H&M # 4651 Lena Sofa, # 5253S Rosemont Swivel Chair/Otto in Quintessence Brandy

I never-ever get tired of looking and unpacking furniture in Grade 4 high-end leather. Wow.

I know its more expensive, but its like having a chocolate milkshake made with real ice cream from Baskin-Robbins compared to that stuff that comes out of the Frosty machine at Wendy's.

Just beautiful. And look how crisp those side panels are on the Chair and ottoman. THAT.... is the art of upholstery that not many makers can deliver. The Hancock and Moore difference.

Looks almost too good. You don't want to sit and make a crease in it... Haha!

Yes, one can just see the beauty of the leather oozing out from the photo! Now you've got me bugged a little bit about the burnished leather for the Carmen. Just saying. I do notice that the Grade 4s look more uniform in color which probably wouldn't work as well on the Carmen.

No comparison between a burnished hide and a butter-soft like Quintessence. Burnished leathers are thicker, stiffer, full of color bursts and creak a little. Quintessence is a luxury, super smooth, super soft leather that is all about elegant extravagance.

In your opinion how do the Burnished leathers compare to the Antelope leather as far as feel and just overall. We have Antelope now so it gives us some idea. Talk about a leap of faith. Its easy to see how the Carmen lends itself to a burnished hide based on your photos and the H&M photo and as you have stated previously. Choosing a leather seems a lot tougher that choosing the right sofa. Haven't even looked at chairs yet. Still, going to make this a fun experience, (maybe not so much for Duane the expert). Thanks for your valuable insights and patience.

Antelope if a very high end, German-made, FINISHED (or painted) leather. Its as good as that class of leather gets and goes at a GR 4 price point. Its very supple, and soft. In order to not get it to feel like most Finished leathers, there is not as much color material on the hide, and it will fool most into thinking its a pure aniline. However, it is costly as a GR 4 and for the same money you can get its sister hides, the pure aniline Capri and Quintessence.

Burnished hides are from Italy for the most part, and thicker cut. They will have gorgeous blasts of color and high-low tones. They're done by hand at H&M after the piece is fully upholstered, so no two are alike. The hides will be stiffer, and make typical saddle squeaking noises. I have (5) burnished leather pieces in my house, so you know I like that look (2) Steele Farm Barstools and (2) Tannery Chairs, as well as a Boot Stool.

They are different looks, one is not better than the other!