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Building Home - need furniture
We're in the process of building our long dreamed of strawbale house. I love the layout and the big greatroom we've got, but the furniture placement (sofa, chairs, etc.) is not really intuitive to me. I have ideas, but thought I'd throw this room out to you all and see if there are any suggestions I haven't thought of.
The greatroom is about 28' wide, and it's 20' from the sliding doors to the center island at the kitchen. There is a lovely view out the double sliding glass doors which are 12 foot in width. The wood stove is on one side of the doors and the very large flat screen TV is on the other side. The TV will be on an arm, so we can move it around a bit. It's just my husband and myself, and I don't watch much TV myself, but often like to read or do something else in the livingroom while my husband watches. And sometimes we do watch movies together.
I think he'd like an Austin High Back recliner, though it's not the classiest chair out there, it sounds really comfortable. I thought we'd put that in front of the TV, and then next to that place a sofa that looks nice and also somewhat complements the Austin. The sofa would be centered on the sliding doors. We won't have an entertainment center, the stereo equipment, DVR, etc will all be in a separate dedicated closet. When it comes to livingroom furniture we're pretty much starting from scratch.
Well, that's a start anyway. I've seen some very clever ideas from the people here and if I could get some ideas generated I'd be very appreciative! I've attached a portion of our plans from the architect. Ther's a bit of extraneous numbering and lettering on the page, hopefully it's not too distracting.
Jane
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Re: Building Home - need furniture
Ho boy, that is a TOUGH room to work with. You have your wood stove far to the one side and your flat panel far to the other, and a large sliding glass window between, with an open kitchen to the back. Difficult.
OK, ready for a curve ball?
Imagine this Councill piece in front of the sliding glass door, centered on it. Perfect for a view out to the patio, and doesn't block either the stove or the flat panel...AND gives company a place to sit and talk to you if you're in the kitchen cooking. As a bonus, your neighbors won't have this sofa. Don't recoil immediately, just think about it, and probably in a softer look depending on your decor. <g>
http://www.councill.com/item/7152T-92
Then this for the recliner off to the left in front of the flat panel:
http://www.hancockandmoore.com/produ...productid=1808
Be sure to have your builder put several floor outlets in so you have a place to hook up a floor lamp later on. Nothing worse than forgetting to do that!
I'd really like to see a room photo, but I suppose there is no model home in this configuration?
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Re: Building Home - need furniture
Holy Moley! That's a big piece of furniture! I'm not recoiling, but I am laughing!
I can go take some pics tomorrow, complete with scaffolding, scattered extension cords and carpenters. But maybe it will give you a sense of what it looks like.
We do have floor outlets, managed to remember those, with the help of our contractor. There is an island at the kitchen which will have 3 or 4 barstools for a place to sit while chatting with the cook.
I've spent a little time with an Icovia room planner and I've attached it here with my ideas. I'm sorry, I don't know how to embed it in the post, hopefully the attachment is just as easy. I've got the top of the room stopping just at the edge of the island. Guess I ought to throw some barstools in there, too!
Thank you, Duane for your help, you always have great ideas!
Jane
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Re: Building Home - need furniture
I guess my thought about not facing the corner with the stove directly is that it is a wood burning stove, not a fireplace. There will be a little door where you can see flames, but I'm not sure it needs to be front and center like a nice fireplace with a mantle would be. It will be on a raised hearth that a person can sit on - until it gets too hot!
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Re: Building Home - need furniture
I'm not liking all the chairs lined up to look at the window - that's chopped up and leaves the space off by the wood stove as sort of a no-man's land. I'd REALLY like to see photos off the room, even if its just under drywall at this point. Take perspective shots from all directions and post here as .jpeg attachments. That will give me (and others) a better idea of spatial proportion.
In the meantime, perhaps think about something like one of these, that sweep the room with a continuous line, but curved ..... think flowing rather than chopped up and segmented.
http://www.taylorking.com/details.ph...ather&protype=
or something a little different that pays attention to the wood stove with the chaise...
http://www.hancockandmoore.com/produ...productid=2131 and http://www.hancockandmoore.com/produ...productid=2032
Not sure of your style....!
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Re: Building Home - need furniture
It was a very busy day yesterday, I wasn't able to get those photos but I should be able to today. We haven't drywalled yet, but the exterior strawbale walls are up so the room is defined. There is a big piece of scaffolding right in the middle of the room, the ceilings are vaulted and they're working on the wiring. I hope it doesn't interfere with the pics.
I'm not sure what style I like. That huge Taylor King sofa would be fine without the finials and tassels. I rather like the scalloped back. That's a very interesting idea to have one piece of furniture serve as the seating for the entire room. What would you do about any further furniture in that area? I also like the idea of the York sectional, but the style is a little too modern. Can you think of another piece like that that wouldn't be quite so ... streamlined (Don't know what word I'm looking for!)
As far as style: The house is on 5 acres in a rural area. The strawbale walls will end up looking like very thick adobe walls when it's done. There will be a metal roof and big cedar columns at the front door and at the two covered patios. Maybe it could be characterized as modern southwestern? I don't want to get too caught up in the classic southwestern look, but I think you can see that the York sofa wouldn't be appropriate in terms of style.
Thanks for all your help. You've certainly given me things to mull over!
Jane
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Re: Building Home - need furniture
We're just playing right now, based on the drawings....with photos I think we can zero in on things better.
The area is wide with a lot of glass in between the stove and where the flat panel is going to be. I assume that the view out the window is a primary attraction, hence the idea of the long Taylor King piece (you can get it without all that gingerbread on it). The flow on one large piece is more appealing than >Chair - Table - Sofa - Table - Chair all lined up. Better to have > Chair - table - long sofa. Less is more. I can tell your husband won't want to give up that recliner for the TV area, so that's a given. The area around by the wood stove is the tricky part. If you like the Chaise idea and the York is too modern, H&M does it on the Tower series and can do it as a custom on most any of their frames if you like. Also consider the big H&M Utah sofa....rather than the Taylor King.
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Re: Building Home - need furniture
Okay, I see what you mean about being chopped up. I need advice, that's why I'm here!
For a big sofa, I love the 110" Sundance. I've seen pictures of it's back which is really pretty, and since it would be floating in the room that would be a nice feature. My husband isn't wild about the chaise, so that may be a no go.
Attached are a few photos, in a panorama from the front door to the entry area to the bedroom. Because of the light coming in the window I just couldn't get a well lit shot of the middle section. I put those little square things at 110" (with the body of the wood inside the measurement) which is about the size of some of the sofas you've mentioned. You can see the little hole in the floor where one of the outlets will be.
A few other things. There will be a low wall in the front entryway coming out a few feet from the door frame, so the recliner won't be hanging out there in space. Also, we need to have clear paths to go to the sliding doors as the patio outside will be an extension of the living area. This is California, we have to take advantage of the weather!
Thanks for your advice!
Jane
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Re: Building Home - need furniture
Maybe it's just too hard to tell from my pictures? I could wait until we get further along, but I'd hoped to have the furniture ready soon after we move in. I refuse to take our old sofa, etc., into the new house! :)
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Re: Building Home - need furniture
It takes time for me to get to the forum, sorry. This is a VERY busy time of year and you will notice most my replies are at night or early morning. I'm not always prompt on replies....and I try to reply to about 40 emails every 24 hours as well.
The photos are very helpful, and the area where the wood stove is appears larger than I thought it would be and the area where the Flat Panel is smaller. Its a challenge to place furniture in that room without creating a 'bowling alley' effect. If you like the Sundance, that would look great in there with the tailored back....and then a recliner for your husband of course. Now, for the stove area, I'm liking something like this on front of it:
A pair of these (they are VERY comfortable):
http://www.hancockandmoore.com/produ...productid=2101
Or this:
http://www.hancockandmoore.com/produ...productid=1292
or:
http://www.councill.com/item/2004-810-052
And you need some killer bar stools for the kitchen counter, too!
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Re: Building Home - need furniture
So sorry to seem impatient, I'm really not! Just excited, I guess. :D
I love the idea of a bench of some sort around the stove area. I am not sure about space, though. This weekend while the site is empty of workers I'm going to clear out the greatroom area and draw chalk outlines of the various furniture pieces we've talked about. I'll watch to make sure we're not lining things up in a row or turning it into a "bowling alley". I'm hopng that with the kitchen behind it, and the center island with the stools, that it won't appear that way.
I agree about the killer bar stools. :)
Jane
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Re: Building Home - need furniture
Good idea to tape it off, or even use cardboard templates as thy allow you to move things around. Some kind of bench in front of the stove fireplace I think will work well, even if just a small one.
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Re: Building Home - need furniture
Okay, we've played with furniture placement in the room. Now that you've pointed out the awkwardness of the room I'm feeling a bit nervous about how it will end up working out. The big challenge is having a good conversational grouping. However, it is what it is!
We're leaning towards getting the big 110" Sundance (4717) and a recliner with ottoman for my husband. I've done a search on this site and the consensus seems to be that the Sundance is a very comfortable sofa. However, it's been pointed out that the back of the sofa leans back more than most and I'm wondering if we're going to like that. If any Sundance owners want to speak to that or chime in with their opinion on how it sits I'd love to hear from them. What is the degree of the angle? I have no idea where to go to actually sit in one, though I am investigating that. We may have to make out ultimate decision as a leap of faith.
After looking at the layout, I don't see room for a bench. The hearth is raised and will provide seating (unless it's too hot!), I can't put a bench in front of that. There is room on the wall by the entry to the bedroom, but I have an old windsor chair from my grandmother that I would like to put there. It could be moved around as needed.
As far as the chair, I was thinking the high back Austin, but it sure isn't as pretty as some of the others! What other tilt back chairs that can be paired with an ottoman can we look at? For the ottoman, my husband really likes the Austin storage ottoman, because he could put his laptop on it. I'm thinking it doesn't have to be paired with an Austin chair. I'd be inclined to do something fun with part of it it in a tooled leather like Loredo Whiskey or Flora Honey.
So, there are our thoughts for now. Any and all comments or information would be gratefully received!
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Re: Building Home - need furniture
Hi Jane,
We're purchasing the Sundance sofa (hopefully soon) and were able to find one within 1.5 hours to sit on. We didn't notice that the back was that sloped, but looking at pictures it definitely is. We're very tall (I'm 5'11" and my husband is 6'7") so perhaps that's why we didn't notice the slope as much. We found the sofa to be very comfortable, and really like the greater depth.
We found the sofa in Northwest Indiana. I don't know if they still have it since it's been a few months since we drove out to see it. I called at least 10 retailers within a 100 mile radius to find the Sundance on the floor....it was lucky because most retailers only carry the promotional frames (at least the ones I called did).
The Sundance is a beautiful sofa, especially for floating in a room. It looks even better in person.
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Re: Building Home - need furniture
Thanks for the feedback! I am trying to find the Sundance so we can "test drive" it, also. I have sat in sofas where the back was angled enough that I felt I was semi reclining, which I did not like. We're not as tall as you, but not short (5'11" and 5'7"), so I'd think the sofa wouldn't be oversize for us. Other than that potential problem, I love the Sundance. It will be in the middle of the room and I think it would look spectacular there. Maybe Duane or someone who actually has the sofa could tell me what degree slope the sofa actually has, if I can't find one locally.
I've been following your thread and learning quite a bit, it's been helpful with our buying process. When you finally do get your furniture I hope you post pictures!
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Re: Building Home - need furniture
I don't have a Sundance in the store currently, but the front has a gentle curve to it and you tend to 'sit back' into the sofa more than on some others. The back angle is biased towards a recline, but not severely. You can adjust the back cushions about 4 degrees based on where you set the back cushion in the retention velcro. The Sundance is very popular, its been a top seller. I've probably sold 50 since it came out, and have maybe 2 customers that said it was too deep/angled for them, and they were shorter folks. For sure, nothing is better looking from ANY maker than the Sundance from the back.
I think the Austin High Back series is too 'old school' to go with the Sundance. Look at the new Anderson or Angelo series, introduced last market. I think they will work better and are just as comfortable (well, maybe 97 % as comfortable!)
http://www.hancockandmoore.com/produ...productid=2149
http://www.hancockandmoore.com/produ...productid=2148
I'm sure we can custom build that mechanism into one of those two ottomans, or simply buy your husband an iPad instead of that clunky laptop!
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Re: Building Home - need furniture
I bet you're right about the Sundance's back angle and the height of the people using it. I think we'll probably be fine with the sofa. If we have a chance to sit in one, we'll take it, but if not I'm not going to stress about it.
I completely agree the Austin is too old school! I like your suggestions much better! It's harder to see the details in the photos when the piece is in a dark leather (note to Hancock and Moore), but it looks like the Angelo has more back support than the Anderson? I like the ottomans better, too, so I'll suggest the ipad to the husband. :D
When we get the pieces figured out, then I can start working on the leather! I have some ideas but I like to be methodical in my approach. :p
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Re: Building Home - need furniture
We found a Sundance to sit in today! It is a beautiful sofa to float in the middle of a room. I have to say that for straight sitting I found it almost a little too deep, but when I stuffed a throw pillow behind my back it was great. Also, sitting on the middle cushion, where the depth was a bit shorter, was fine. I did not think that the back angle was too steep, my problem was more with it's depth which surprised me! I can tell that it would be great for lounging. My husband, at 4" taller than me, thought it was very comfortable all the way around. I think the Sundance would be best with throw pillows, but I like the way that looks so it would probably be fine.
Duane, can you tell me about the different pillow options on this sofa? The one we sat in had the ultradown pillows and I felt they were a bit soft. I've read through the forums and it lools like the Dupont Quaalex foam core is stiffer. That comes standard, right?
There were a few other H&M models on the floor which we sat on and I particularly liked the Florence. Partly because I thought it looked cool and partly because I liked the tight back. Admittedly, it wouldn't be as comfy for lounging. (I just looked up Florence on the H&M website and don't see the sofa and matching chair. Maybe I got the name wrong.) However, it isn't long enough and my husband likes the Sundance better, so that's the direction we're heading.
As far as chairs, they did have an Austin recliner, which he loved. I pointed out that it just wouldn't look good with the Sundance and fortunately he saw my point. :) He did like your suggestions of both the Angelo and the Anderson Tilt Back chair. It looked to me like the Angelo had a little more back support? What do you think? Also, you mention that H&M could probably put that tray table (seen in the Austin ottoman #2032SO) in the Angelo or Anderson ottoman. How much do you think that would cost?
I still have to figure out what leather we want, but I think that will be another long post. :rolleyes:
Thank you so much for your input! I really appreciate the time you take with each of us, I've been learning so much!
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Re: Building Home - need furniture
Hi Jane,
Glad you were able to find one to try out. It's a handsome piece.
H&M Pillow options are here in the forum:
http://www.myfurnitureforum.com/show...hlight=pillows
The Ultradown cores are an extra cost option, and the standard Qualux 16 oz seems good for most folks and will be firmer. If you want to firmer still, ask for the 21 oz Qualux which can be done for no extra charge.
It was last May when I sat in both the Angelo and Anderson Tilt Backs at Market and quite frankly I can't recall very much on either as related to a specific firmness, but I do know I though they both sat well.
I'll have to check on the tray table cost when it gets to that point. All depends on how much frame mod they would have to make, if any. The part itself is not very costly.
Glad to assist!
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Re: Building Home - need furniture
Thanks for the link on the pillows, I missed that post. Lots of info there! Can you tell me what "C.O.M. Requirements" means? Those prices (less 50%) are for a pair of pillows?
As far as the cushions go, I think we'd be fine with the 16oz. I don't want to make the seating too firm.
I guess I'll let my husband decide about the chair as he'll be the one using it.
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Re: Building Home - need furniture
"COM" stands simply for "Customer's Own Material" when you use something other than their fabrics...that's a yardage requirement.
Correct on the pricing, per pair.
16oz is good for most! 21 oz for those that want extra firm, and 28 oz for the brave that like their sofa to sit like a park bench!
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Re: Building Home - need furniture
Thanks for helping clarify the pillow info, and confirming the core choice. I really like the idea of getting some good looking accent pillows.
I've been thinking a lot about leather. I'm loving what I've seen of Kipling Whiskey. When we went to the furniture store we also saw a piece in the Weston Cane Burnished, which I really liked, also. Those are some examples of leathers that appeal to us.
When I talked to the salesman, he said that that with an unprotected leather, even if I was diligent about keeping the piece clean, we would eventually get oil stains, particularly at the head and arms. I hadn't understood this to be true from the discussions here. He said that the burnished pieces would not have that problem, and that they were, by nature, a bit more protected. Can you comment to any of that?
A bit about our household. We do have a dog, who will sometimes take a nap on our current sofa. We also have a cat who fortunately likes to keep his scratching confined to his various scratching posts. We live on 5 acres in the country and there will be times when we sit down in less than immaculate clothing. However, I'd think with regular cleaning none of that is a problem. My biggest concern is that my husband often likes to eat while he watches TV. (Football anyone?) So I'm thinking a protected hide would be best for his chair. But gosh I sure like the unprotected hides best! I really like the idea of getting the sofa and chair in the same leather, but maybe we should consider getting his chair in a protected leather and the sofa in unprotected. I'm going around and around in circles on this! If we were to get different leathers on the two pieces, would it be best to get them to contrast a bit? Like maybe the Aspen Tobacco with the Kipling Whiskey or the Weston Cane Burnished?
Again, thanks for your help. I'm sure grateful for your advice!
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Re: Building Home - need furniture
HA! I have to disagree with that salesperson...who wants to buy anything that eventually gets stained? There would not be much of a market for anilines if that were the case. Hmmmm...my oldest aniline piece in my house is now 22 years strong, no stains on it. Burnished leathers are simply aniline leathers that have a glaze and sealant over the hide, nothing really earthshaking in the protection category, just decorative. Keeping things cleaned and conditioned is the key.
I bought one piece of leather in Protected for myself, back for my very first recliner in 1986. It was a Hancock and Moore Woodbridge Recliner and I still have it, and it still looks good. Now our home has.....<counting> eleven pieces of leather furniture in it and all are unprotected anilines. We prefer the natural leathers in our home. None the worse for wear and we don't 'baby' our furniture here. My oldest pure aniline is a Bradington Young sofa that was made in 1989, and its still in service, too.
I have four new H&M pieces coming for myself and am retiring some older leather furniture in my library. All the new pieces are coming in burnished leather (unprotected). A pair of Tannery Chairs for my library and a pair of Steele Farm Barstools for the kitchen counter. My favorite thing to do on a Sunday is go out in the garage and work on my motorcycles or cars, then have lunch in the barstools at the kitchen counter. As you can see I'm not real concerned about damaging the leather (coming in Hand Antiqued Sunset Burnished). Experience has shown me that "protected" vs. "unprotected" is not really that much of a concern. In all the years of raising a family on our aniline 'unprotected' leathers, we picked up one stain in one seat cushion that stayed with us for about 9 months in the piece, then worked its way out eventually.
YMMV.
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Re: Building Home - need furniture
Quote:
Originally Posted by
drcollie
HA! I have to disagree with that salesperson...who wants to buy anything that eventually gets stained? There would not be much of a market for anilines if that were the case.
Well, I didn't think you'd agree, but had to ask. He sure made me nervous, though, and I'm glad to hear he was wrong! He did say that if you put talcum powder on a spot and let it set for awhile it would help pull out the stain. Just for future reference, do you think that is true?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
drcollie
Experience has shown me that "protected" vs. "unprotected" is not really that much of a concern. In all the years of raising a family on our aniline 'unprotected' leathers, we picked up one stain in one seat cushion that stayed with us for about 9 months in the piece, then worked its way out eventually.
YMMV.
That's really good to know. I'd seen where you mentioned elsewhere that if food was often eaten on the furniture it might be better to go with protected. In fact, though I haven't gotten around to talking about bar stools yet I was under the impression they'd best be protected. We know food will get dropped onto those! If you're going with unprotected that opens up new possibilities!
Thank you!
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Re: Building Home - need furniture
BTW, I love that Steele Farm barstool. That and the Ryder were our two favorites, with the Steele Farm at the top of the list. Our island counter is 9' long. How many barstools would you place there? I keep thinking 4 would be too crowded, but 3 seems a little sparse. Is there a traditional spacing?
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Re: Building Home - need furniture
Normally I like to leave at least 28" space for each stool (20.75" wide on the Steele) so that means a snug (4) or a very roomy (3). Another way you can figure this is....a man's shoulders (at least mine) are 26" wide. Since I don't want to be rubbing shoulders at the counter, I would like to have 3" space on either side, or 32". That divided by 108" means (3) barstools within the space.
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Re: Building Home - need furniture
I thought 3 would probably be best, also. Thanks for your feedback.
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Re: Building Home - need furniture
I'd love to take advantage of your sale, can even send you a check, but we'll have to decide fast!!
My husband says he'd feel more comfortable with a protected leather on his chair. So do you think the Aspen Tobacco would look nice with the Kipling Whiskey? If we went to a Gr4 for the chair and got the Antelope, which Antelope color might work well with the Whiskey?
The Equestrian might be a possibility for his chair, but I think you've said you wouldn't recommend it for chairs with moving parts because of it's "squeekiness"?
I'll bet you're super busy with your sale! Thanks for your time!
Jane
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Re: Building Home - need furniture
There is going to be a sheen difference, the Aspen is flatter and not waxy like the Kipling. I think the Tobacco is too brown for the Whiskey, actually. A good color and leather would be Antelope Saddle, it has better hues to work with the Whiskey in my opinion.
Yes, Equestrian squeaks too much in motion furniture - drives me crazy.
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Re: Building Home - need furniture
Okay, I'm PM'ing you for updated prices!
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Re: Building Home - need furniture
Unfortunately, I don't have any Antelope samples. On browsing the forum, though, and looking at the Antelope Saddle I'm thinking there is not enough contrast between the Kipling Whiskey and the Antelope Saddle. I don't want it to look like I tried to match the leathers, I'd rather have a big difference between the pieces. Maybe Antelope Nugget? What do you think, am I wrong in thinking they're not contrasty enough? This is just based on photos, which can be quite deceiving. Or do you think I'm wrong in wanting that much contrast?
Decisions, decisions!
Jane
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Re: Building Home - need furniture
Let me take a few shots in the morning and post them here. I have both Antelope Nugget and Saddle on the floor in recliners. I can overlay the Kipling on the seat and take some photos.
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Re: Building Home - need furniture
I'll wait to see those photos before we make any further decisions.
I hope you have a very Happy Thanksgiving with your loved ones!
Jane
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Re: Building Home - need furniture
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Hmm, I'm not sure either of them float my boat. I'll let you deal with your very busy day today and work with you after the sale.
Thanks for taking the time to snap those pictures!
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Re: Building Home - need furniture
Attachment 3162Attachment 3163
Kipling Whiskey is not the right color for those two....try these:
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Re: Building Home - need furniture
I love the Equestrian Toffee, it reminds me of my grandfather's armchair. :)
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Re: Building Home - need furniture
We just had our concrete floors stained and they turned out much differently than I had anticipated. Not bad, just darker. So I'm having to rethink all my color preferences. The Kipling Whiskey is out, it clashed! I'm looking to lighter leathers as well as some of the darker ones I already have samples of but that I had passed by earlier. I'm really glad I didn't rush a decision during the Cyber sale!
I may try taking a few photos, but the color is so changeable depending upon how much light is in the room that it may not do much good, aside from giving a sense of it.
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Re: Building Home - need furniture
Taken me a few days to think this through. The best colors for the floor seem to be fairly dark. Colors like Yardley Tobacco simply fade away and the Kipling Whiskey looks horrible. I have samples of Ryan Chestnut and Garfield Sable which both look good. I think the Antelope Nugget would be nice, though I don't have a sample of that. I also think a really light leather might be okay, but I'm not sure which ones would qualify as light enough. I don't have any lighter samples right now. Duane, do you have any further suggestions for me based upon those requirements? I'd like to get more samples as soon as I figure out what to order.
As usual, thanks so much for your time!
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Re: Building Home - need furniture
I guess we need to see more photos of your room, Jane! When you go lighter there are also different hues you can move towards, so by seeing more of the final color palettes to be used it makes it easier to narrow down leather choices.