Variance in dye lots with painted leathers

[shepard]

Hello,

We already ordered a Hancock & Moore Your Way recliner in Champion Slate and were looking to get another sofa to place in a L-shape to the first one.
Our dilemma comes from picking a leather. We know one option is to go with another leather in a complimentary color, but we would really like to have one matching. We were told that even if ordered together, there is no guarantee that they will be from the same dye lot and can look completely different or at least off enough to be bothersome.

Is this a real worry still with painted leathers? How far off can they be? I haven't been finding a good deal of example images, but maybe I'm just not looking in the right places.
Is there no point to trying to match them?

[drcollie]

I don't think it will be an issue for you. Finished leather are painted, and paint is a consistent formula that uses the same mix of pigments batch to batch. It is far more consistent than aniline dyed leathers in that regard. Your existing sofa will have a slight change from sun exposure and use, just like if you bought a new car, its never as vivid and shiny as it is the day its new. But that variance is negligible and most people will not even notice it.

However, if you are on the OCD end of the spectrum, then things like that might bother you, only YOU know YOU. Your dealer is protecting himself and that is understandable because I do the same thing in my store. We don't know a client's tolerance for variation and if we don't mention it, then it can come back to us as an "I don't want this sofa and you didn't tell me this could happen". I have had customers like that before, I'm sure other dealers have as well. Me? My eyes are not that critical, and anyone coming in your home would probably not ever pick up on it, either. But the only way to have exact matching is to order everything at the same time so its all out of one batch of leather. That's the for-sure way.

Champion is one of the last leathers sourced from China. That means it will likely be dropped and all furniture-makers are getting out of China as fast as they can. That's why you are seeing so many new leathers and drops - most all the drops are tanneries from China. So don't wait too long, I don't have a crystal ball on H&M's future drops, but I think that hide will be retired from the line sooner rather than later. Under your center seat cushion is a "Flag" of leather, but that all the way off and give to your dealer to send in with the order. IF H&M has the "flag" and sees their current batch of hides is way off, then they will contact the dealer and let them know