Registering your new Hancock and Moore furniture will net you a cleaning and conditioning kit as a gift from the company. At least it did for me and as has already been stated, using it will prolong the life of the furniture.
Maybe it's just me, but I can't honestly say these pictures horrify me. After six years of everyday "favorite chair" use, I'd expect to see quite a bit of wear and tear. That's what happens with furniture, it changes and ages, just as we do. After all, it is largely made from things that used to be alive.
I think Americans have this idea that the objects we use are supposed to be "perfect" forever and ever, never showing any sign of the passage of time. So some people get almost hysterical about every little smudge on a wall, and God forbid their granite counters show a stain.
And all the while, our own imperfect bodies are aging, getting wrinkled, showing much (ahem!) wear and tear. There are people so shallow they will divorce a spouse with a few sags and a wrinkle or two...
This is not to say you shouldn't maintain the leather going forward. The leather conditioner seems like a good solution. All I'm saying is, all furniture is like the Velveteen Rabbit. The more it's loved, the worse it appears.
The wear on that one shows hard use, no cleaning and no conditioning and perhaps a bit of chemical reaction from that person's skin oils on that particular leather. SCONE, you are correct however, folks don't expect their leather to show wear or their Rolex watch to get a dent in the band...lol. There is no direct correlation between price paid and wear - though I frequently hear "For what I paid for this I thought it would wear better". Wear is different from failure, however. Cheap stuff breaks and / or fails, good stuff keeps its performance over time, but does show signs of use. For example, My Snap-On tools ($$$) in my garage that I've had for well over 20 years work every time, but the nickel and chrome plating is worn and scratched from lots of use - and I don't mind that at all because they are the best tools made.
Duane Collie
Straight answers from thirty-six years in the business.
My Private Messages are Disabled - Please ask questions here in the forum.
I'm mixed with this thread....granted we didn't purchase H&M furniture but we did spend $6k for a couch and love seat from Bradington Young and although we're not experiencing the wear that the original poster has, our set is 1 1/2 years old and it looks TERRIBLE. The color is basically gone on the seat and arm of the love seat where my wife sits and the top ends of the arms are wearing away quickly as well. The couch is the same on one end and it barely gets used. Yep, we ordered a painted leather but as someone here in the thread posted there is a certain expectation when you order a $3000 couch verses a $599 couch that's imported. I guess my biggest complaint is why invest in the 8 way hand tied suspension and solid hardwood frames that will last a decades when the leather only lasts a couple of years? I know it's been said its a natural patina that is formed but my furniture has no patina, just looks great where no one sits and looks very worn where it gets regular use. And I agree there has to be some maintenance involved but my wife was obsessed with cleaning the furniture the first year, however has given up these past few months since that obviously didn't help in our case. All I know is never again...Im going to stick with the mid priced furniture going forward as at least when the leather wears out after a couple of years it's not such a hit to purchase new.
yooper829...
Can you post some decent photos that are well-lighted, in focus and not grainy? Do some close-ups with a quarter in the photo to show size relevancy, some mid-distance ones that include the arm, and some standing back a bit. Sometimes there are defective leathers - let me take a look if you can photo-essay the pieces for me I might be able to offer an opinion. Your selling dealer can go to bat for you if they feel the leather is defective and see about having them restored, or re-leathered. Its rare, but like any product made by humans, it can happen. It's not an easy process to get Bradington Young to replace covers, so the photos have to tell the story and be of excellent quality. No top grain leather should wear away in 18 months, so the first order of business is to let someone have a look at it and see if they agree with your assessment of accelerated and improper wear of the surface. Your selling dealer is your contact point for that (I assume you did not purchase from my store) but I'll be glad to have a look if you get get the photos posted here in enough detail to render a visual evaluation.
Duane Collie
Straight answers from thirty-six years in the business.
My Private Messages are Disabled - Please ask questions here in the forum.
Looking at the pictures, to me the way the leather on the arms is cracking looks to me as if it is all dried out. Could that be, in part at least, due to a (lack of) humidity issue? Maybe in southern Michigan the heat is on stronger and longer during the winter than say in Virginia, and the air inside one's house is a lot drier?
I know that can be an issue with finishes on wood. I'm supposed to be (but am not) keeping a humidifier inside my guitar's case during the winter so the top finish doesn't get all cracked looking.
And some heating systems dry out the air more than others.
But if it's lack of humidity, the problem wouldn't be confined to the arms. If it is confined to the arms that suggests to me more something chemical and/or friction from direct contact.
Which brings to my mind once again a question I've had since I first started shopping for some new pieces::
How come leather pieces don't offer the option of arm protectors, like fabric pieces often do? That would certainly have helped here, if it is confined to the arms and is due to chemical reaction & friction.
But come to think of it that also offers an option of what to do now: get some kind of arm protectors now, and cover the ugly dried-out-beyond-redemption arms with them. Assuming that it is pretty much just the arms.
As for the seat indentations, I've observed that the effect of the seat cushions changing shape as they age on the appearance of the furniture is much more noticeable with leather coverings than it is with fabric coverings.
Last edited by needstuff; 03-03-2015 at 11:53 AM.
Sure I'll try to get some photos using my Sony digital camera as I know cell phone pics won't cut it. And your right I did not purchase through you simply because I purchased before I discovered the forum! And while I appreciate your opinion because I know how busy you are, your right in that it's not going to be an easy process which is why I dread even going through all the work when I pretty much know what BY is going to say. Of course the leather is now a discontinued leather now so a repair would not be possible
And even if they could repair the furniture, the cost of shipping it all back just to have it wear off again wouldn't be worth it. I'll take some pictures anyways because I value your comments Duane! Thank you!
I guess I just like patina, antiques, chippy paint, etc. I can't stand fake distressing, though.
But to get back to the OP's issue, I wonder, in the case of these chairs, if the conditioner would help blend out the cracks so it would be less noticeable? Or is the leather too dry? Also, do some leathers and/or finishing processes dry out less than others (if that makes any sense)?