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Thread: New leather furniture for a novice buyer

  1. #11
    bigrnm Guest

    Default Re: New leather furniture for a novice buyer

    Hi Duane,
    In your opinion, which would probably be better for my lifestyle. Pigmented or Semi-aniline?
    And the Antelope leather, is it semi-aniline or pigmented?
    Thanks,
    Big "R"

  2. #12
    Join Date
    Jul 2008
    Location
    Alexandria VA
    Posts
    15,889

    Default Re: New leather furniture for a novice buyer

    You would be OK, with either I think. If you want 'bulletproof' go Finished (pigmented), though the Semi-Aniline will give you 90 % of that protection level.

    Antelope is a Finished leather, but a very high-end one.
    Duane Collie
    Straight answers from thirty-six years in the business.
    My Private Messages are Disabled - Please ask questions here in the forum.

  3. #13
    bigrnm Guest

    Default Re: New leather furniture for a novice buyer

    Thank you sir.
    Get back to you soon.

  4. #14
    bigrnm Guest

    Default Re: New leather furniture for a novice buyer

    Hi Duane,
    It's me again.
    have you ever heard of Spectra Home? Supposed to be a manufacturer of Lane, Lazyboy, Berhardt, etc. Went on its own and opened business about 5 yrs ago? Just wondering because the wife went shopping to the mall this past weekend with her friends. They stopped in at Dillard's and found a leather sofa from Spectra Home that she thought was very nice. According to the salesperson, it had 8-way hand tied suspension, Top grain leather all the way around, Grade "B"?, what ever that means, (finished, semi-aniline)? She said it was very sturdy. the salesperson told her it was construced of hardwood and would last a very, very long time. The thing that bothers me is that I cannot find anything on the internet about Spectra Home. The whole set, (sofa, loveseat, chair) were selling for about $3000, which I said to her, no f___ing way it is real leather, or constructing frame from Kiln-dried hardwood. She said that the salesperson was very adament about the construction and leather being top of the line, but that since it is a newer company, it wanted to make a good impression and get into the market by offering its furniture below what other top manufacturers are selling at.
    Sounds fishy to me. What do you think?
    I feel I am getting close now. Thanks for all your help Duane. You are a life-saver.
    I will be PMing you for those swatches soon.
    Regards,
    Big "R"

  5. #15
    bigrnm Guest

    Default Re: New leather furniture for a novice buyer

    OH, forgot to mention.
    Got sort of freaked out on the new look for the forum.
    Later,

  6. #16
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    Richmond, VA
    Posts
    125

    Default Re: New leather furniture for a novice buyer

    Dear Big "R",
    Is this your Dillard Spectra Home grouping?
    Spectra Home "Cheshire" Leather Sofa SAVE $200!
    This brown leather sofa with shaped roll arms and pedestal feet offers the comfort and durability of 8-way hand-tied seating construction. 88x41x35". Orig. $1199.00, now $999.00.

    Also available:
    Loveseat, 67x41x35", orig. $1099.00, now $899.00.
    Chair, 47x41x35", orig. $799.00, now $699.00.
    Ottoman, 25x21x18", orig. $300.00, now $250.00.


    Also, I couldn't get the link to work so pasted in the info from the Google website. Bottom Line: Made in China.


    Upholstery source Spectra Home debuts. Launched at spring HP Market
    Joan Gunin -- Furniture Today, July 31, 2007

    AT THE MARKET -- Three industry veterans have teamed up to create Spectra Home, an upholstery sales, marketing and distribution company focused on providing “fashion at a price” from China.
    Here for its first Las Vegas Market, the leather and fabric upholstery provider is showing in the World Market Center, B-710. The company was launched at the spring High Point Market.

    Spectra was created by Michael Nicotera, a merchandising veteran who has worked at Macy’s and other retailers, and former Shermag executives Fred Fahrbach, who handled sales for metro New York, and Jerry Zelnicker, who was vice president of sales and president of Shermag’s import division.

    Spectra is headquartered in Hollywood, Fla.

    Nicotera described the company’s design direction as “left of center transitional. It gravitates toward retro, modern and lighter contemporary.”

    “Our philosophy is to give fashion at a price with better construction (eight-way hand-tied seating), foam-encased frames and loose cushions,” he said.

    “Instead of trying to take out of the furniture and make it cheaper, now, since prices are going up in China, we’ve decided to give great value on upper-moderate to lower high-end furniture. It’s constructed well and it’s comfortable and long-lasting,” Nicotera said.

    Manufactured in central China near Shanghai, the seating assortment for Las Vegas features 20 leather and five fabric sofas, plus sofa-sleepers and a new accent chair assortment. Retail pricing on leather sofas targets $1,299 but ranges from $999 to $1,499; fabric sofas span $799 to $999. “Our designs can be interpreted from fabric to leather and vice versa,” Nicotera said. “It’s the idea of making sofas covered in leather, and not leather sofas.”

    Collection highlights include the Studio Series, featuring a 78-inch queen-size sofa-sleeper with innerspring mattress in five styles. Also, scaled-down 48- to 54-inch-wide sofas, with twin-mattress, are being offered for urban environments.

    The 12-piece accent chair program includes one frame with leather on the outside and fabric on the inside. Ottomans are offered with some club chairs.

    Spectra offers a combination of container-direct shipping, with limited U.S. warehousing on its sleeper program, Nicotera said. Custom options are available.

  7. #17
    dwainw Guest

    Default Re: New leather furniture for a novice buyer

    Good find, Julie. Shermag is a furniture importer carried by Walmart & Target et al. 'Fashion at a price', nice line. The real price is probably shocking when you calculate cost over lifespan. Corners have to be cut somewhere to make a sofa for $999, even covered in fabric. Unfortunately in most department stores where these are sold there is plenty of misinformation as well as unscrupulous salespeople that will "lie to make you buy".
    Last edited by dwainw; 05-17-2010 at 04:19 PM.

  8. #18
    Join Date
    Jul 2008
    Location
    Alexandria VA
    Posts
    15,889

    Default Re: New leather furniture for a novice buyer

    Never heard of that company, but Juliepooch has dug 'em out. Strong work. Looks like just another Chinese made leather line (one of literally thousands).

    Sounds like you had a REALLY good salesman at that store in the mall ... LOL. If you decide to buy from him, maybe ask for his home phone number so when it all folds up in five years you can call him up to discuss....

    New forum format is a bit funky, not sure I'm used to it much either! Aaron and I will tweak this place up as we have time. I think its pretty hacker-proof now, and that was the goal.
    Duane Collie
    Straight answers from thirty-six years in the business.
    My Private Messages are Disabled - Please ask questions here in the forum.

  9. #19
    Join Date
    Aug 2009
    Posts
    41

    Default Re: New leather furniture for a novice buyer

    Quote Originally Posted by drcollie View Post
    No worries, the forum is all about asking questions, and I'll be glad to answer to the best of my ability.

    Grades of leather are PRICING grades only. I think you still may be confusing them with quality or location. It's what the furniture maker has to pay the wholesaler for that leather and really has nothing to do with country of origin. However most Euro hides are going to be more expensive, so the bulk will fall into GR3 and GR4. That's the norm, not the rule. Weston in H&M is a delightful leather that is from Germany and is a GR2, for example - but is not often ordered.
    Duane, I ordered Weston Navy for my two chairs and absolutely love it. Why is it so rarely ordered?

  10. #20
    bigrnm Guest

    Default Re: New leather furniture for a novice buyer

    Great job you guys.
    Juliepooch, talking to my wife during my lunch hour just now, she said it was the mayfield collection. She had looked at the Cheshire, but thought it too slippery and a lot softer sitting than the firm cushions of the mayfield one. You guys rock. I knew it was too good to be true. My wife really has a problem with the pricing of some of the high quality leathers out there from the best manufacturers. She just can't get it trough her head about "you get what you pay for." My sister in law has something to do with that also. She has commented to my wife that not to get such an expensive and high quality furniture because she thinks that my wife will get bored of the furniture and will be stuck with what we find. Me, I don't care. I am getting my own chair. Mine alone. She can get whatever she likes. I am strongly considering getting the antelope, but am going to have a battle getting it. ( As far as home finances is concerned) But I was also considering the Portofino and fenway and maybe even the Austin or Columbia. What do you think?
    I also saw this B&Y recliner today during my lunch hour, but the salesperson couldn't really tell me too much. I don't think he knew too much. Not that I know any more than he does. But I was interested in it because it felt pretty nice. It sort of looked like the 4114 that you had posted here before. The only numbers I could get from him was this one: RC214-218. Can you translate that to me and let me know what you think about it? Does it look like a B&Y number? Let me know what you think about the quality of the chair.
    Thanks again for all your help,
    Big "R"
    P.S. I just read that you ride a motorcycle. Me too. I love it. I ride every day. I take it to work, rain or shine, or snow. talk to you later.

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