H&M furniture and pets/sun

I purchased an amazing H&M sofa and two recliners about two years ago-- I could not have been happier as they far exceeded my expectations. They are absolutely gorgeous and so well constructed. But over this time unfortunately they have become significantly damaged by the sun and our two cats and dogs.. again, this is no fault of H&M or reflection on the quality of their products, but I had not expected leather to not be appropriate for our needs. Despite solar films on our windows, there has been still significant fading and cat and dog claws have caused punctures and abrasions to the arms and backs of each piece. I ordered the beautiful "I stitch" (worth it!!) but there is a small section that had begun to unravel on the back of one cushion, I'm guessing due our cattle dog jumping on the cushion perhaps.

Has anyone had any luck in taking pieces for repair? Or home repair of punctures and other small injuries? At this point I would like to fix the set as much as possible and will most likely gift it to family. It makes me so sad and very stressed to see my beautiful furniture injured, I think I would do better with cheap pieces that I can afford to replace frequently and feel less invested in. Has this happened to anyone else?

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I've attached a few pictures of the damage. Again, I would never dissuade anyone from purchasing H&M pieces, they are by far the highest quality and most beautiful furniture I've owned.

Wow, that is an amazing amount of damage for 2 years. Where do you live and how much sun were these in? Solar films come in difference "strengths" which flter out diferent amounts of light. I would be also be very unhappy with those solar films. Are they low protections films in Southern facing windows or something similar? You should look for the post Duane did recently where he showed two sofas he recolored with a dye kit. If the dye kit worked you could see if the cost of a leather repair person would be worth it to repair the holes. I think he said recently a visit usally costs somewhere around 200.00.

I can't really see a whole lot from that photo set, sorry - I would need a higher quality set of photos to really evaluate the damages.

Lifestyle (pets, etc) varies so much....some households are tougher on things than others. Leather is cow skin of course, and its similar to the skin we have on our own bodies, except it doesn't heal because the cow is no longer alive. If cats dig into your arms they will draw blood and your skin will eventually heal - in leather they will leave punctures. If you get a small tear in your leather or simply want to fill a small hole, a little Elmer's Glue, carefully applied, works remarkably well. Just don't smear the glue over the top surface, keep it in the damaged area only. A few small punctures from the pets is really cosmetic and won't affect the overall wearability and lifespan of the cover.

Sun fade can be an issue on pure anilines. I have probably as many windows in my house as anyone....and I fight with sun control as well, not only on my leather furniture but it affects the turkish rugs in the room and even the artwork on the wall, as well as the framed photos of the kids on the bookcase. We solar tinted the upper five palladium windows many years ago, and were still getting some sun damage. Three years ago I replaced the three sliding glass doors (basic builder grade) with Anderson units using their most expensive glass that was tinted for Florida homes. That was $ 6K to replace them all, but it totally arrested all sun damage in my home. It was that morning sun coming through those doors that was doing the most damage, not the high windows. Another way to control sun damage is to use inexpensive throws to drape over parts of the pieces when you are not home.

When aniline leathers get sun damaged, you can take the little flag that is under the seat cushions and send it off to Pam at Leather Solution Int'l and she will make you a custom dye kit to restore it. You'll have about $ 100 in materials when all done and you can do all that yourself in a couple hours at home, just don't get any of the dye on the carpet. I have done this many times over the years with excellent results. It requires no special skills to apply (other than a little patience) and Pam can even fix you up with a little filler for the leather if you don't want to try the Elmer's Glue. There are also specialists in most major cities that can restore sun damaged leathers as well.

A broken stitch can be resolved easily with a curved needle and some waxed thread. Just like sewing sails on a sailboat, put a few stitches in and it will keep it from unraveling.

Hope that helps!

Also make sure to keep it conditioned. Some of the pictures the leather looks pretty dry and that can contribute to damage - have you been conditioning at least once a year?