Equestrian v. Quintessence; Recommendations for Chocolate Brown Leather

Thinking about the Kodiak Sofa 9503, I'm looking for a soft, matte, chocolate brown leather without a lot of special effects (i.e., without what some people on the forum have called the "splotchy" look), and which is not painted (i.e., which is unprotected). Don't want a pull up hide. No pets. Kids are 13 and 11. We don't eat on the couch. Sun exposure isn't a problem. This would be for our everyday family room tv watching/hanging out. (Have a bigger screen in the basement for movie nights and gaming.) Don't want a leather reserved for couches that look nice but never get used, but want the soft, luxury feel. Don't want hides from Chinese tanneries.

As a color reference point, I like how Duane's newer Leathercraft sofa looks in the fifth picture down in this post. http://www.myfurnitureforum.com/show...es-in-my-house

From many swatches, I think I'm down to Equestrian and Quintessence. I'd appreciate input on deciding between Equestrian and Quintessence.

1. Equestrian Walnut--the swatch is very nice. I saw the forum discussion about how this is a thicker hide, can handle everyday life better than Quintssence. But, it would not be as soft as Quintessence. What do people mean when they say Equestrian squeaks. What could I expect? Don't think I want noisy leather.
Found a pix of the Esquestrian Walnut the forum. http://www.myfurnitureforum.com/show...e-Just-Arrived!!!

2. Quintesssence. Love the softness; I am willing to use the Leather Magic protection to help protect against acid and oil stains. Think it would be okay for our lifestyle. Debating colors from swatches.

a. For Quintessence Chestnut, the name "chestnut" sounds like it would be reddish and pix of other chestnut leathers show them to be reddish. If I want more of a true chocolate brown, does that rule out Quintessence Chestnut?

b. For Quintessence Saddle, I haven't found any representative pictures. On H&M's website, the Quintessence Saddle color looks nothing like my swatch. Looks like a tan. I know the swatch is supposed to be a better (but not perfect) indicator. Got any pictures in Quintessence Saddle? Is it more of a light brown?

c. On the H&M website, the Quintessence Bark or Quintessence Mink looks more like what I'd want but the samples we have of those show them as very dark, almost black. These pix online show them as much lighter than my swatches (in the respective lighting in which they were taken):

http://www.myfurnitureforum.com/show...ntessence-Bark

http://www.myfurnitureforum.com/show...ntessence-Mink.

Questions: Are Quintessence Bark or Mink really dark , almost black? I don't want black. Just a nice rich chocolatey brown.

Thanks in advance.

I once sat in a recliner that had Equestrian leather. When I moved around in the chair or moved the footrest and reclined the back the leather made significant noise (squeaks) as it rubbed or contacted other leather on the chair or certain pieces of my clothing. It was very annoying for me personally. There are a number of new leathers just introduced by H&M at the Spring market. These will be on the H&M website later in June. There may be some additional possibilities. Best of luck.

Thanks. That's helpful. :)

Are Quintessence Bark or Mink really dark , almost black?

Mink is a very dark, nearly black green. Bark is a very, very dark brown. Chestnut is a Milk Dud color chocolate.

Thanks, Duane. That helps. I thought I saw green in the mink! What about Quintessence Saddle compared to chestnut? The swatch I have of the saddle is a tiny bit darker than the Quintessence Chestnut. Does that hold true from what you have seen? I also like the swatch of Capri Tobacco but think the special effects would be too much for me on a whole couch. Thanks!

Saddle and Chestnut are a few shades apart, both handsome. All these leathers vary in color from batch to batch, for sure.

An entire sofa in Capri Tobacco is quite beautiful, actually.

My Austin High Back Tilt Back chair in Atticus Sable is a beautiful brown leather- and as a GR 2 leather there is a significant cost savings over the others as well.

Atticus is IMO likely the best GR 2 leather that H&M presently offers.

I also love Attitus Saddle.

1) This is a very classic and rich brown color. It is easy with any decoration.
2) it is pleasantly surprised to see that the leather never have a stain in my test.But other more expensive leathers can see stains easily.
3) it is only priced at grade 2, which offers great cost saving.

I wanted to add that I have an Austin recliner in Quintessence Mink. It is located in a theater room with relatively low light, and it certainly appears much darker than the images shown in the link you provide taken in full sunlight. I can say in low light settings the color is very attractive/elegant next to cranberry and olive green colors.