Thinking about the Kodiak Sofa 9503, I'm looking for a soft, matte, chocolate brown leather without a lot of special effects (i.e., without what some people on the forum have called the "splotchy" look), and which is not painted (i.e., which is unprotected). Don't want a pull up hide. No pets. Kids are 13 and 11. We don't eat on the couch. Sun exposure isn't a problem. This would be for our everyday family room tv watching/hanging out. (Have a bigger screen in the basement for movie nights and gaming.) Don't want a leather reserved for couches that look nice but never get used, but want the soft, luxury feel. Don't want hides from Chinese tanneries.

As a color reference point, I like how Duane's newer Leathercraft sofa looks in the fifth picture down in this post. http://www.myfurnitureforum.com/show...es-in-my-house

From many swatches, I think I'm down to Equestrian and Quintessence. I'd appreciate input on deciding between Equestrian and Quintessence.

1. Equestrian Walnut--the swatch is very nice. I saw the forum discussion about how this is a thicker hide, can handle everyday life better than Quintssence. But, it would not be as soft as Quintessence. What do people mean when they say Equestrian squeaks. What could I expect? Don't think I want noisy leather.
Found a pix of the Esquestrian Walnut the forum. http://www.myfurnitureforum.com/show...e-Just-Arrived!!!

2. Quintesssence. Love the softness; I am willing to use the Leather Magic protection to help protect against acid and oil stains. Think it would be okay for our lifestyle. Debating colors from swatches.

a. For Quintessence Chestnut, the name "chestnut" sounds like it would be reddish and pix of other chestnut leathers show them to be reddish. If I want more of a true chocolate brown, does that rule out Quintessence Chestnut?

b. For Quintessence Saddle, I haven't found any representative pictures. On H&M's website, the Quintessence Saddle color looks nothing like my swatch. Looks like a tan. I know the swatch is supposed to be a better (but not perfect) indicator. Got any pictures in Quintessence Saddle? Is it more of a light brown?

c. On the H&M website, the Quintessence Bark or Quintessence Mink looks more like what I'd want but the samples we have of those show them as very dark, almost black. These pix online show them as much lighter than my swatches (in the respective lighting in which they were taken):

http://www.myfurnitureforum.com/show...ntessence-Bark

http://www.myfurnitureforum.com/show...ntessence-Mink.

Questions: Are Quintessence Bark or Mink really dark , almost black? I don't want black. Just a nice rich chocolatey brown.

Thanks in advance.