H&M The Tides sofa in Quintessence Desert?

[Kevin]

I need some advice about 1) using darker leather gimping and/or side panels vs single leather for entire sofa and 2) using the same wood finish and nail head pattern to tie together several pieces of furniture.

I plan on order a H&M The Tides sofa in Quintessence Desert. I am seriously considering the mahogany finish and (A) nails in a head to head pattern since the other chairs in the room have the same finish and nail head pattern. Does repeating the furniture finish and nail heads help tie the furniture together or does it really matter?

The second question is should I order gimping using a darker leather and/or use a darker leather for side panels or should I only use
Quintessence Desert?

The sofa will be placed with the rug and chairs in the picture.




Any advice is greatly appreciated.

[drcollie]

I don't think you need to worry about a tie-in, Kevin. You have two sets of matching H&M chairs in their already, you don't need the sofa to integrate with them in style cues. I prefer each piece stand on its own merit.

What I would do looking at your room and the Tides sofa in Quintessence? I'd not contrast panel, but I would spend the extra money and do a premium finish, either Belgian Chocolate or Rainier. The difference in those finishes vs the plain Mahogany is amazing, and worth the extra money on a pieces where wood wraps up high around the frame.

[Kevin]

Duane, my wife thinks you are batting 1000 with your advice!

Originally, we were looking to purchase a The Tides sofa in a darker brown and you recommended several lighter leathers including Quintessence Desert (5717). You also recommended we think about upgrading the finish to Belgian Chocolate or Rainier.

When we looked at the pictures of the Chantal sofa (5992-3) in your forum to check out the Rainer finish, we now think the lines of the Chantal sofa and Neko chairs compliment each other better than The Tides sofa.

A few questions. Most importantly, for the sofa, what are your thoughts of the Chantal sofa with the Rainier finish covered in Quintessence Desert (5717) with the Small Truscan Nail (S) head to head? Of these options would you recommend anything different?

When you had the Chantal sofa on your floor, do you remember if you received any feedback from shorter women on how it sits? I know this is a long shot since you probably have had a couple of thousand customers wonder through The Keeping Room since late December.

Regarding pillows, for the Chantal what styles would you recommend? What size, 18 or 21 inch? How many, 2 or 4? And would you use the Quintessence Desert or do a different color?

Thanks for all of your help!

[drcollie]

The Chantal sofa is a more elegant look than the Tides, Kevin. It has sweeping, flowing lines whereas the Tides has the two stubby block arms sticking out at the ends in wood. I'd not do the "S" nail though, otherwise your combos are good. The 'S' nail looks great on burnished hides and pull-up leathers, but I'd dress up a bit more and do the A nail. I still have the CHANTAL sofa on my floor, I get very little walk-in traffic - I think only three or four people have sat in it since it arrived. I like it, sits well. Smaller pillows, 18" or less but truthfully I'd pass on them altogether as they interrupt the arching visual lines of the wood trim. You're on the money with Quintessence Desert....

One point in this piece, however. I would NOT recommend this be shipped via West Express or A&O or any of the blanket wrap firms. The high end finish is extremely difficult to repair and being as it surrounds the border of the piece most likely it will get nicked\chipped in transit. I would suggest this be shipped in the H&M carton/crate to your city, either through a company like Plycon Van lines who will bring to you and unpack in the driveway, or ship to a moving and storage company in your area where they can receive it, unpack and bring to you.