Advice on sofa for tall guy

[Raider]

Thanks for the comments Duane.

Glad to hear the surgery seems to have gone well, although I hope my pestering is not getting you on the computer sooner than you should be...

I'll have my mom keep an eye out for the leather samples.

[drcollie]

Meh. I was bored sitting around the house. Went to the store today to scare customers and take care of business. <g>


Samples on the way to England!

[puhmuckel]

Just so you know, I would not rule out the Chancellor. I bought one and find it very comfy, especially with an ottoman to put your feet on. I am tall as well.

[Raider]

Hi puhmuckel,

Thanks for your advice. The Chancellor is something I definitely will try to test in person when back in the US. I think it looks stunning, especially in the red leather you showed in your pictures. I like the woodwork on the front as well. Would you happen to have any pictures of how the sofa looks from the side and back you could share?

I noticed your ottoman has wheels. Does it shift around a lot when you rest your feet on it? Would you feel comfortable putting the wheels on a hardwood floor, or do you think one would get scratches?

Thanks again for your input... I can't wait to test some of these pieces out!

[puhmuckel]

I was really surprised how beautiful that sofa is in the back. They do not show the back and sides on the website so I thought it was just straight down. It is truly a work of art, I love it.

Unfortunately, I have never been able to sit on it before purchase as most stores do not stock it. I sat on the Austin High Back sofa and it was so comfy, it was insane. It was also pretty ugly.

The ottoman does not move when my legs are on it. I love that I can move it around as I change positions and even sofa's. I would not put it on a hardwood floor.

Here are some new pix of my place and the sofa:

http://www.roomzaar.com/rate-my-spac...si?oid=6840143

[puhmuckel]

I will be purchasing the Bradley chair with the lean back feature to complement this sofa. Looks like a comfy big chair.

[Raider]

That sofa looks beautiful. I'm also strongly thinking about the Bradley tilt back...

On the chancellor, do you feel the top of the back cushion give way more than the rest when you rest your shoulder/head back? The sofa's frame in the back doesn't go all the way up to the top of the back cushions, so I wasn't sure if this would take away meaningfully from the back support.

Thanks again for posting those pics -- its a beautiful sofa in an excellent color!

[puhmuckel]

Actually, the back support is equal throughout and the back support is great. The back, however does not engulf my head. If I can remember correctly, the Austin HIGH BACK also supports your head.

I also like the high arm rests to rests, that was very important to me. I also thought about the tufted ottoman at first, but decided against it because the dust and crud would settle into those grooves.

Good luck and let us know.

[Raider]

Hi Duane,

Just got the leather samples from H&M. Thank you for having them sent – its really helped to see them in person.

I thought I’d send my thoughts via the forum, in case they help anyone else with their decision as well.

As you’ll recall, I got the following samples:

Columbia Butternut & Blackberry
Kipling Cognac & Whiskey
Sedona Moss
Luggage Meerschaum
Equestrian Claret
Weston Sunrise Burnished
[Weston Cane Burnished is apparently out of stock]

I looked at the samples with my mom, and we really liked the Kipling – especially the Whiskey sample. I really liked Weston Sunrise Burnished, but my mom was a bit concerned that it might come out too strongly yellow on a big sofa and chair/ottoman combo.

Both the Kipling Whiskey and Weston Sunrise Burnished samples really showed the character of the leather well – I loved how one could see the slight variations in color based on the natural variations of the hide.

We thought the shade of red on the Equestrian sample was good, but it struck both of us as looking less natural than the Kipling and Weston Burnished samples. Its also noticeably thicker – is this good or bad?

With the above comments in mind, I had a few questions:

1 – Could you please have H&M send me some more samples to look at based on my feedback? I’d be particularly keen to see some more reds you like (I'm still keen to try doing things in red) and anything you might like over Kipling Whiskey or Weston Sunrise Burnished.

2 -- Do you have any sense as to how long it could take to get a Weston Cane Burnished sample? Are the underlying leathers for the Weston Burnished (class 3) hides the regular Weston Class 2 hides, with the burnishing being what knocks them up to class 3? If so, would it make sense to compare Weston Cane and Burnished Class 2 hides to get a sense of color differences, or are the burnished/unburnished lines completely different leathers?

3 -- Are there any pics on the H&M website that show pieces in Weston Cane Burnished and Weston Sunrise Burnished? I'm trying to get a sense of how the shades compare and visualize them on a piece of furniture.

4 -- The Weston Sunrise Burnished felt slightly stiffer than the Kipling (I’m assuming due to the burnishing?) – do the leathers soften over time, or should I expect the stiffness to remain?

Again, thank you for arranging these samples. I’ve definitely got a better idea of things now that I’ve seen some of these leathers in person.

[drcollie]

I have a # 1044 Sadler Lounger in my house in Kipling Whiskey, so you know I like that leather. Its one of the best of the grade 2's in my opinion, if not THE best.

Equestrian is cut thickly and actually is quite natural looking. It makes up great and always exhibits a nice leather 'aroma' in the room. It does not always tailor the best on high detail pieces that require tight pulling to conform to a design line, but there are not that many pieces in the line affected by that.

Yes, I can get some more samples to you....

All burnished samples are hard to get. They have to hand-burnish the crusts in-house at H&M and then cut them for samples and they seem to be out of them frequently. I have seen 6 months or longer go by before samples come available in all the Burnished series.

Yes, Burnishing takes the hides to a class 3 level. Labor and time intensive. You buy burnished for 'a look', not for softness and hand. They will be more firm and stiff.

Here's a chair I have in my store in Weston Cane Burnished:

http://www.myfurnitureforum.com/showthread.php?t=506