Married Covers

Sometimes there in confusion on what constitutes a "Married Cover" which is also referred to and a "Cut and Sewn" Cover. Virtually every maker in the leather upholstery business has some kind of Married Cover program so this explanation will cover most all brands.

The leather is the single most expensive component to put on a piece of upholstery. It costs more than the frame, the suspension and all the foam / cushions. As as there is always pressure from consumers to keep the price down on items, they all strive to look at doing that to catch those customers who would otherwise shop another brand. This is where the married cover comes into play.

A Married Cover (Cut and Sewn) is almost always sourced with leather from a tannery in China, as that generally is the least expensive top grain leather in the world. It will always be a finished leather or at best semi-aniline (still coated/pigmented) coming out of China. Then in order to keep labor costs down it is cut and sewn also in China to fit a particular frame. Because everything goes in a container ship, the quantities required to do a program like this require the upholstery maker to buy hundreds of these covers at a time. This is also why you see limited color choices - they may have to buy 500 "Kits" in one color for one sofa frame at a time. These "kits" will sit in the warehouse here in the USA once they make the trip over the Pacific to the USA.

The workers at most North Carolina upholstery companies make $ 20 to $ 25 an hour, whereas in China I have hear the number kicked around of $ 1 to $ 1.50 an hour working on these married covers. That comes back to you as the consumer as a reduced price in the purchase. It's significant.

When an order comes into the upholstery maker from the dealer, they will get a frame, finish the wood on it, spring and foam it up, then go get a Married Cover out of the box and apply it. So while the sofa is USA made technically - the married cover is 100% done in China. Can you tell a difference between a cover cut and sewn in China and one done in the USA? Well, I can - but you probably cannot! I have a pretty keen eye as I have been doing this for so long and the differences are subtle, but they are there. Let me explain further:

When a hide is cut to make a piece, they place patterns over the hides and mark out the bad areas of the leather, which will become scrap or made into dealer or consumer samples. On average, on a USA-cut hide made by American workers - there weil be appx 35% salvage (waste). 65% is usable and goes on your furniture. In the married covers, I would estimate they get around 20% salvage and use about 80% of the hide. I can see it no so much on facing panels (which is where everyone looks) but on secondary panels in the pieces where neck and belly leather is evident (ie, more wrinkles, more texture, less smooth). Again, it's not something most people notice, but its there. Additionally, because married overs are made up months in advance and live in a box until needed, you will NOT get a dye lot match guaranteed if you order say a Sofa / Chair / Loveseat / Ottoman all in married cover. This is not usually an issue, because the leathers are finished (or painted) and paint is usually consistent. It would be a disaster if done with pure anilines however - the dye lots would be huge.

How does this affect price? Let's use a hypothetical example on Hancock and Moore's leather scale:

Married Cover Sofa : $ 2,700
Grade 1 leather : $ 3,300 (still a Chinese leather)
Grade 2 leather : $ 3,800
Grade 3 leather : $ 4,400 (European)
Grade 4 leather : $ 5,300 (Finest hides)
Grade 5 leather : $ 6,500 (Specialty leathers)

What's the difference in anything other than the cover? Nothing. All the frame, cushions, springs, foam, nail trim are exactly the same. Can you tell the difference in a Married Cover piece and say a Grade 3 leather from Italy? You surely can...this doesn't mean the married cover is bad - its still 100% Top Grain Hide, just like the standard grades, but there a less processed look to the higher grade hides, and they look and feel more elegant. You have to decide where you want to be on price, no one can tell you what to buy because no dealer knows your financial situation! Buy what works for you. Keep in mind though, at the higher build levels these pieces last decades - they don't fail so you will be using them a long time.

Not all married covers are the same, either. Some leathers look more artificial than others - they use different series in the leathers. One thing I do believe in is that its better to buy a higher build quality piece in a married cover than go downmarket in the construction and get a better leather on the lesser made piece.

If you have any more questions on married covers, you may ask them here.