H&M Austin Sofa Purchase and Delivery Review

[DawnW]

After years (literally) of research, and reading almost every post on here, we finally decided to purchase a Hancock and Moore sofa from Duane. Our previous leather reclining sofa lasted all of four years before it started falling apart. Locally, we have one H&M dealer, and they are an interior design outfit with really high markups. We checked out quite a few Bradington-Young pieces at a local dealer, but they just didn't feel right to us. We were looking for comfort and durability, and Bradington-Young kind of failed in the comfort area. Most of their pieces were scaled too large for me at 5'3". To be fair, we weren't able to try the Reid reclining sofa that Duane recommends.

After sitting in an Austin chair, we settled on the Austin sofa. Much debate was held over whether to go regular or high back. Because we were used to a high back reclining sofa, we picked the high back and I'm very glad we did. We are 5'2", 5'3", and 5'8" and love having our heads supported. We ordered the sofa in early September 2014 and it was delivered the week before Thanksgiving.

West Express handled our delivery. I can't express how terrifying it was to see that massive semi truck navigate the narrow, tree-lined streets of our neighborhood. The driver was equally terrified. Hopefully the sizeable tips we gave him and his two coworkers eased some of the pain . The delivery guys couldn't have been more friendly and professional. They unloaded the sofa and deposited it safely in our living room, not a scratch on it. We had been really nervous about this process, but it couldn't have gone more smoothly.

Now, on to the sofa...if you are on the fence about purchasing an Austin, jump right on down to the buying side. This is literally the most comfortable piece of furniture imaginable. We both have lower back problems, and I have a tendency towards sciatica, but this sofa has not caused one twinge of pain. We got the back overstuffed and down cushions, and I highly recommend both. We went with the Columbia Coffee leather with the S nails, and it is absolutely beautiful. Everyone who sees it loves it. I was a bit concerned that the Austin style would be too dowdy and clunky, but it has beautiful lines and a classic style.

We are very picky buyers and we're so happy we decided to purchase our sofa through Duane. He was helpful and kind every step of the way. Our future H&M purchases (now that we're spoiled, this is our brand) will be coming his way.

Here's a photo of the sofa in its new habitat:

[pstein15]

Very nice looking sofa. Would be my choice if I discovered furniture forum a month earlier. I also sat in some BY sofas and recliners. Know what you mean. The HMs I sat in were incredibly nice.

[drcollie]

That's a nice review, thank you!

One thing I will say about the Austin series - its an original Hancock and Moore design that goes back decades (it used to be button-tufted in the middle of the back pillows in the 70's and 80's, that's why is now has NB at the end of the model number. NB stands for 'No Buttons'). EVERYONE has copied it, if there is a leather furniture maker out there they have knocked it off, and I've had many of the knock offs in my store. And you know what? They can make them to look like the H&M piece, but they miss on the seating angles, spring rates, pitch rates, dimensions and cushions every time. As consumers, I know people like to try to save money and they assume that "X-Brand" will sit the same as the H&M Austin and will say "It looks the same, and I can save $ 1,500!" Guess what?...it's not the same, not even close. If there is a better-sitting and better-made bustle-back sofa from any maker out there, I've not found it. This is one of those sofa models where I will tell folks: "Pay the extra for the H&M, its worth it" and I really mean it, all hype and pitches aside.

Dawn - thank you for your business and here's something for you to consider. Rather than those three fabric ottomans (which are a little too tall for max comfort, they should be a little lower), I put this with the Austin sofa all the time and it works great. The Austin Ottoman off the Chair and 1/2. Something for you to think about!

http://www.hancockandmoore.com/produ...productid=1256

[DawnW]

We definitely feel the H&M was more than worth the money! Honestly, it wasn't that much more than we'd pay for a leather sofa at other places, but the quality is so much higher that it's not even funny. I can't believe some of the prices out there for junk.

We'd love to get those ottomans when our budget will allow. Thanks for pointing out the slightly wider ones. I'll keep that information for future reference. With our daughter heading to college this fall, the budget is tighter than usual, but that won't always be the case.

[pstein15]

Your ottoman comment. I bought both the 48 by 25 ottoman size and a much smaller chair ottoman with my chair. I find that using the lower chair ottoman is more comfortable when sitting on the sofa. However, I'm still glad we got the sofa ottoman because the long ottoman in front of the sofa gives a killer look that even several chair type ottomans wouldn't match.

That's a nice review, thank you!

One thing I will say about the Austin series - its an original Hancock and Moore design that goes back decades (it used to be button-tufted in the middle of the back pillows in the 70's and 80's, that's why is now has NB at the end of the model number. NB stands for 'No Buttons'). EVERYONE has copied it, if there is a leather furniture maker out there they have knocked it off, and I've had many of the knock offs in my store. And you know what? They can make them to look like the H&M piece, but they miss on the seating angles, spring rates, pitch rates, dimensions and cushions every time. As consumers, I know people like to try to save money and they assume that "X-Brand" will sit the same as the H&M Austin and will say "It looks the same, and I can save $ 1,500!" Guess what?...it's not the same, not even close. If there is a better-sitting and better-made bustle-back sofa from any maker out there, I've not found it. This is one of those sofa models where I will tell folks: "Pay the extra for the H&M, its worth it" and I really mean it, all hype and pitches aside.

Dawn - thank you for your business and here's something for you to consider. Rather than those three fabric ottomans (which are a little too tall for max comfort, they should be a little lower), I put this with the Austin sofa all the time and it works great. The Austin Ottoman off the Chair and 1/2. Something for you to think about!

http://www.hancockandmoore.com/produ...productid=1256