So confused!

[JLandrie]

I am looking to purchase a H&M sectional sofa, most likely the Journey model. I cannot get a straight answer from any salesman about which leathers (if any) come from another country assembled as "kit" to be applied to a frame manufactured in the U.S. Has H&M discontinued that practice? Also cannot get an answer about why the Document leather is considered to be a "reasonable price point" leather vs. other more expensive class 2 leathers. Also getting conflicting information on protected vs. unprotected leather and the different cushion materials available. I really don't want to spend 13K or more on a sofa without being able to get answers to my questions. Help!

[drcollie]

There is not a list of 'married covers' per se that is available, Hancock and Moore does not make that available so the only way a dealer knows is simply through experience and asking at the plant. Any of the married covers where the leathers are sourced from a Chinese tannery are going to be cut and sewn in China. Again, H&M does not publish country of Origin of the hides so that's just experience that accumulates that knowledge. Leathers I know that originate from China include:

Document
Piazza
Cavalier
Portfolio
Aspen
Caress
Kip
Dream
Alberta
Kipling

So, if you see a Town & Country promotion item done in one of those leathers, its Chinese-sourced hide and cut and sewn to fit that frame in China. The cover arrives in a box and they apply it here in the USA when the sofa has been made. You can search under LEATHER here on the forum under "2014 Town and Country Promotion" for more details and also read "A Primer in Leather" in the same header, no need to re-type all that info when its already posted. Many items listed in T&C as 'married cover', but are not. They are cut and sewn in Hickory NC. Any of the European hides (such as any Burnished leather series) are not pre-sewn or pre-cut. Its not really a big deal, though - I cannot tell the difference between a married cover and one cut and sewn in the USA - and if anyone had an eye for that it would be me. China has no cattle industry, those hides they get for processing are from American stockyards - are salted for preservation then sent to China for processing as the USA has had no tanneries since 2008. All USA tanneries except for some small specialty ones were basically closed by OSHA and EPA.

Document on a Journey sofa/chair/ottoman is part of the Town and Country program - the Journey sectional is not so on the sectional its prices by grade and there is no advantage to buying Document, its just a regular GR 2 leather. And if I were buying one, i'd not cover it in Document - there are nicer leathers in that price grade (Atticus, Aspen, Kipling, Ryan, Yardley) for same money. Different dealers charge different prices as well, not knowing your Sectional configuration I can't say for sure on your $ 13K price point, but you may be able to get it for less depending on the sectional size you want. If you can make your buy decision between now and Monday Dec 1st, you can get 5% off that purchase price due to the Black Friday Sale period currently in progress.

Cushion cores are also on a sticky on the forum in the LEATHER section as well. Do a little looking around and you will find detailed answers to your questions already posted here on the forum, most of them are 'stickies' under the LEATHER category.

[wisejd]

Hi jlandrie, You have come to the best place for answers to your specific questions, in that Duane at The Keeping Room has expressed his experienced and professional opinion on many if not most of your question within the Threads of this Forum. I'm sure Duane will comment on your quest with some excellent advise. Until we see a post from Duane, I will try to cover some points that Duane can feel free to refine and/or correct when he gets a minute.

Regarding which leathers come from another country...

This is really a two-part question/answer in that often Leathers are from the USA, but are "processed" in China. This is not motivated only by cost, but often due to the chemicals utilized in varies parts of this processing. The type of procedures that may be performed in China (for example) can include specific pattern cutting for specific Style pieces that will be stitched and fitted back in our Country. In other cases the processes performed in China may be restricted only to the painting or dying. This is not to say there aren't Sectionals for example that don't have leather totally from the US. Leathers in-fact can come from many areas of the World, and can include process contributions from multiple global payers. Duane may be able to speak to specific H&M leathers. Hancock and Moore offers some excellent Styles that are available in specific leathers within their Town and Country promotional program offered at a very aggressive price. A very heavy percentage of the Styles with Specific Leathers in the T&C program are "Married Covers" which typically are leathers that have been prepared specifically for the furniture piece they will be offered on. The T&C program has a majority of pieces that are "Protected" leather, but also some that are "Unprotected" leather. Protected leathers are prepared with the color dye painted on top of the leather, while unprotected leathers have the dye penetrating the leather. Both are appreciated for different reasons.

Document Leather... This leather is offered in quite a number of the T&C program pieces, is a protected leather and is one of the most economical leathers offered on the H&M Styles. You can visit the Hancock and Moore web site and look under the Products pull-down menu for "Leathers". There, you will see all the offered leathers and you will see the Class of each leather. If you click on the Leather you will see a larger more detailed view of each. Each leather also shows if it is Protected or Unprotected.

Cushion Materials... H&M offers very high-quality cushion materials and stands behind their cushions for the original owner for life. Cushions are offered with or without a Down wrapping. We like the Down cushions because of the feel and the look, but some folks don't like the fact that over time in-use you can see where favorite seating is heavily utilized. To us that looks comforting and inviting. If you put "Cushions" as a search term on this forum, you will be able to read and in-fact see all you will need to know about the H&M cushion choices.

Specific Pricing... Duane has a policy about not writing about specific pricing within the public posts on the Forum, but would be happy to respond to specific requests for a quote. We have found The Keeping Room to not only be the one-stop-shopping for detailed information on Furniture, but also a great Retail Dealer offering very competitive pricing and excellent Logistic partners for the delivery across the U.S.

Other... I don't know to what degree the Back of your selected Sectional will be visible in your Room, but if it will be very visible I might suggest the Sundance Style looks Fantastic from all sides. All the H&M Styles will look great from all sides, but the Sundance is particularly stunning.

Good luck on your decisions and the fulfillment of your purchase/delivery.

I see Duane beat me to the punch so be assured his comments are far more exacting and accurate than my attempt to provide some background information.

[JLandrie]

Thank you so much, I located all of the "stickies" you referred to. I may have more questions down the road but for now I think I have the basic information I need to begin the process of refining my choices.

[JLandrie]

Well actually I guess I do have one more question that I cannot seem to find an answer to on any forum posts. How would I know which of the H&M leathers are semi-analine vs. full analine? I think they refer to the semi-analine leathers as "protected" but not sure? Thanks!

[drcollie]

The only way you can tell semi-aniline as a consumer is to get hold of a copy of the retail price book where they list the descriptions of all the hides. Every dealer has one and should have no objections to you looking through it.

[JLandrie]

Perfect, thank you!