Hello,
Does anyone have photos of H&M furniture with Luggage Saddle upholstered? I have been looking for photos to roughly compare with Luggage Russett photos I have, but have not had any luck searching here/online. Thank you!
Printable View
Hello,
Does anyone have photos of H&M furniture with Luggage Saddle upholstered? I have been looking for photos to roughly compare with Luggage Russett photos I have, but have not had any luck searching here/online. Thank you!
The Luggage series leather is not real popular for two reasons, so you will have a difficult time sourcing photos of it. First, it’s a GR 4 leather, that makes it expensive. Secondly, if you are paying GR 4 money there are better choices. While a handsome leather, it’s not that soft and has some topcoat glaze to it so it doesn’t feel luxurious like the Capri and Markell hides at the same price points. I may sell one piece in Luggage maybe every four years, frankly I’m surprised the leather is still in the line.
Thanks for linking that. I did read through that page, and researched the forum before posting this thread. The reason I posted is because I am getting conflicting information from my dealer.. and it's hard to determine what the best path forward is. Which is why I was hoping to see what the Luggage looked like upholstered. Sounds like I may need to reevaluate that leather choice.
There are only two Finished or Protected (Painted) leathers at Price Grade 4, Luggage and Antelope. While they are indeed nice leathers, my own personal opinion is if I am paying that kind of money, I want a pure aniline, not a painted leather. They would be perfectly fine at a GR 2 price.
Think of it this way, you are are spending $ 80 on a dinner, your choices are hamburger or NY strip Steak for your money. You really have to like hamburger to spend $ 80 for ground beef. I'll take the steak.
I’m about to pull the trigger on two H&M sofas (September and Chancellor) with Luggage Saddle leather. That leather is described as ‘full top grain aniline dyed’ on the H&M website. So it appears like it is the ‘best of the best’ by virtue of being full grain and aniline dyed and worthy of the Class 4 price point. Would you agree?
Also, of all the protected samples that made our short list, the Luggage has the greatest softness to its texture - not slippery or with a very noticeable protective finish. So I’m feeling that the Luggage leather is a very good leather (the steak and not the hamburger :) ). Any thoughts on my comments?
The terminology can be confusing. This is from the H&M Website and its not really correct. Luggage is a full top grain aniline dyed leather with a protective finish
That's a fancy description for a semi-aniline leather, which is a hybrid crust that starts out as a dyed aniline, but is finished with a pigmented top coat. This info is on the Primer in Selecting Leather Thread here on the forum, but a quick recap so you don't have to hunt for it
"Protected" does not mean armored. it means there is a painted topcoat. What happens to paint? It all wears off over time on anything you put it on. House, car, leather....it is a sacrificial coating. There is less paint on a semi-aniline leather than a finished leather. Painted topcoats allow spills to roll off, hence the term "protected".
"Full Top Grain" means a pure aniline leather in the trade. No pigmented topcoat. Luggage is NOT a Full Top Grain leather. It is a Top Grain. That was a mistake in the copy on the H&M website.
As in my prior post, I would (personally) not pay a GR 4 price for a coated leather. For that same money you can have a REAL Full Top Grain leather such as a wonderful Tiburon Pull-Up from Italy, or one of the very popular burnished leathers such as Hyde Park or Cameo. And those will never lose their painted topcoat. Over time. However, they will be more prone to sun-fading than Luggage or any painted leather. I think "Protected" or "Finished" leathers are great at GR 1 and GR 2 price points for heavy use homes with kids and the like, but not at GR 4 prices.
Don't get hung up on the term "Protected", that's a mistake. Other dealers will tell you that you MUST buy a Protected leather to be safe, but I disagree with that. I have (14) leather upholstery pieces in my own home for personal use. All are pure anilines and two of my sofas are 22 years old and my kids were raised on them. They just keep on going....
Oh boy! Just when we though we had our leather selection finalized. Now I’m totally second-guessing protected vs unprotected. We had immediately discarded any unprotected leather from our selection process. It’s just the two of us (no pets or kids) so maybe we could safely have protected leather on our daily-use sofas? I think I have to seriously look at the leathers you called out in your last reply. Especially the burnished ones. Thanks!
Regarding the protected finish, we own a 22 year old H&M Winslow Tufted Lounger with a protected leather. After 25 years being in sunlight every day and 2 feet from a fireplace that gets scorching hot sometimes and also having been very delinquent in caring for the leather ( :( ), there is zero cracking/pealing of the leather surface. It literally looks almost brand new. Is that typical of H&M protected leathers, or did I just luck out?
You may not have used that Winslow much I am guessing? If it doesn't get sat it much, there is no pressure on the finish. Also, little soiling. The more you use them, the more you have to stay atop the maintenace.
Finished leathers (painted) stand up better to direct sunlight than any pure aniline, that's a given.