Help me customize H&M Author Chair and Ottoman

Duane and others,

Please help me decide how to customize an Hancock & Moore Author Chair and Ottoman. This will be my first real furniture purchase as all my previous has been hand me downs, second hand, or cheap throw away furniture.

My current room includes an H&M Laurel Sofa in Capri Camel with diamond stitching on the back and seats as shown below (picture is from previous owner's house so please disregard other furnishings).

I'm currently thinking Capri Claret leather with feather down bottom cushion.

I need help picking out:

1. Wood feet color
2. What do you think about contrasting black welt/piping and or front panels? Maybe in Equestrian Ebony or Bari Ebony (piping and front panel idea came from http://www.myfurnitureforum.com/showthread.php?3185-1667-Evening-Sofa-084-Robinson-Ottoman-Equestrian-Merlot-and-Ebony and piping can also be seen at http://www.myfurnitureforum.com/showthread.php?1765-Leathercraft-1960-Sofa-in-Sophia-Leather-with-contrast-welt-trim
3. Gimp -- same color or contrasting?
4. What nailhead trim would you suggest and same or different all over? What would be your thoughts about no nailhead trim? Is the Oxblood Nail as shown at
http://www.hancockandmoore.com/resources/HM_NailheadActualSizes.pdf still available?

Thanks for any insight and let me know if I'm overlooking something that would really set this chair apart.

Attachment 5993

JOYED-The sofa you aleady owned is out of this world beautiful. So very designer looking!
The CAPRI leather on the AUTHOR is a dynamite combination. To just match the wood and nail to the sofa would be more than enough to make the room you are placing these items in makes me green with envy!

Capri Claret is very handsome, but I think I would stay with the stock cushion core. That leather is so soft, and so supple, that you really don't need more cush (in my opinion)

1) Not worth the upcharge to use a premium finish for just the bun feet. Mahogany would look good....

2) No contrast welt. There are enough design features on the Author to not interrupt the visual flow and beauty of Capri leather.

3) A different Gimp would be fun, and since the chair already has that on it, no extra charge as long as you use the same grade or less. I might even play around with the idea of black leather gimp on that color/leather os something really off the wall like one of the Wink leathers (you would have to see samples)

4) Keep the nail trim, Author chairs look odd without it. Go for the Pewter perhaps, its very striking against a red.

Duane,

Thank you for your thoughts above. Couple of follow up questions

1. Wood: I agree the upcharge for premium wood is not called for. I'll defer to your expertise and go with the Mahogany

2. Contrasting welt: Sometimes I take ideas a little too far, thanks for reeling me back in

3. Contrasting gimp: I don't know if I could pull off the sparkly Wink leathers in a bachelor pad. Is there some middle ground that you can think of between safe black leather gimp and Wink gimp?

4. Nail trim: Is there a nail trim actually called Pewter (I didn't see it on their website) or are you referring to nail trims that have a pewter color such as Empire or Adobe? Any recommendations on which one? I also notice there are multiple sizes for each nail. Do we need to specify a size at the bottom vs the sides? Is there a normal route? I'll defer to your expertise.

Thanks again.

Perhaps this then....do the gimp in the same as the chair, and the the CC nail for the arms and the BNB pewter buffalo nickel over the top of the gimp, spaced on the base of the chair and ottoman. That would be pretty sharp.

Gee Duane You took the words right out of my mouth. Pretty much what I was thinking. That chair, that leather does not need extra bling to be a great combination.

Another thought concerning the welt.

What are your thoughts about adding decorative stitching instead of the usual welt. I've found different stitching on H&M's website at http://www.hancockandmoore.com/detailing_category.asp?detailing_categoryid=5 but don't know the names of each stitch -- they are just labeled E through J. Any particular one that would look good on the Author Chair & Ottoman?

Some decorative stitching photos I've seen are below

http://www.myfurnitureforum.com/showthread.php?2614-H-amp-M-5655-Tannery-Chairs-in-Hand-Antiqued-Sunset-Burnished-GR-3 and http://www.myfurnitureforum.com/showthread.php?2565-H-amp-M-5628-Carmen-in-Hand-Antiqued-Sunset-Grade-3-leather

I would not contrast the welt, less is more.

As for stitching, if you were doing a burnished leather or pull-up, I'd say 'yes' but capri is an elegant leather and they have welt trims.