Hancock & Moore vs Bradington Young

[drcollie]

I am often asked how Hancock and Moore compares to Bradington Young, both are USA made and both are decent, however H&M is The Gold Standard in the entire industry, and sometimes its hard to explain why in terms a consumer can understand. I can go into construction details and watch as your eyes glaze over when the build components have no real meaning and are just numbers and terms being rattled off. But if you care to learn about good furniture you can always see the difference, too.

So today as I was walking around my store I saw these two ottomans together and thought I'd show you something. This is called "Trust your own eyes" and you can do this when going into any store looking at any brand. Look at how its made. Here we have two simple ottomans, the Austin by Hancock and Moore (lighter leather) and the Laredo by Bradington Young (darker leather). Both are going to last a long time and both are paired to a tilt back chair - but there are differences in the furniture the way its built, the attention to detail (as well as the internals). Here I'm going to point them out for you, then next time you are in a store, look for yourself and trust your instincts. At first glance, these look very similar, but they are tailored and designed very different.

The first thing to look at is the form factor. The H&M looks put together, balanced and proportioned correctly, as if someone paid attention to the design. There is a double accent row of nail trim that becomes a design feature itself. The bun feet are in scale with the ottoman's size.

The B-Y looks like an afterthought. Its clunky, the nails are simply a base border and the bun feet are way too large for the piece and looked like they were taken off an existing sofa. The dip in the base is a way to catch your eye, but has little or no real artistic design value.



Now let's do a top down shot on the corners. Notice how the H&M is curved on both top and base, and in symmetry. The corners are nicely pulled and tucked in, it maintains form from the top and bottom, and the welt trim accents it. The B-Y from the same shot angle, has a roundish top and squared base, they don't match up. The tuck on the top cushion corner is a bit sloppy, and overall it looks like an upholstered box.



There is an 'art' to good upholstery. That means design parameters and attention to detail. Anyone can make a piece of wood and cover it in leather - that's not very hard to do. Look for the details when you buy a piece, study it - don't just look at the price tag alone. Yes, Hancock & Moore costs more, and for some that's a deal breaker and that's OK, I get that. What I like to do however, is show you what you are paying for in better pieces so you become educated in what to look for. You still don't have to buy it of course - but the more you learn, the better you can make a decision on what to get.

[morrison2951]

Love my H&M Austin!

[newnick]

I like the look of the leather on the H&M ottoman and I like the look of the leather in this post http://www.myfurnitureforum.com/show...n-GR-5-leather
Which leathers in the current H&M lineup should I be considering if I wanted to get as close as I can to these two examples? I really like the leather on the B&Y Sectional but I'm leaning towards purchasing some H&M seating.

[drcollie]

That's the Capri Harness on that ottoman, a GR 4 hide and a super luxury leather. Pricey, but many do get it as its world-class and for a real leather enthusiast.

[newnick]

I'd of never guessed that by comparing pics from one website to another. If the leather colors very so much from pictures and from swatches to the finished product I guess a person shouldn't try to zero in on color unless they are picking a piece that is on the floor and they can see it in person.

[drcollie]

I'd of never guessed that by comparing pics from one website to another. If the leather colors very so much from pictures and from swatches to the finished product I guess a person shouldn't try to zero in on color unless they are picking a piece that is on the floor and they can see it in person.

Correct. We have a saying in this industry "If you want the cover to be perfect, buy vinyl". Leather is a natural product and hues will vary, as will textures from batch to batch. Color accuracy is fairly accurate in FINISHED and SEMI ANILINE leathers (i.e., "Protected) because they have a pigmented or painted topcoat and you can control the color vehicle in production. In pure ANILINE hides (vegetable dyed, unprotected) you are dying the hide a color and its going to vary according to the pigmentation of the skin of that particular herd of cattle. Just like people, cows come in all colors as well and the dye is only going to color a skin so much. I would always recommend to order a sample prior to placing an order so you can see what you are going to get. Photos are there to help you narrow your choices down from several hundred to a few, but are a poor choice to rely on for color accuracy alone.

[newnick]

Thanks for the replies so far. I believe I've read some of that here already, just starting to understand it now though. I've been reading as much as I can on this site to get educated enough to post some questions so please bear with me.

[wisejd]

I was looking at the H&M web site and seeing other stools / ottomans that would look to be more difficult to point out differences between the two manufacturers. One such item from H&M that looks far more similar to the B-Y product would be...

[Maximus]

One sure can see the difference in the quality between these two ottomans.

Newnick, I had the same questions you had. I have to say I love the look of the Capri Harness hide and everything I have seen commented about. I like the looks of the hide you pointed out on that B&Y 912 sectional also.

Duane, I have a question relative denim jean dye transfer onto leather as I have seen it only briefly mentioned. My preference in colors lean toward the lighter browns like the Capri Harness, the Kipling Whiskey (no longer used unfortunately) and the hide on that B&Y 912 sectional in your showroom. I am going to assume these would not be a good choice being so light in color that I would have to go to a darker brown or would a burnished hide like the Imperial Whiskey Burnished be okay.

[drcollie]

Denim dye transfer usually manifests mostly on light leathers (white, cream, off-white) and rarely on the browns. And it will vary depending on the blue jeans, some leech dye more than others. Avoid sitting on your leather pieces with wet or damp blue jeans (water, perspiration).. Dampness in the jeans seems to accelerate transfer of the dye.