Evening Sofa with customized straight back cushions

*Attached are a couple of photos of our new Evening sofa with the customized back cushions. We selected the Antelope leather since we have a dog (Finnegan) and though he's not technically "allowed" on the sofa, he would occasionally end up there when the lights went out! Ironically, we haven't found him lounging on the sofa yet, and were not really sure why?! Also, we do have solar film on our windows since the back of the sofa is exposed to the sun. The lighting in this room is rather dim and my camera isn't the best, so hopefully, the photos are clear enough to give you an idea of the design changes to the Evening.

After many months of planning and decision making, the H&M Evening sofa in Antelope Nugget that we ordered from Duane at the Keeping Room finally arrived. For less than $200, H&M customized the sofa with straight back cushions since we felt that the original curved design might require too much primping to maintain a neat and tidy appearance. We had also ordered the Abbott Recliner and Evening chair and ottoman. All of the pieces were delivered by Sun Delivery without a problem. The only minor issue that we had was with the Abbott footrest, where it appeared that a staple/nail had been displaced and left the sharp end pointing outward. I contacted Duane for advice on how to handle and he advised me that I could remove (a simple procedure requiring the removal of 4 screws) and either ship back to H&M or take to my local upholstery shop for repair. I decided to go local and carefully packaged the footrest to avoid the staple puncturing the leather. I even pulled my car over one time on my way to the shop to assure that the footrest was properly padded and positioned for its ride so that the staple/nail would cause no further harm. Anyway, the upholsterer took one look at the footrest, picked up a large wooden mallet and whacked the leather over the sharp point of the displaced staple/nail! I thought I'd have a heart attack since I had been so careful not to even touch the area for fear of puncturing the leather. According to the upholsterer, in order to physically extract the staple, it would have been necessary to remove all of the 's' nails due to its location. He said that there is a very slight chance that the staple could relocate and again cause a problem, but since that is unlikely; he thought it best not to disassemble the footrest. He made the repair while I waited and there was no charge. Anyway, it looks great and the problem appears to be resolved. So now we can just sit back, relax and enjoy our new H&M furniture!

In closing, I liked to add that we are so happy with our decision to take our business to Duane at the Keeping Room which is 3 hours from our home, even though we have an H&M furniture dealer nearby where we purchased our first sofa. With shipping added, Duane’s price was slightly higher, which I would expect due to the location of his store, (our local store is remotely located and surrounded by farms and fields). The big difference is that Duane has provided us with excellent advice and service throughout the furniture planning process. We are also very grateful for this forum that has provided us with the opportunity to learn so much about leather and quality furniture construction. Thanks again Duane and the Keeping Room will surely be a stop off point for us the next time we are in Alexandria, VA!

Congratulations! The sofa looks great and the straight cushions look really nice. I agree with your thought that the curved cushions would have been more difficult to keep looking perfect. And Finnegan is adorable. I love seeing pictures of peoples dogs! Thanks for posting the photos!

Hi Marianne,

The new sofa looks great! One thing I really like about Hancock & Moore is they always get the custom stuff right, no surprises. Jimmy Moore makes sure of it. I actually have another on order with the same mod for another customer right now - told her about yours and she liked the idea, so we're duplicating what you pioneered. Thanks for making the drive all the way from Pennsylvania, I appreciate the business and I know you put your heart and soul into getting this one perfect.

Oh, and Finnegan looks like a really cool Golden!

I really do like how the modified Evening Sofa looks. Actually, I think I like the look better than the City Sofa I am considering.

Does anyone have experience with the feel of the Evening Sofa compared to the City Sofa #9844? I sat in the City #9840 and it didn't feel roomy enough. The larger #9844 which I also sat in felt good. My husband like the higher back sofas for added head support. Thoughts, anyone?

The Evening sofa will be a larger overall piece than the 9844 City and has more design elements to it plus comes with brass nail trim which the City series does not. It will sit a little 'bigger' than the 9844 as well. They look good with the modified back, and have done two that way for customers. Frame mod charge is not as severe as one would think, I seem to recall it was about $ 500 (going from memory, don't hold me to it).

So much for my memory! I looked it up today, its only $ 112 custom charge to make the # 1667 Evening Sofa with a straight across, horizontal back. About as inexpensive a custom mod as you will ever see.

That is truly an incredible price for a modification. Just to clarify though...that price is the modification to make the straight across cushions only? (I would think it would have to be at $112.) The curved part of the sofa's back frame remains?

Right now I can't find any store within a reasonable distance in the SF Bay Area with an Evening sofa to test drive...more on that in another post where I can get everyone's collective experience and wisdom.

Nope! That would be a hack mod, and Hancock and Moore doesn't do hacks. The $ 112 is to modify the frame AND the cushions both.

I need to qualify that dollar amount. That's the price I charge for the modification, other dealers will set their own price for custom work.

Thanks for the clarification, Duane. I thought from one of your previous responses that the $112 included a straight cushion and modified straight back frame, but I simply couldn't believe the price! I thought it had to be wrong. Another new terminology - "hack mod". I am learning so much from this forum!

Note: Other dealers won't even mention that H & M will customize. I guess it is too much bother for them. They seem to only want an order written and a deposit made. For that reason, once I decide on the sofa and the leather, I will take the leap of faith and order through you!

My pleasure. Many dealers are too lazy to inquire about custom modifications on behalf of a customer, as it requires a little leg work. They're never too lazy to pick up the phone and tattle/complain about my operation, though <chortle>.