H&M Donatella sectional

[LIZBETH]

I am new to this forum so forgive my inexperience.
I am trying to decide on a leather. I cannot decide from such small sample squares. I love the hand of the Capri tobacco but also like the Atticus Java. Does anyone own either one?

[TXCajun]

Hi, LIZBETH.

My husband and I recently placed our order through Duane. One of the ordered items is the H&M Tavern sofa, Capri Tobacco. So, technically, we don't own it, yet, but I will tell you that, according to my husband, Capri Tobacco is THE leather. Period. End of sentence.

And, just so you know, with few exceptions, The Man is typically the most easy-going, agreeable, and undemanding person, ever. As long as something is quality, he's good. This time, however, he was rock solid about the cover for that sofa...Capri Tobacco. His reasoning was twofold: 1) the hand, and 2) the hand. Ok, slight hyperbole, but as you already mentioned...the hand. Full Disclosure: When presented with several color options, The Man did come down solid for Tobacco. We're both Texas A&M Aggies, so no way he was going to agree to anything that goes sort of orange. I could call it Gooey Caramel, or Scrumptious Butterscotch, or Color-of-the-Gods Gold. If it hinted of orange, The Man refused.

For our purposes, we love the color of Capri Tobacco because we see it as a deeply rich and warm brown that does not cross over into the black-brown range. Of course, someone else might be of the opinion that it does go too dark. It's very much subjective.

Try a forum search for member artielange's posts. She does own at least one piece with Capri. Not Tobacco, but she does an excellent job describing her leathers and how they perform over time. She is very helpful.

What is your reasoning, thus far, when you compare Capri Tobacco and Atticus Java? What are you hoping for? (And, yes, it can be challenging when all you have are the small samples!)

TXCajun

[drcollie]

Lizbeth,

I have ordered you 6" x 8" dealer size samples of those two hides today. I think when you see the larger samples in the next few days the difference will be apparent. Capri carries a significant price premium, however it's a world-class leather that has few equals in a luxury hide.

[LIZBETH]

Thank you Duane for the samples! I saw your post on the Tuscany harness ottoman. That is an incredible looking piece! Now I love the character in that leather with the color bursts. Is the Atticus a pull-up leather like that?

[LIZBETH]

Hi TXCajun!

Thank you so much for your help. I am trying to find the right leather for my husband as this is his dream sectional. He does love the color bursts or distressing within reason but he is a little skeptical of shiny plasticky or color variations. He wants something real and luxurious. I feel the Capri is the way to go. Tobacco I think is the darkest color and My sample almost looks black. Was shocked to see a pic on the forum of it looking so much lighter. The Atticus was our top pic on hand feel in the class 2 leather. Wanted options on price. It's hard to get a feel for what is a top of the line leather in all the classes.
Ha! I went to Texas Tech. One brother SMU and the other UT. Brother in law went to A&M. I live in Alabama now with my husband.
How long does it take before you get your sofa?

[drcollie]

The Atticus leather is a mild pull-up, doesn't have it to the degree the two big Italians (Tuscany and Tiburon) do. I like Atticus for the price - a lot. It's a terrific grade 2 pure aniline. But it really can't hold a candle to the tier 3 and 4 leathers, but those do cost more! Keep in mind that 072 ottoman has had a hard use life to acquire all those markings, I bet at least 200 people have dragged their nails across it in the store and remarked "See! It Scratches!"...and they they go buy the painted leathers <g>. Like those of us in the business say 'It's hard to beat a good pull-up". But again, few consumers buy it because they don't understand it.

[LIZBETH]

I don't know if I understand it or not but it is gorgeous to me. Love it. I hear you on the tier 3 and 4 leathers. Thank you for your honesty. It helps when purchasing something that is like a family member for a long time!

[TXCajun]

Hey, LIZBETH.

I believe our sofa will be arriving sometime in June. It's a special order because we've asked for a single, bench seat cushion instead of three. Also, by the time we placed our order, all of the Capri Tobacco had been snapped up. So, our sofa is in the queue for the next batch of those hides.

My husband and I really do like a beautiful pull-up. We're not bothered a whit by marks or scuffs. However, when he felt those Capri samples, that was all she wrote!

Make sure you post, again, when you receive those larger samples. I'd love to learn what you and your husband think when you have them in hand.

TXCajun

[LIZBETH]

Hi TXCajun!

Wow. Must tell you something that the Capri tobacco leather has been snapped up. I would love to tell you my thoughts once I get the samples. I have learned so much from this forum and I want to help others too. I love seeing the pictures people show. I hope you post yours once you get your sofa. Interesting you chose a bench seat. Your thoughts on that when you get time.

Lizbeth

[TXCajun]

LIZBETH,

It is very enjoyable and helpful poring through all the forum photos, questions, and comments. I am planning to post photos when our pieces arrive, but I'll have to find our for-real-deal camera because my phone camera is rather lame.

Regarding our special order bench seat cushion... We've owned two sofas with multiple cushions and two sofas with the single, bench seat cushion. By far, we prefer the single cushion for a few reasons: 1) a bit easier to clean, 2) nobody likes sitting on the split between cushions, and 3) it looks old-school. Those are purely our opinions based on our experiences. I've no doubt that others can make an equal case for avoiding the bench seat cushion! One case being the potential for puddling. One of the two bench seat sofas we owned was in leather. During the seven years of living with it, it never puddled...at...all. The fact is, however, some do. The good thing is, my husband and I actually like that lived in, aged look. So, we're good either way.

TXCajun