Hancock & Moore Journal Sofa #1828 in Capri Tobacco

Shown in one of the top hides, Capri Tobacco (GR IV)

Hi Duane,
I've got a question about the #1828 Journal as we prepare for plan 'B' in the event that the Evening with the redesigned back cusions comes back out of our price range.

I recall liking the #1828 that we sat on in your showroom for both comfort and style, but you had said that it sits too far out from the wall. Is this sofa designed only to be set in the middle of the room rather then against the wall since it has the rolled back?

If you can even believe it, our only other sofa consideration if the Evening doesn't work out is the larger City # 9844, and that's where we started many months ago! I read somewhere on the forum that you have seen nails added to the City and it looked nice. Do you recall the specifics such as nail size and placement?

...and the beat goes on....Thanks!

mcarey... we have a new (5 months) Journal in Columbia leather. We are pleased with the sofa.
The Columbia leather is a bit thinner than our former sofa in Antelope and as such we are seeing a bit of stretch in the seat cushions. At this point I would recommend the Antelope over the Columbia (expect to pay significantly more). Overall the Journal is very comfortable and has a classic appearance. It is placed about 3 feet from the wall, but I see no problem in placing it on a wall. We paired the sofa with a Grainger tilt back chair and ottoman, again in Columbia, and again with some stretch in the seat cushion. Also, we purchased the Grainger chair without the luxury of actual trial. I find the back angle to be more reclined in the upright position than I prefer, especially for reading. Overall on a scale or 10 I would rate the sofa as a 8 for comfort and 7 for style, the chair as a 5 for comfort and 7 for style and the leather a 7 for hand, 7 for appearance but only a 5 for overall satisfaction due to the apparent stretching already observed on the seat cushions. (note we have standard cores with overfill)

I hope this helps a little in you decision making process.

Larry

Thanks so much for sharing your experience with the Journal and leather choices. You beat me to the punch...I had seen on the forum that you had recently purchased the sofa and was planning to ask you your opinion later today. When we visited the Keeping Room to look at another sofa, we had admired the Journal Duane had on the floor, but he mentioned something about it projecting out from the wall. Do you feel that the styling of the back roll would not be appreciated if it were close to the wall? Regarding leather choices, I keep viewing your Austin sofa on the forum in the Antelope saddle (since that is one of Duane's favorite leathers) because when originally setting out to purchase a sofa I wanted to be certain to get a leather with some "protection". I would definitely consider the Antelope, but looks like the Saddle has a hint of burgandy and that is the color of our current Austin sofa (I want to make a change of color and style). My current contenders are the Garfield Mocha and Kipling Java. Since the Kipling is a thinner leather, I guess I might need to consider that if going with the Journal. Thanks again!

mcarey.... certainly the beauty of the rolled arm and back is best appreciated with the sofa out from the wall, but I still believe it will work against a wall, although it will extend a few inches further than most of the other sofas you are considering. I will try posting some photos on Resource Photos. We very much like the feel and look of the Columbia (especially as a grade 1 leather) but it is indeed thinner and more prone to stretching on the seat. Given a choice we would now prefer the Antelope as a protected leather choice. You are right about the tones of the Saddle (hint of burgandy), but there are a number of other Antelope colors available. We also experienced the Journal at The Keeping Room, and we loved the hand of the Capri but not the color of the unit Duane had on the floor and we desired a protected leather, hence the choice of Columbia. Again this is a very nice leather, but we do have concerns about stretching on the seat cushions.

Good Luck in you search
Larry

Duane... I have posted photos of our Journal Sofa. As I look at the resource photo of the piece from your showroom I notice an apparent difference in the seat cushions. In your photo the cushions look to align with the front edge of the base but are somewhat recessed from the front edge of the arms. Our new Journal seat cushions align with both the edge of the base and arms. I'm not sure but this looks like a change in the frame design?????

Larry

Larry-The columbia coffee is a beautiful color and that is another one that we had considered. From the photo that you posted, the stretching on the seat does not look to be significant, and to me, certainly wouldn't be a reason to rule out columbia. Would love to see more photos of the Journal with full views. It really helps to see the sofas made up in the different leathers, rather then just viewing the swatches. Thanks so much! Marianne

mcarey... I have posted a few more shots. The lighting is a bit dark, especially when i shoot towards the light from the windows. The stretching is more prevalent on the chair seat than the sofa (see photos on Resource Photo forum).

Also, Duane, you can see the cushion alignment difference with these photos when compared with you floor piece