I had H&M Austin Sofa in Columbia Coffee delivered yesterday. There is a strange odor emanating from the leather. Is this common? How long will it take for the odor to subside?
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I had H&M Austin Sofa in Columbia Coffee delivered yesterday. There is a strange odor emanating from the leather. Is this common? How long will it take for the odor to subside?
All leather has an odor to it. Some are more faint than others, but they all do have one. The leather will have an out-gassing to it, but its never going to entirely go away, just fade with time. I find that in most pieces, the aroma of the leather is fairly strong for about 3 to 4 weeks after coming out of the box, then subsides somewhat.
Most people select their leathers on color - then on the "hand" or touch of the hide - coupled with the price. They rarely ever smell the leather, but that's something to consider. I can tell the area of origin from the scent of a leather. Chinese hides smell different from those out of South America (Columbia series is from South America) and the European hides have the best aroma of all. The German and Swiss and Scandinavian hides are very sweet, and very distinct and pleasing. South American hides tend to smell a little greasy and oily, and the Chinese leathers are very bland with a chemical odor.
So when you pick a leather, put your nose it in as well as using your eyes. There IS a difference there as well.