I can't answer all your questions, but I can tell you that I have a Classic Leather sofa I purchased over a year ago and absolutely love it- very, very comfortable. It's not that exact style and it's a light leather called something like "diamond pearl", I think- very soft sand color. It's also a fairly classic rolled arm style as my husband was also opposing the more contemporary arms and styles of the other 2 sofas you pictured. So, I compromised on style a bit. About leather grades- softer leather is usually going to be a higher grade, but there is so much that goes into grading leather!! Because a grade 2 leather may be softer and less stiff-it will be more comfortable to sit on, too.

Hancock and Moore make lovely sofas- but super expensive. I saw a gorgeous one on clearance and it was still $6000 or $7000!!! so I think it might be hard to find one in your budget. But as much as I like Classic Leather, I would probably not compromise as much on the color based on what you've selected in the other 2 sofas. Keep looking until you find the right one-both color and style.

This article has a chart comparing leather furniture manufacturers. HERE

I got this Hancock Moorechesterfield for $1000 from Craigslist. It was from a couple who were moving from NH to Switzerland(!) for work. They were asking more, but accepted my offer as they needed to sell all their furniture The quality is incredible.

The below on leather grades comes from the owner of a store in VA who used to participate in the Garden Web forum who became part of Houzz. It came from HERE

"Classes of leather are nothing more than pricing zones. Typically the 1
class is the least expensive hide, then the prices escalate to Class 2,
3, 4, 5 etc.

Pricing is determined by a number of factors, not the least of which is
where the leather originates. European hides are the most expensive,
partly because of th Euro's strength against the US Dollar and also due
to the fact that the best leathers come out of that region. You'd think
that a cow is a cow, but in Europe they don't use barbed wire and they
have few biting insects, so the hides are remarkably defect free and can
command top dollar.

At the bottom of the pricing category are FINISHED leathers. While
still full top grain, they have numerous flaws that must be corrected in
the tanning process to make them appealing. Finished leathers have
improved remarkably in the past 10 years or so. Before that, they were
rough and scratchy, but nowdays many of them are reasonably sofa and
supple.

ANILINE Dyes will be mid to upper price tiers. The hide needs less
'working' so it can be vat dyed rather than sprayed with pigment. Softer
and more supple is what the higher price bracket buys you.

In premium sofas as an example, you can generally expect a $ 250 - $ 300
step per grade up. A $ 1,995 sofa in Grade 1 will be $ 2,295 in Grade
2, $ 2,495 in Grade 3, $ 2, 750 in Grade 4, and $ 3,050 in Grade 4, etc.

Higher costs does not buy you added durability. In fact, less expensive,
finished hides are the champs are repelling most everything that comes
in contact with them.

When buying hides, think about your lifestyle and how you are going to
use this piece day in and day out for the next 20 years. Don't be
afraid to buy in the upper grades, they're quite spectacular and
amortized over the life of the piece cost just a few dollars per year
over less pricey leathers."

Hancock and Moore has a new promotion called "Just in Time" that has very aggressive pricing. I purchased a few years ago from Duane Collie at The Keeping Room in Alexandria, VA. and his service and price were great. He is extremely knowledgeable about H&M and leather furniture in general, and runs a forum about it that's really helpful! It's possible that he can get you an H&M sofa for the price you are looking at and he can ship anywhere in the US.

Hancock and Moore "Just in Time"

Everyone above has already answered most of the questions. But I will tell you that since you are redoing your room after all these years I would not settle when it comes to the main piece of furniture in the room that creates the mood! Everything is going to based around that ONE dark piece!

A bargain you don't want is not a bargain.

Sounds like you have some great advice already. The couch in photo 1 is too heavy is all I have to say.... lean toward something like 2 or 3 if you can find quality within your budget with those styles...... I agree with Annie, don't settle on this.... get a nice color you love and don't settle.

Agree with 1929Spanish. Is this the color and style of the sofa that you were offered the deal on? Can you show us your room that you want the sofa to go in?

Yes, on that sofa but it is a Zodiac Sapphire leather instead of Allure Twilight. They look very much alike on my monitor though.

Thank you all for the advice and attention. I appreciate it so much.

@1929Spanish-GW, my husband likes the puffier classic styles and I'm more attracted to the rectangular modern ones, although I have a wide appreciation for multiple styles and could be happy with classic or a boho looking room too. My two favorite TV living rooms are Alicia Florrick's from The Good Wife, and Mindy Laheri's from The Mindy Show. Functionality and comfort are really important though, as this is our only living room/family room area.

Husband has been a real bottle neck to me on just doing what I want--first no attention to it, then acting stressed at the thought of changing anything, then when realizing how much I intended to spend, said "noooooo." Then, we go shopping together (FINALLY) and he picks 3 very inappropriate sectionals that won't even fit in the room, but he also liked this sofa although it was the most expensive one (full price) in that store. It fits! It's on sale! It's comfortable. But I don't like the color. :/

The house is a 1928 "Arts and Crafts Colonial" in New England with a very challenging floor plan for the living room due to doorways, windows, radiators, and a massive fireplace. Here are some pictures. All of this is going to Craigslist or the dump with the exception of my Asian coffee table and blanket chest and the radiator covers and curtain rods (which I love). I will paint, etc. My kids will all be in college next year and I have 2 poodles. I have a beautiful antique Persian rug I can put in this room (shown at the bottom). Any color will go with it.

Rug about 8x10 or 9x12:

living room · More Info

PS--Sorry for the multiple posts, but I forgot--

Thanks for that source on the HM's, @jkt107. I picked out 6 and emailed him for price estimates and will try to sit on them very soon.

I love your house. We took almost a year to pick a sofa and five to pick bedroom furniture. He likes mid century, but moved into my vintage home. Let time be your friend.

I know you don't like the blue sofa, but it could look very nice with your rug.

I never thought to put them together like that!! It isn't that I don't like blue so much as I'm worried of putting things that are very dark in this room. It has horrible natural light even though we have windows on 3 sides. What color would you paint if I did go with the blue?

I was a little harsh on my husband earlier. He isn't interested in making the room better because he's knee deep in something quite serious.

Today I did get the price quotes on Hancock and Moore from DCollie (as suggested above) and I also went to my local Cabot House to sit on some of them!

If anyone is wondering, our Cabot House had the Hancock and Moore "City" sofa for $2879. I'm in an expensive area so if you aren't, your price might be better than that. This is the only picture I got of it--with the swatch of this dull color you can get it in. You'll see later how I got distracted.

DCollie's price was about $500 cheaper than our Cabot House but in the end (after shipping) only $200 cheaper.

The Hancock and Moore's were very nice.

I sat on this gorgeous monster (Sundance) that is 50 inches deep even though it's only 84 inches wide. Baby got back! Back with buttons! Surely the depth is inappropriate for our weird room but it's the only couch I've sat on where I was happy in the middle seat and not wishing I was on one of the ends. If I were a cow, I would volunteer to become this sofa. I actually got so lusty about it I started thinking, heck, we really don't need anything else but this couch and my kids don't really need to go to college any more. We can just stay home and sit on this, forever. If the great flood comes, we can use it as our family ark! (Just in Time price $4500 in Claret or Tobacco, marked down from $11,000).

And now for CouchButt. It's gotta float, right?

Other sofas were priced between the City and Sundance (with limited leather choices). So 3K range.

Crate and Barrel is doing 15% off purchases until August 6th. I just got the card in the mail yesterday. Get that Lee sofa. It's a forever piece.

I'd rather delay being "done" with a room to get a Lee piece.

Just to give a different view on the Lee sofa, I had gone over to the furniture forum here earlier this AM and read this. It's from 2007, but people are still adding to it! http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2379496/lee-industries-sofa-worst-ever-furniture?n=49

I have three Lee chairs ranging from about eight to 13 years old. One was from Crate and Barrel and two from an independent dealer. They have all held up great.

I have a Lee leather sofa from C&B and I love it. It's less than a year old, so I can't comment on its longevity. I also had a Lee slipcovered sofa years ago that was one of the most comfy sofas ever.

I also have a couple American Leather sofas, in Ultrasuede, and they're fantastic. We've had those for a few years. Oh yeah, I bought yet another American Leather sofa just a few months ago. (In case you're wondering how big my house is to have so many sofas...one of them is at our beach house!)

Wow it took me all day to read through that post. And then I found one with people complaining about Hancock and Moore (it wasn't nearly as long but got ugly with disgruntled ex-employees and Mr. Hancock (I guess) coming in to post. I learned I don't want "married leather." Now I have to figure out what that is and which ones are that. It actually made the "floor sample" option more appealing, because at least then I know exactly what I'm getting. I'm so confused.

This should help: About 2 years ago found a great price on a sofa that was "almost" what I wanted.

Fast forward, I'm looking at sofas again to get what I want.

Moral of the story, get what you want now.

I am reading your posts a year later and was wondering what did you decide for a leather sofa?

I am going through the same process now and was curious about what you decided.

Thx.

Wow I forgot about this. I was all set to buy the American Leather because it was the most comfortable to me with my petite body size. Then we found something (new-looking, neutral Century sofa and Sherrill chairs set) much cheaper on Craigslist and ended up buying that instead. It was staging furniture in a doctor's mansion. And it isn't leather....

I've been to a lot of estate sales since this post and I've sort of become obsessed with them....

All I can add is if you are looking for leather, Duane Collie is your man. He knows leather, knows the business, is a superb man to work with and won't steer you wrong. We were living in Atlanta at the time, so never did go to his store and meet him, but his help and knowledge were invaluable. He was always available to speak with us and answer any question. The whole experience of buying our HM sofa from him was flawless, including delivery. The sofa is now 5 yrs old, used every day and looks and feels as good as the day we bought it. Duane and Hancock & Moore are the best!!

Mrykbee and pandtkendall, thank you for your replies.

That's great you found what you wanted on Craig's List. Nothing better than getting what you like at a price you like.

Pandtkendall that's great you enjoy your HM sofa and enjoyed working with Duane. Here's to many, many years of enjoyment.

I am comfortable buying furniture from a distant company. Thanks for mentioning Duane. I will look him up. I'd love to travel to his store in the near future.

I bought a Classic Leather sofa and recliner in 1987 from a company in Southern Pines owned by two fantastic brothers Miller and Cliff Barnes. I never met them and did everything over the phone

The furniture has seen heavy use and three large dogs over the years. I love the leather but I'm tired of the style. The sofa still looks good but the recliner is aging. My husband and I used to sit in the recliner together and then our 90 pound dog would climb up on our laps.

I took care of the furniture and faithfully cleaned it and moved the cushions around. Maybe around ten years or so I had new insides made for the cushions. The sofa sits right in front of a big window with lots of light. There isn't any sun damage. At some point I tried to kill the furniture using 409 or water and vinegar to clean it but didn't die. (Not cleaning products I'd ever suggest). I have no idea what type of leather but it's soft and indestructible.

I realize today's leather will not be as good as the older leather we have but we want our next set to also be leather.

Again, thanks for getting back to me..

I’ve enjoyed this discussion. When we moved into our new home, my husband insisted on a leather sofa for the single living area, and a dark one, to boot. Before we were married, he had had a black, then a navy one, and claimed they were the most comfortable sofas for him. At our previous home, I got the living room sofa andchairs of my dreams — all white. But he complained every day and spilled so much food that the sofa was constantly covered with sheets or towels. Anyway, this time I reluctantly gave in and we got a gray leather sofa with rolled arms (for his head rest). Eventually, I was able to create a living room that suited us both, with a gorgeous large painting and rug (both expensive), keeping my white loveseat and buying glass end tables that helped lighten the room. Sometimes we just have to compromise. I don’t love the dark gray leather sofa, but we did buy him a high-quality one from Arhaus. I’m happy because he’s happy.