High Point Furniture Market Spring 2022

[drcollie]

I spent a good two hour talking with Trey and Bo from Moore and Giles leathers, who are highly involved with Hancock and Moore for this Market and moving forward beyond that. They are all in the pure aniline camp, for sure, as am I. The natural beauty of pure anilines just cannot be beat, and they will - over time - last longer and look better than "Protected" leathers or Finished leathers. We had a long discussion on how these "Protected" leathers are understood by consumers and many salespeople as being more appropriate for hard use than "Unprotected" leathers (pure anilines). You know what? It's not true. A "Protected" leather is nothing more than a painted leather, simple as that. Same for "Semi-Anilines", they all have a pigmented sprayed-on top coat. As Trey explains it, all topcoated leathers have a bonding agent to the hide that will eventually fail over time, it's not a matter of "If", but "When". And that is true of any paint when you think about it, from the paint on your house, or on your car. It's a sacrificial topcoat that gives way. One of the issues there is to overcome is the language used on sales materials. "Unprotected" gives the impression of being fragile, and that term ultimately should be replaced with "Natural", which would be more appropriate.

Aniline leathers can stain with hair and hand oils, but that is cosmetic only and doesn't damage the leather. That can also be prevented by cleaning and conditioning. Almost all spills on aniline leathers should be left alone. Blot them up, don't rub them - and don't scrub on them. The leather itself will absorb the stain over time and will eventually disappear. If you damage a finished leather, it stays damaged because it was typically something done to the painted top surface.

Only 5% of hides worldwide are clean enough to be pure anilines, so they tend to be more expensive. The cattle from England, Belgium, Germany and Italy generate the finest and softest leathers, because they tend to be "pampered" in those countries and the hides are not banged up. Once you get into "real" leather, you will likely only buy aniline hides for your furniture. They will fade quicker than painted leathers in direct sunlight, however. Good leather furniture can last well over 50 years, so my advice is going to be to continue to buy pure anilines. YES - you will pay more, but you will have these pieces for a lifetime.

[drcollie]

At the Hooker Showroom, we were astonished to see the # 1 selling item they have in their entire line, including not only Hooker Furniture, but also Bradington Young, Sam Moore and MARC. This is a motorized reclining Chesterfield sofa in leather, and Hooker actually holds a patent on it, so its not copied anywhere else. Two recliners, motorized, not too hard to deliver as its in two pieces....OK....we ordered one! See Sarah in the video I took of her trying it out at this link.

https://www.facebook.com/keeproom/vi...75849456985736

[SueCT]

Wow that Chesterfield is amazing. Do you have a larger picture of it or any of the back? Not in the market for a sofa but I am very curious how it works. I would assume it needs to be against a wall. Does the back remain open when it rises up to become the headrest? Awesome.

[drcollie]

We took that video rather than a photo. It can float or be a zero clearance wall-hugger, either one. Yes, the back can remain open if you wish, its fully controllable with the buttons. There are probably plenty of photos of it around, as its the number one seller for the entire company, I'm told many stores order half a dozen of these at a time. We are not that bold, and will start with just one. It is pretty slick and solves a lot of issues with dual recliner sofas.

I have given up on ordering 1-piece dual recliner sofas that are not modular, they are simply too heavy and too hard to deliver. Appx half of them are returned because they will not fit in the customer's home and they can physically hurt a two man delivery team due to weight What the company executives don't see and understand is when they handle those units in the plants and showrooms, they have dollies to roll them on and four men to lift them, with no doorway restrictions. When they are delivered to a customer's home, its two guys and a 36" doorway, plus obstacles that may be in the home. Forget about going up and down stairs with them or twisting them this way or that, or standing up in freight elevators. Either the crew gets hurt, the sofa damaged or the walls torn up, none of which is satisfactory. For that reason, we are moving to sectional units such as this Hooker piece that comes in two pieces - these we can delivery without too many issues.

[SueCT]

Thank you Sarah.

[sarahc]

From the factory to the showroom...it's always fun to see the behind-the-scenes of a new frame being made.

We got to see Hancock and Moore's new Gina Sofa #6706-3 going into production at our trip to the factory in November and then its debut at Market.

Displayed in the new Moore & Giles Tiburon Smoke Leather with Carver Walnut Welt and Rainer Finish, the Gina Sofa is a stunner.



Here is the final sketch from the designer. I saw it laying on the workbench in the factory and was so glad I asked if I could take a picture of it to have to look back at now. I wasn't sure if the new market designs were proprietary information, so I was surprised I was allowed to snap a photo.



The original frame...the sofa looked massive on the workbench but it's really only 86" W and 35.5" tall.



The debut at Market in the newest shade of Tiburon, Smoke.



This part of the showroom was inspired by the Ritz Hotel in Paris and gives a nod to the classics with couture silhouettes.

[drcollie]

Let's talk about the Hancock and Moore YOUR WAY dual recliner sofas, since they are confusing. I purposely took photos at Market of them to try to show the differences. Your Way 1 is the older generation unit. Your Way 2 is newer to market. What's alike? What's different? Let's explore them both.

What they have in common:

*Both are very heavy and hard to deliver. Appx 380 lbs, two men cannot easily deliver these. They are too heavy to go up and down stairways, be lifted overhead or over a kitchen counter. and require a 35" or better doorway.

How are they different?

Your Way 1 has a "Split" where the back reclines that you can see if the unit is floated out into a room. The seat height is taller on Your Way 1 and it sits fairly upright when closed up. I did not photo the back of this Your Way 1 because it was up against the wall and too hard to move out.



Your Way 2 has the recliners built into the shell, there is no visible "Split" in the back when viewed from the rear. A newer frame style by Ultra-Mek, the motion part stays fully within the shell Seat height is lower, and the closed-up sit is less upright than Your Way 1.

Leather on the YW2 is Kismet Pewter, Java Wood, Wide Track Arm & Base, Split Back.



Which do we prefer? Neither - we think the smart way to order this category is modular units and join when in the home.

[drcollie]

A few photos from the Woodbridge Showroom. It was so crowded in here that I didn't get the opportunity to take many photos of their product. With three world-famous designers in the space taking appointments to talk to people, it was a madhouse.

# LL301-06 Maker's Console. I liked the style and look of this piece, in a country / mountain home with the right decor - great! Has a drawer on each end



# O-501-36 Bellevue Tasting Table / Bar. Sitting up "high" is the new "in".



# 733609 Kiawah Lounge Chair. Stylish/ Comfortable sit



Sarah talking with Lauren Liess, well-known designer and decorator. Behind her at the next table is designer Corey Damen Jenkins who Sarah also sat with. He will be doing much of Hancock and Moore's designs the next four years starting with the Fall 2022 Market.

BTW, Sarah has enrolled for course with the New York Institute of Design and is on her way to become a Certified and Accredited Designer, using the same path that Lauren Liess chose. https://www.nyiad.edu/design-article...s-lauren-liess. Once she completes this course (appx 18 months) and is certified, The Keeping Room will begin in-home design projects with our clients.

[SueCT]

That is awesome, Sarah! Sounds like you are planning to be at the Keeping Room for some time in the future. Honestly, that makes me feel even better about ordering from the Keeping Room. It has crossed my mind that your father might want to retire some day, and I hope the Keeping Room keeps keeping on, lol. Love both of those two pieces.

[sam_g]

We've been living with our Yourway series 1 recliners for a bit now. We really loved the way the Yourway2 prototype sat at the H&M factory, but ultimately think the series 1 was a better choice because of the walkway we needed. The split back though isn't quite as attractive but such are the tradeoffs (and first world problems I recognize).