Urgent - Please help with Sundance sectional for my FR

[Praline]

Hello H&M Experts, I am desperately seeking your advice. I am buying my first H&M pieces (Sundance sectional and a bench/ottoman yet to be determined), and I have only 48 hrs to finalize the leather choice, etc. I briefly visited a local showroom, and did like Kipling Whiskey (1st choice for price & look) and Capri Butternut. I am debating if Portfolio Claret (price point choice) is too strong for my subdued FR colors. The furniture is not mine (one of RE pictures), but I kept the window treatments. Please have a look at my layout, and comment on (1) the possibility of sofa/loveseat vs sectional; and (2) whether I should place a chair&ottoman in the far left corner, across from the TV (the way the previous owner did). My fireplace significantly limits my layout choices, and TV ends up in the far right corner by default. My H&M concerns so far include: (1) Kipling scratches easier than Capri; (2) sun damage on unprotected leather from my skylights in the room; and (3) ... my 3 kids ruining an expensive couch! We love all shades of whiskey/cognac, so please feel free to offer other leather choices and suggest an ottoman/bench to complement the room. I've been speed reading this forum since last Saturday, and I feel a much more informed buyer already! Thank you everyone for your help!

[cuse69]

Why not postpone the chair/ottoman decision until after you live with the other furniture, you probably don't want the same covering on the chair as this will likely overwhelm the room. I like the sectional choice, it makes a real statment. Regarding uv protection, Duane sells a product that wipes on leather that should help. Keep in mind that all leather will be impacted over time by uv light, wear and tear of kids, pets, and even adults. Many leather owners look at the various aging of leather as desirable and even select leather that already has a distressed look. You need to go with your own leather choice, others can not choose for you.

Good luck
Larry

[needstuff]

I'll give you my advice but I don't know if you want it, since I am most certainly NOT an H&M expert. Or a furniture expert. Or an interior design expert.

I've got a petty similar deal going with the fireplace vs TV. But mine is a formal living room, the tv there is just for overflow viewing. I've got a chair + ottoman arrangement vs. the tv similar to your picture, and I don't see any problem with it. I also have a swivel glider to the end/side of the couch closest to the tv, the idea being it could swivel to use as either part of the conversation circle or for tv viewing,as needed.

I personally prefer separate pieces to sectionals. They allow for more layout flexibility, and allow one to walk between the individual pieces. And the corner area is usually just wasted space, you can't sit there. But obviously lots of people seem to like sectionals. You might ask them why, because I can't make the argument for them, I just don't see it.

From the picture, the sectional as laid out seems to me kind of far from the tv for comfortable tv watching, but maybe that's not the case in reality. That certainly IS the case in my room, but again my room is not set up for the purpose of maximizing tv watching. It's more for entertainment. In my case, the sofa is yet further from the tv. Given that we can't comfortably see the TV from the central conversation area anyway, we're not arranging that area to orient towards the tv. It is oriented towards the fireplace, over which we have a nice painting. Tv watching is largely relegated to that chair and the swivel.

My swivel is in Capri leather which feels wonderful, but turns out we may want to move it elsewhere in the room where it's closer to a window and now I'm worrying about the UV. In your situation, the skylights and the kids are two added concerns that we don't have. In your situation I'd bypass the Capri and get a protected leather. But I refer again to my first paragraph.

Lastly, if you can get closure in 48 hours great, you might save a little $$. But I don't think you necessarily want to risk making a suboptimal decision just for that small savings, if you're not really ready by then. Just my opinion.

[Praline]

Larry, Thank you for reminding me that the leather choice IS personal! I collect leather purses, and learnt to appreciate different shades and textures. Unfortunately, I am a total newbie in leather furniture, and I panicked because I do know NOT to trust the samples. I just found this old post from Duane, and love the paired look with Robinson tufted ottoman:

http://www.myfurnitureforum.com/show...Kipling-Cognac

The set up is very functional for my family: my kids are going to sit on it, my husband is going to use it as a footstool, and I am going to store the remotes in it. It also fits well next to the window when I want it out of the way. I thought to have it in a darker shade than Kipling Whiskey, but again, the samples I saw didn't tell me much. I wonder if I am going to regret ordering it in the same Kipling Whiskey.

Needstuff, I have separate old pieces in the room right now (sofa + loveseat), and my DH and I are contemplating a change. We did not like that the sectional of the previous owner was against the wall, and closed the entrance to the room, but we did like the idea. RE savings - they do add up: I just scored 2 kids bedroom sets from my local Stickley at 60% off retail (discontinued lines as of June 2013), and furnished my guest bedroom with the savings . Like all, I have limited time to shop for furniture, and appreciate a fellow shopper advice. BTW, I did think of the swivel chair too! Thanks for the input!

[BevoGal]

Putting in my 2 cents quickly - I think you can only position a sectional the way you have it on the diagram, based on the fireplace, tv, AND wanting to view the backside of the Sundance (prettiest part). If you want a little more "breathing room" in the space, go with a sofa and love seat. I think putting a chair in the back corner is a good idea. And if you're looking for a leather that doesn't scratch, don't use Weston Sand =) I don't mind it, but little scratches do show up. It's very easy to condition away, but some people may be bothered with it. I love the feel of my Weston though. Equestrian (one we considered for durability) is more rustic, but can squeak if the cushions rub together. There is no squeaking with Weston. I'm not familiar with the other leathers, but they sound like good choices! Good luck!

[Damask]

Hi Praline, Here is the link to the H&M cushions thread I mentioned in my PM:

http://www.myfurnitureforum.com/show...Moore-Cushions

We are getting Standard Cores. I happened to see Sundance with cushions that definitely were not Ultra Down (I've seen these too) and I was surprised how soft they were (just slightly firmer than Ultra Down, kind of different type of "soft"... not sure how to explain it); it said they were Standard... I expected them much firmer... At the end I chose Standard ones based on all the info I got at the thread above and other recommendations from forum's members. It was a tough call though. I really liked the comfort of the Ultra Down ones... probably a bit better than Standard... If it's all about the comfort for you, then I'd recommend Ultra Down.

Oh, replying to your PM question about the chairs for my FR, I haven't managed to choose any yet. I think I'm going to wait until the sofas arrive; but I'm thinking about fabric and not leather (especially since I'll need two and I just think that would be too much leather for my room).

[Damask]

Did you read the descriptions of the H&M leathers posted by Duane?

http://www.myfurnitureforum.com/show...r-Descriptions

You won't like what I'm going to say... If I had 3 kids, I don't think I'd be getting Kipling (not sure if you realize that this leather is Unprotected?), it really scratches easily... at least based on my experience with the samples. But than again, I'm not an expert on H&M leathers and maybe the scratches do blend in fairly quickly... I don't know... Capri samples were wonderful! Scratches seemed to blend in instantly. But you are talking GR2 vs. GR4 and on a Sundance sectional I'd expect the price difference to be significant.

[Damask]

Portfolio leather (in any color) will cost you as much as any Grade 2 leather (eg. Kipling), NOT LESS.
It's because the Sundance Sectional IS NOT a part of H&M "Town and Country" program.
Only Sundance Sofa (and only model 4716) and one of the Sundance chairs with ottoman are part of that program.

Here is the link to what's included in the T&C program and in which leathers:

http://www.myfurnitureforum.com/show...motion-Program

[QualityCounts]

Just a thought - Duane thinks Grade 1 Columbia is a fantastic bang for the buck leather. Search this forum for his and others' comments about it and for photos of it. Its Acorn and Butternut might work for you, protect from your kids, and get you what you need at the lowest possible H&M price.

[Praline]

Here is a different perspective: My DH looked at the samples yesterday (7 choices pre-selected by me in different leather grades) for a total of 2 minutes, and without any background information from me (I wanted his choice to be unbiased) narrowed down to Kipling Whiskey too. He recognized it from Duane photos!, acknowledged the pull-up effect (he stretched it in his hands), and did not mind the scratches (they rub off easily and blend in). When I expressed my concern that it is unprotected, he said something like "you think so hard as if you are going to marry that couch" LOL!