or brushed. The CC is our favorite with Java. Now to decide on the wood.....
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They do get samples out FAST at H&M, usually they go out the next day.
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Duane, in your opinion, should the nail head trim on all of the pieces of furniture in a room be the same?
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Not necessarily. It all depends on what you like, and believe me when I tell you the only person that would ever pick up on the difference would be you.
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Update! My sectional is in upholstery now and expected to be finished in less than two weeks! I will have it in April :O! Way faster than I thought!
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Yay!! Awesome!! Congrats!
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Hey Savannah! Any updates?