Shopping for a leather sectional

[Sofadoo]

So I did end up taking the trip down yesterday and it was great to finally meet Duane in person and see the store. I arrived much later than I had planned but I was still able get a good idea of how the Kodiak and the #9844 City are to sit in. The Kodiak on the floor had standard core cushions, the #9840 City had ultra down.

The Kodiak is the most comfortable sofa I've ever sat in. It felt like I was sitting "in" the couch rather than "on" it. The higher back definately contributes to this but I was also wondering if the cushions are maybe thicker?? Even being standard cores they seemed every bit as soft as the #9840 City which had ultra down. Anyway I'm hoping the #9844 will be closer to the Kodiak I sat in yesterday than to the #9840.

The #9840 was ok to sit "on", but the shallower seat depth made me feel a bit crammed. The #9844 is listed as having 2.5" more inches of seat depth so we should be good there. I'm wondering if the #9844 will also have more of that sit "in" lounge type feel due to the fact that each individual cushion will be deeper + wider...

Duane was nice enough to send me home with some leather samples so my wife can help with the decision. They're all nice leathers mostly GR2 and Columbia which is GR1. The Columbia does have a great feel for a protected leather and the difference in price is starting to really lean us towards it.
Another thing is the sectional will be placed right in front of a very large window that gets an hour or two of pretty strong sun late in the afternoon. I plan on applying some UV blocking window film, but should this still factor into my aniline/protected decision? Heres what I found after a quick search on amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Clear-Blocking...dp/B003IKDDWQ#
from the product description: "Clear UV Blocking Film Blocks 99% of harmful UV-Rays, Rejects 20% of Heat from the sun and Slows Fading"

Oh and one more thing I wanted to make sure... Our front door is 34.5" wide. Will we be ok here?

[drcollie]

Thanks for making that 3-hour ride, David! That's a long haul on Cry-95....appreciate your passing my some 200 other furniture stores to come to mine.

Yes, the H&M 9503 Kodiak is considered by most to be one of the top 'most comfortable' by many, its a big seller. Some of that is thicker cushions, put pitch angles and spring rates along with dimensions all come into play. I too, find the 9840 too 'compact' for me, but the 9844 will sit very similar to the Kodiak EXCEPT its 4" shorter in the back, and that does make somewhat a difference as well.

Columbia is actually a semi-aniline rather than a finished leather, and it continues to be the only Price Grade 1 hide that I recommend.

I have solar film on all windows of my home except for the north facing side. It helps considerably in controlling sun fade.

Yes, 34.5" is plenty for a City or a Kodiak.

Glad you had a safe trip home.

[Sofadoo]

Thanks Duane- If all this leads us to a sectional we're completely satisfied with, it will be well worth it. We don't like regrets!

Pecos Moss is now leading the pack of our leather choices. We love the feel and the color in person (it looks a shade lighter on the website). We also have a Pecos Mink sample here and it happens to be significantly more shiny. I remember reading somewhere that customers can request a cutting for approval If they're willing to delay the production for an additional 3-4 weeks. We might consider this if it doesn't affect our bottom line ...

Right now I'm feeling very confident that we'll be putting an order in with you Monday morning. It's the light at the end of the tunnel! Thanks again for your help, Duane, I know it's been a busy weekend for you...

[drcollie]

Yes! You can get a Cutting for Approval on any order that's not a Married Cover from H&M, at no charge. All it does is add about 4 weeks to the overall production time. If you don't like the CFA, then you can re-select another leather. The sheen on Pecos does seem to vary batch to batch...

[Sofadoo]

We received the Pecos Moss CFA in the mail yesterday. They sent us a decent sized piece maybe 8”x 12” and while the color does match the swatch we already had, the sheen is quite a bit glossier. Also the smell is kinda harsh like a chemical smell, which isn’t a huge negative but still a negative none the less.

So we’re looking for another leather now and I’m calling upon the forum once again for some good advice. What we’re looking for is an aniline pull-up/slight pull-up with a low sheen and a color similar to the leather on this chair...

http://www.hancockandmoore.com/produ...productid=1381

Actually Duane if you have any idea what leather is on that chair I’d love to know…

We like the Atticus swatches but unfortunately there are no mossy green Atticus colors. Out of the rest of the GR2 aniline leathers only Ryan Moss looks like it has a chance to be the color we’re looking for. Jumping up to GR3 there are a few more mossy greens like Tuscany Moss, Tiburon Moss, and Weston Mink/Moss.

I’d really appreciate feedback from anyone who has had experience with any of these leathers, even if it has to do with another color. I would like to know more about the softness, special effects, sheen/glossiness, etc. Of course any other recommendations are welcome and appreciated, but anything above GR3 is off the table

[hglaber]

Don't forget sedona moss at GR2. Artielange can probably answer some questions based on the bench here.

[drcollie]

Pecos is a Pull Up leather, so as you literally pull on it, the sheen will soften. The CFA is pretty much untouched, so give it some good hard tugs like you were an upholsterer stapling it tight to a frame and you'll see what I mean. With use, some of that works out as well. There are no pull-up's with a real low sheen, that's part of the color burst (waxy topcoat). Sedona Moss has the lowest sheen (GR 2) of any pull-up effect but it shows a LOT of distressing and has a dry look to it. Old English Moss (GR3) might be right where you want to be. Nice pull up effect, rich, elegant, not too much sheen.

As to aroma's, you have to go to Europe to get the sweet-smelling leathers we all like. Old English will fit the bill on that as well.

[artielange]

The Sedona Moss on my bench looks very aged and it has huge pull-up effect. My guests seem to enjoy carving their initials into it, or drawing fun squiggles. It works perfectly for the bench that it's on, but I don't think I could take a whole sofa of it. I'm too compulsive for all of the disarray of the pull-up.

[artielange]

I have Tiburon and Weston. Tiburon is glossy, very slightly distressed, and gorgeous. Weston is fantastic. Slightly waxy, thick, low sheen, luxury feel. I was lucky in that both of these leathers were Gr 2 when I bought them.

[Sofadoo]

Great thanks for all the replies!

We do like a little bit of a distressed look but it sounds like an entire sectional in Sedona wouldn't be a good idea (especially with our dog). In fact the Pecos might even scratch a bit too easily for our taste.

Tiburon sounds wonderful but now that I know it's glossy I guess I can take it off the list.
Weston sounds great too. I like the idea of a thicker leather to help reduce any puddling.
Also still curious about Ryan.

Duane, you PM'd that you sent me an Old English Moss swatch- really looking forward to seeing it in person but I couldn't find it on the H&M website. Are you sure it's still available?
Could I trouble you for one more shipment of these samples?
Weston Mink
Weston Moss
Ryan Moss
(edit) Tiburon Moss