Looking for leather sectional advice

So I've searched around a bit on the threads (which have been a fantastic resource) but I figured the best way to get some advice was to just start a thread......

So we're looking to get new furniture for our family room. We need more sitting room as we are a family of five. Our kids are 5, 3, and 2. We also have a golden retriever that enjoys sleeping on the sofa (for now....). We have decided that a leather sectional is what we would like to purchase. My biggest concern is spending a significant amount of money on something that may not hold up well to our family's......um......energy. In your opinion, is it worth spending more on a higher quality sectional, thinking that it will hold up better for a longer period of time? Or, is it pretty much a given that its going to get beat up, no matter what the construction or leather quality?

Honestly, we don't really have a "budget". I'm more of a "value" shopper and will spend more if I decide that I'm going to get more value in the long run.

So any advice would be appreciated......brands, specific things to look for, etc. Thanks in advance.

Brett

YES! A quality piece will have a decent, solid suspension and frame, and that becomes your failure points. The external cover, if leather, will last as well as you are willing to take care of it with minor maintenance. You don't have to buy into a high line group such as Hancock and Moore where sectionals are $ 8,500 and up, but buy into a "B" group tier such as Bradington Young, Classic Leather, American Leather, etc. You'll get solid construction and durability and they will be a couple thousand less in price. With young kids, the two key things are 1) No permanent markets in the house 2) Don't let the use the sectional as a trampoline.

I raised both my kids on Bradington Young pieces, they are now 22 and 20, and we still have those pieces we bought when they were toddlers.

Thanks for the quick reply Duane, very much appreciated.

So we looked at a couple dealers today - one carried American, Classic, and Bradington-Young, as well as Carolina Custom Leather. I'm curious how the CCL compares to the others - my guess, certainly considering the price, is that it's right up there. In all honesty, though, it was our favorite so far in terms of style and comfort. Just felt solid, yet very comfortable. The style that we looked at (can't remember which one) had a slightly higher back, which we liked. Some of the styles that I looked at online for the other manufacturers were not carried however, so I'm going to have to search around a bit more to try to see all of the styles that we liked online. There are a couple other local dealers that I want to visit - one carries American and Bradington-Young, the other carries American and Elite. So we'll see what styles they have and how they compare.

We also visited a dealer with lesser quality stuff. Their "higher" end product was Palliser which, after having seen and sat in the others, just didn't compare. Certainly less expensive, but you get what you pay for……….They also carried Bauhaus? Never heard of it before - seemed OK - better than the Palliser, but still below the others. Looking online, it seems that they are a division of La-Z-Boy, so I'm assuming lower tier quality construction/leather. Price fell between Palliser and the others.

As far as grades of leather go, I'm guessing that, considering our usage and younger family, we should be looking at Grade 1 leathers? Less prone to show scratches, etc.? Kind of the last thing that we'll end up deciding (after brand/style), but I figured I'd ask while I remembered.

Thanks again for the help!

Brett

There are thousands of furniture makers, its impossible to know how they are all built, so I can't advise on you ones I'm not familiar with.

Read "A PRIMER IN LEATHER" here on the forum, that will give you an understanding on various hides. Good luck.

Thanks Duane. I read through the Primer in Leather info and that certainly educates me on what to look for concerning the leather itself. Looked again today at some other stores without seeing anything special. If you have a minute, I've posted a link to the Carolina Custom page concerning construction. Obviously you can't comment on the quality of the construction, but if you could let me know if you see any concerns with the materials used or the description of the construction, I'd very much appreciate it.

http://www.ccleather.com/craftmanship.html

I will also get some more info on the BY sectional that we liked. Don't know if its something that you can get or not, but it certainly wouldn't hurt to ask I guess....

Thanks again,

Brett

I remember going into their showroom (Carolina Custom Leather) at Market and noticing that they do blatant rip-offs of Hancock & Moore designs. Tailoring work was unimpressive to me and though they copied many forms of H&M, they didn't sit like them. However, I saw nothing in their build construction that would make me think they would suffer early failure of the pieces themselves. They should be far less in cost in H&M as well. I did not buy the line, I think Bradington Young (whom I already have a dealership with) does it better at about the same price points as CCF.

Check out the cover on the 1806 cocktail ottoman under "Chairs" on their web site. I love that!