Just Beginning

[Rocket]

Starting to look for a leather sectional for a home I just purchased. Fortunately (?) Hurricane Sandy caused damage & that buys me 3 months of time while exterior is renovated & repaired. Figure I know just enough to get me in trouble. Learned about top & full grain & I was avoiding Chinese-made until I researched W. Schillig. Originally was interested Bradington Young because I like Hooker- their mother company. & the made in USA tag. Have a careless, dirty husband & a rowdy, athletic 3 yr.old Chesapeake Bay Retriever. Looking to INVEST in well made, forever items for this rustic cottage, at my age I want this to be perfect, comfortable, durable & inviting...kinda like an old Mercedes diesel. Would like the grain & variations of hide to show as opposed to being processed & obliterated. Suggestions, comments & advice sought. Thanks

[drcollie]

Look here in the LEATHER section for "A Primer On Leather" and that will tell you much about basics in choosing a hide.

The real key to longevity is wiping it down as you would a kitchen table, a damp rag every of week goes a long ways to keeping your leather in shape, much more so than selecting a particular hide for performance. Its also a good idea to clean and condition a leather every 6 months with approved product as well. That's the whole secret to having your leather upholstery last for years....

[Rocket]

Ok, so it's H & M or W. Schillig for quality & no regrets. Analine seems to be the natural leather W/O dyes & altering original hide. Does your store carry both these brands? Looking for a sectional w/ full sleeper & chaise. Brown- no shine or altered finish. Budget is $6500.+ Have 11' X 11' X 6' space. With your experience & knowledge is this realistic? Guessing I need to spend more, or do W/O sleeper. Have anything in your shop that fits the bill? Delivery will be to L.I., NY. Thanks, appreciate your help.

[fdmason]

Not sure about W Schilig but I would spend some time on the H&M website if I were you. Those are some fairly broad requests that you would need to whittle down a bit. For example, you mentioned you wanted a brown leather. There are over 150 leathers in that category alone with H&M as you can see here http://www.hancockandmoore.com/leather2.asp
Based on your post, you want to look for an "unprotected hide" which is generally class 3 and above. Obviously, the higher the class, the heftier the price.

As far as budget goes, the class of leather is most likely gonna be the deciding factor along with any options you might want that aren't "standard." I'm sure there are some chairs you can get through H&M that could cost you north of $6500 depending on options (class 5 leather, reclining, power options, etc)

Just as an FYI, I'm also on LI and recently placed an order with Duane and for 5 pieces and the shipping to LI is around the $450 range. Not sure where you are on the island but If you haven't gotten a chance to sit in any H&M pieces, there is a dealer in Glen Cove and a few in the city. It's worth taking a trip. The difference in quality can be seen with the naked eye let alone sitting down!

Find what you like and what options you want and send Duane a PM for a price quote.

[drcollie]

I only carry H&M and B-Y as leather lines.

My advice is to skip the sleeper unless you are going to use it 3x to 4x each month. You give up the entire 8-way hand-tied suspension system and have nothing more than a cushion sitting atop a hard metal frame with a sleeper unit. That's a lot to give up, too. Better to buy a blow up air mattress (what I have at my house) for the 1 to 2 times we might use it a year. You'll have to go downmarket to do a sectional with say a sofa segment / wedge / loveseat w/ chaise and hit your target number. H&M will easily blow way past that and you'll be challenged to get a Bradington Young at that price - and will also be looking at a finished or Aniline Plus leather most likely.

In an 11' x 11 ' x 6 space I don't think you have room for a full sectional with a chaise, however. That's a LOT of upholstery to put in a small space. I think if you go sectional, you'll want compact, no sleeper, and no chaise (use an un-attached ottoman instead). I'm not sure that even the smallest sectionals are going to go into a 132" x 132" room. The # 654 Tappan by Bradington Young is about as large as I would want to put in a space that size based on your information (photos of the space would help!). On smaller sectionals, without the sleeper and chaise your target price is much more achievable.

[Rocket]

FDMason- Thanks, nice to see another Long Islander here, plus info on G.C. showroom. DR- the 11' X 11' X 6' is just for seating area, room is 13' X 25'. Taking your advice & will forgo sleeper & chaise. After seeing some negative comments on W.Schillig & poring over H&M's choices, I've selected H&M's Illusion Sectional (#5359 LAF/5358 RAC). Also firm on the higher class leather but realize class 3 is my limit. Brown, a medium w/o red tones, leaning toward a saddle or slightly darker color- I'm flexible. Dislike the colored dyes, seem so artificial. Not fond of the shiny (easy-to-clean) finishes either. So at this point I'm asking for a quote. If it comes in higher than I can afford, guess I'm looking for a floor sample or used H&M. Hoping to have something to sit on by July but willing to wait longer if I can save.

[Rocket]

Alright DR, working this site for 3 days- can NOT believe how you stay on top of all the inquiries & have the bloody answers. Guess you could do this in your sleep! Appreciate your prompt response & price quote. Have found w/ 30 yrs. in design/architecture my 1st choice is the correct one. Happy w/ style & already (W/O swatches) know my choice of leather. Thanks for the 'heads-up' on the internet sales tax. Once I've selected will you be able to guesstimate the lead time? Will not be ready for delivery till mid-June & storing unit will be difficult. Imagine timing is crucial (much like life).

[drcollie]

HA! Somedays I can't keep up between the forum, email, and customers in the store. You'll note a lot of my posts here are made late at night, but I try to get to all the ones I can answer sooner or later. Normally build times are 5 to 6 weeks if they have the cover in stock, but I've had them come quicker and also take much longer as well. 6 months is tops however...and that's when lots of things go wrong (leather is out of stock and then the batch coming in is refused for quality issues, etc). We can always time out an order and specify "Do Not Ship Until xxxxxx", and any dealer can do that as well.

Illusion is one of the most aggressively prices series H&M has. I'll PM you a few prices.

[Rocket]

Duane- Received my samples yesterday & sure enough, choose the one I figured from the H&M site. Have you seen any Illusion pieces in Equestrian Desert? If so can you direct me to a photo? Any comments on my selection? Color & finish are natural looking & it has no shine- exactly what I was searching for! Unprotected & that scares me. How do YOU think scratches from my dog's nails will affect the surface? Any remedies other than your advice for regular upkeep? Will be exposed to minimal sunlight & can always dim the lights! Are there any comparable leathers (color & grain) in class 2? So this is the month to order if I want a 5% discount? Nervous about the expense but will budget elsewhere so I can have a "forever" sectional. Feedback appreciated & thanks.

[drcollie]

I don't recall seeing any Illusion pieces made up in Equestrian, but I think that it would make a nice leather on that series. Even though that is an 'unprotected' leather, you will note that the Serviceability rating is "2", same as the 'Protected'. I really dislike that term used in the industry as it denotes that a leather is armored, when all it really means is its a painted leather. Equestrian has proven itself tough, durable and yet retains a handsome elegant feel to it - its a good choice. Test that sample out yourself, you will find you can't hardly mark it unless you put a lot of pressure on it with a sharp object - and anything that would get through it would also scratch a painted leather.