The Consumer`s Guide on How To Purchase Fine Leather Furniture

The Consumer’s Guide on
How to Purchase
Fine Leather Furniture
Smart advice, tips and mistakes to avoid which
guarantee you years of happiness with your furniture!
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At Leather Expressions,
we stand behind
our furniture.
Foreword
The guide you’re now holding was inspired by a simple question a
customer recently asked me. He had his family come in late on a Sunday
afternoon evidently after shopping for a good part of the weekend. As
I started discussing a particular leather sofa he abruptly asked why the
difference in price from store to store? They all “looked” the same.
I could tell he was frustrated.
He further explained to me that they had spent a couple of weeks
shopping for leather furniture only to get conflicting information or, even
worse, asking the sales consultants for information about the quality only
to get vacant stares. It became apparent to me that consumers need
more information on leather furniture to know how to determine value
and the best decision for their family.
Since 1927, our family has been serving the Philadelphia area and
providing families with quality leather furniture which lasts for generations.
All we do is leather furniture and we are the area’s top experts when it
comes to fine leather furniture.
I’ve put this helpful information together to help you avoid common
mistakes consumers make when buying leather furniture. I invite you to
experience the “Leather Expressions Difference” first-hand and schedule
your complimentary furniture design consultation. The details are on the
back cover of this guide.
Steve Erdman
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Table of Contents
Question #1 -
How Will I Use My New Sofa,
Chair Or Sectional?................................................. 5
Question #2 -
What Configurations Are Available?....................... 7
Question #3 -
What Do I Need To Know About
Quality And Construction?...................................... 8
Question #4 - What’s On The Inside?.......................................... 12
Frame Construction............................................... 12
Cushions................................................................ 13
Tailoring................................................................. 13
Question #5 - Is All Leather The Same?....................................... 15
Top Grain Leather Is Your Best Buy....................... 16
The Truth About Leather Grades.......................... 16
What Is Bonded Leather?...................................... 17
Question #6 -
What If I Want Something
That Is Not On Display?........................................ 19
Seven Tips To Finding The Right Quality Leather Furniture............. 20
Three Generations Of Service - The Leather Expressions Story....... 22
On behalf of the entire team here at Leather
Expressions, we hope you find this guide helpful
and look forward to meeting you!
©2015 Leather Expressions. All rights reserved.
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How Will I Use My New
Sofa, Chair or Sectional?
Top Grain leather is the best choice
for your active family.
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Question #1
The single biggest mistake we see our customers
make is to purchase a new sofa or chair that is either
too big, too small, or just simply doesn’t match their
lifestyle. Perhaps they select a sectional that doesn’t
fit their house layout properly and now they are
stuck with a portion of it in front of a window.
Or a sofa with hidden recline mechanisms is bought
for a nice recline feature, but when they go to take a
nap on a Sunday afternoon the mechanism digs into
their hip…not very relaxing. Or worse, for an active
family with pets, kids, or both, their new sofa looks
as though it was reclaimed from a cheap hotel after
30 years of hard use due to accidental spills and pet
hair.
See, the key to fully enjoying your new sofa no matter what type of set up you select from
sectional to three piece suite - is to be honest
with yourself about how you and your family use
the living room and how your new furniture will
integrate with it.
If your living room is more of a sanctuary where only
the adults sit and converse, your focus should be
on the finer details such as tailoring, how the fabric
looks and feels, along with the ornamental details
like trim and leg choice.
Conversely, if your living room is more akin to Grand
Central station where eating, homework, and emails
are taken care of while watching the evening shows,
then durability, built-in features like recliners and
seated position comfort should be the main focus.
Finally, you need to consider “style.” No matter how
the room is used, style is important but styles come
and go. Comfort lasts much longer. Remember,
once you are seated, it is the comfort that counts.
For instance, modern styled sofas offer a sleeker low-to-the-floor look
but may offer a challenge for some whose “seat” ends up below their
knees making it difficult to get up.
The takeaway here is to blend your style choices with your lifestyle
needs and to be very aware of HOW you use the living room. Don’t
be afraid to explain your lifestyle patterns with your consultant. They
are here to help and ensure you get the absolute best experience with
your new furniture.
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What Configurations
are Available?
The choice is yours: choose your style,
configuration, leather & colors!
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Question #2
Once you have decided on what type of sofa to get, it is imperative you
give thought to the available pieces and configuration of these pieces in
relation to the living room, den, or formal sitting room where they will be
placed.
Your design consultant will help you with this in relation to how the
room flows, where doors are, and how high the window sills are in
the room. Some do not wish to block anything, others are indifferent.
The consultants at Leather Expressions will help you to get the perfect
configuration without sacrificing or changing how you wish to relax on
your new furniture.
Regarding sectionals, ample thought should be given to who will be
using the piece, how many people, how they will sit or lie down, and
whether the sectional accommodates all needs.
Consider family movie night or lazy Sunday afternoons with your spouse.
If all parties wish to be together, you should certainly work with your
consultant to achieve this.
If family movie night is a priority and something you do regularly, be sure
to not accept just anything. Your design consultant has ample options
available and can find the perfect fit no matter who lies down, who puts
their feet up, and who curls up in the corner.
When it comes to a three piece set (sofa, loveseat, and chair), follow the
same thought process and have an honest conversation with yourself how will my family use this new furniture?
Thorough discussion with your consultant will result in the perfect blend
of comfort and function regardless of room size and room flow. Our
consultants do this every day and have a wealth of experience to work
from in helping you find the perfect solution for even the most difficult
of spaces.
Last, be sure to consider the tables and lamps that will complete
your living room. Are they complementing to your new furniture? For
instance, if your living room is the place where homework is done and
the occasional meal is eaten, you may consider a lift top table and lamps
that illuminate the space easily.
If you do a lot of reading but nothing else, you may consider a lamp set
that articulates so no matter what position you read in, you will never
have eye strain caused by dim lighting. The key here is to make sure all
pieces complement the form and function so they can together create
the ultimate experience in relaxation and enjoyment.
The choice is yours: choose your
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What Do I Need to Know
About Quality and
Construction?
Question #3
At Leather Expressions, our goal is to take the mystery out of
buying quality leather furniture and offering you exceptional and
unparalleled value.
Once you are armed with the right knowledge, you can make a
choice that is right for you and once you have a better understanding
about how the product is built internally, you are more equipped to
make an informed decision.
The sad thing is that more than 80% of those who buy leather
furniture have no idea about the quality they’re buying. They seem
to buy for looks, not for quality. It’s one of the most expensive
purchases people make for their home and yet they have little
knowledge about it. Since they don’t know what they are getting,
how can they know if they a paying a fair price for it?
One of the most common practices in furniture manufacturing is
to copy another brands’ best-selling styles. Don’t be fooled by
the “same” piece of furniture being offered at different stores at
drastically different prices. When this happens, they often replace
the quality features with inferior construction materials. You, the
consumer, would have no idea because these features are unseen.
Unless you know how to tell the difference, you could easily overpay
for a poor quality sofa.
Consider this point: a sofa is the second most used piece of
furniture in your home, second only to a mattress. Therefore, quality
construction is something that begs your attention. You’ve heard
the phrase “you get what you pay for”, right? Well this applies to
upholstered items.
Paying attention to quality and knowing how
you will use the sofa will help you make a
more educated purchase.
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A reputable store with fair pricing (none of this 50% off sale mumbo
jumbo), will be able to show you the quality differences between sofas
at varying price points. There are quality differences to be considered
and it may be worthwhile to consider investing in that quality.
Paying attention to quality and knowing how you will use the sofa will
help you make a more educated purchase and know that down the
road you will not be disappointed with how your new sofa performs in
the home.
Our most popular brand is Natuzzi, one of the largest and most
respected leather furniture brands in the world. In fact, Leather
Expressions has the largest Natuzzi gallery in the USA. Each Natuzzi
design is individually engineered and tested for maximum seating
comfort and their innovative construction systems adjusts to best
support weight distribution. Natuzzi is committed to meeting
international quality management and environmental protection
standards.
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Do you really want to
make a $3,300 Mistake?
This is what will happen if you purchase a
cheap, Bonded leather sofa from “THEM”
Let’s say you purchase
a Bonded, Imitation,
or Synthetic leather
sofa for $900.
After only a few short years,
your $900 Bonded leather
sofa will look like this.
You need to replace it, so you invest $1,100 in a slightly nicer sofa, but
it’s still Imitation leather. That lasts a little longer, but wears out in year
four. At this point, you really wish you had bought a Top Grain leather
sofa, but you can’t afford it since you already spent $2,000 on two subpar sofas. So, you invest $1,300 in a slightly better, but still not Top
Grain leather sofa. Five years later, this third sofa is worn out and you’re
out $3,300 and have no sofa.
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How to Avoid Making a
$3,300 Sofa Mistake
At Leather Expressions, we use only Top Grain leather meaning
you can’t make a $3,300 sofa mistake with us. The below picture is
a Top Grain leather sofa Leather Expressions carried fifteen years
ago that my brother Rick put in his home. As you can see,
the sofa is in near perfect condition!
Save time and money by
investing in a top grain
leather sofa the first time!
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what’s on the inside?
Don’t worry mom, your Top Grain leather will look great for years to come!
Question #4
All leather furniture we carry is “bench made quality frame construction”
which means our furniture uses the best materials for long lasting
durability and built with your active family in mind. At Leather
Expressions we believe an educated customer is the best customer.
Here we start to tell the inside story.
When considering the internal value and longevity of a sofa there are
three essential components:
•
The frame
•
The cushions
•
The tailoring
Ask About the Frame Construction
The frame is the foundation of your leather furniture item. If it looks
great but falls apart quickly due to a cheap interior frame, you’ll have
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a costly mistake on your hands. Your furniture consultant
can explain the frame construction for the pieces you are
considering.
In the past, hardwood frame construction was the gold
standard in furniture. However, over time a sofa made entirely
of hardwood can warp and split, causing damage to the
furniture. Advances in manufacturing technology have resulted
in engineered wood components and composites that are
stronger than many solid woods. The furniture at Leather
Expressions combines both wood solids and composites into a
design that’s more durable and long-lasting, guaranteeing you
years of enjoyment.
The Cushions
Pick up the seat cushion. There is a correlation between weight
and quality. Cushions are rated by foam density so the heavier
the cushion the better the quality. In higher quality sofas, like
the ones we carry from Natuzzi, the seat cushions are made
from 2.2 pound high resiliency urethane foam wrapped in
polyester fiber. In lower quality sofas, the foam density is usually
lower than 1.5 pounds.
This lower quality foam leads to buyer’s remorse very quickly.
We hear many stories of customers buying “Bargain Furniture”
with cheaply made foam cushions that rapidly collapse, loose
their shape and become lumpy. At Leather Expressions, our
furniture only uses superior filling materials that hold up to
active family use.
Eye the Tailoring
Another point worthy of your time is the tailoring of the sofa.
How does it appear on the sales floor? Are the seams, welts,
and accent stitching straight as an arrow? Is the piping even?
Are the outsides padded to improve the longevity and the
appearance? If not, the leather will be prone to rubbing,
scuffing and wear marks.
If the answers to the above questions are no’s, this is likely an
indication of overall quality. Not to say that a minor variance
from end to end of the sofa is a direct indication of poor quality.
But we submit for consideration - if the manufacturer doesn’t
put time and effort into the small details, ones which you can
see front and center, what other details are being overlooked
when it comes to the internal construction of your sofa?
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Is All Leather the Same?
Top Grain leather is your best,
most durable choice for pets.
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Question #5
Unfortunately, the term “leather”, in the last
numbers of years, has had a broad stroke applied
to it. There are now many different types of leather,
from 100% Top Grain, Split Grain, all the way down
to Bonded leather. It’s easy to be confused about
how to choose the right leather for your new sofa
set, so here are key points to consider.
It is fairly common to see furniture stores promoting
furniture as “Genuine Leather”. The problem with
using a term like “Genuine Leather” is it offers no
details about specifically what kind of leather it
is. Then again, maybe that’s the point. At Leather
Expressions, we take the time to teach you about
leather, so you will be able to make an informed
buying decision on which type of leather best fits
your needs.
All furniture leather is a by-product of the beef
industry. The first step in creating leather furniture
is to GRADE the quality of hides. Only about
5% of the hides are judged to be select enough
to be used for quality leather furniture, with the
balance of the hides being used for clothing, shoes,
handbags, automotive applications, etc.
Hides are graded and sorted according to their
quality in a process called SELECTION. After the
sorting process, the hides are then prepared by
cleaning and washing. The hides that are judged to
be furniture quality go to a splitting machine. The
original thickness of a hide is much too thick to be
used to upholster furniture. The average thickness
of a cowhide is 5mm. Upholstery leather requires
a minimum thickness of 0.9-1.4 m. The splitting
machine then does its work. It splits the hide into 2
or 3 pieces.
Leather is also pet and child friendly. Because of its
dense fiber composition, it is highly unlikely to tear
or puncture, and will never pill. Further, it is very
easy to maintain and clean, making it far superior to
most other performance fabrics. Many people with
allergies will only buy Top Grain leather furniture
because of its hypo-allergenic qualities.
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“We purchased our leather couch, chair and ottoman back in
August of 2004 from Leather Expressions. Steve (Erdman) was
not only knowledgeable but friendly and courteous. In the
10 years we have owned it, it has survived 4 Greyhounds and
2 children. We recently moved in the beginning of 2015 and
the furniture is still as BEAUTIFUL as it was in 2004. We are
planning on passing it down to our son. We are sure he will
enjoy it as much as we did for many years to come.”
Bob & Kerry Lynady
Leather Expressions Happy Customer
REMEMBER - TOP GRAIN LEATHER IS ALWAYS
YOUR BEST BUY!
When buying a quality leather sofa make sure it’s Top Grain leather. If
a salesperson presents the sofa as a leather match or says it’s leatherlike, then it’s not leather. You can tell if it’s leather vinyl if you look at
the underside of the back of the sofa. If you see a white gauze backing,
it’s vinyl. The reason Top Grain leather is your best buy is because this
is the strongest portion of the hide. Properly tanned, it will outlast the
best wearing upholstery fabric by 4 or 5 times. The bottom 2/3 of the
hides are referred to as Split Grain leather. Split hides are coarser and
stiffer, tending to crack more easily. The average wear time of a Split
hide is about five years. Another problem with a Split Grain leather is
that it doesn’t breathe like Top Grain leather. On average, Top Grain
leather costs more than three times what Split Grain costs. In an effort
for manufacturers to keep costs down, they will often use Split Grain
hides on leather furniture. To provide the best value we can, at Leather
Expressions some sofas use Split Grain leather on the outsides in nonwear areas.
THE TRUTH ABOUT LEATHER GRADES
Don’t be confused by a leather “grade”. This simply refers to
the price grading system used by the furniture manufacturer. The
furniture manufacturer is free to use whatever method they want. One
manufacturer may use a numbering system to designate their price for
example grade 10, grade 20, etc. Another may use letters, grade A,
grade B, grade C, etc. When shopping for leather furniture, as long as
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it’s Top Grain leather, the leather’s price grade has nothing to do with
the leather’s cleanability or wearability characteristics. It is important
to know how your furniture will be used and choose leather that will
perform well for you.
WHAT IS BONDED LEATHER?
Lastly, Bonded leather is not what you think. In fact, there is less than
20% of actual real leather in the material. Bonded leather is made by
taking scraps of real leather and blending them with polyurethane
and adhering them to a heavy cotton backing layer. This product
sometimes offers the look and feel of leather without the price of Top
Grain. However, it won’t hold up like Top Grain and often lacks superior
frame and cushion durability.
These are just a few of the leather basics you need to know to make a
quality leather furniture investment. If you have any other questions on
leather, please visit www.LeatherExpressions.com for a more complete
education or feel free to contact one of our furniture consultants.
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What If I Want Something
that is Not on Display?
At Leather Expressions, we create it your way.
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Question #6
Often when shopping for furniture, you’ll find pieces
that are close to what you like, but not exactly. In most
furniture stores, you’re stuck with only being able to
choose from the furniture that they keep in stock,
limiting your options for fabric, layout, size, and more.
Why settle for something less than what you want?
At Leather Expressions, we have a true “create it
your way” approach to leather furniture. Our team of
professionals will help you create a plan quickly with our
selection of over 400 different leathers and the latest
designs. They will help you pick the leather and help
you select the configuration that best suits your needs
and gives you exactly what you want.
While we truly are “special order specialists,” we’ve
also made a large commitment to have our most
popular leather furniture items in stock for immediate
delivery.
With over 700 leather furniture manufacturers to choose
from, we select only the cream of the crop. We shop
the international markets for authentic values and select
our merchandise with the active family in mind. In
today’s global economy we buy from quality controlled
shops where we can offer you the best overall value.
“I’ve been buying leather furniture from Steve and Rick Erdman for
decades. They’re friendly and nice and they treat me like family whenever
I stop by. I love how they take the time to show me the intricate details of
the furniture I’m buying and they’re not at all pushy during the process,
answering all of my questions. Even though I live in the city, I often bring
friends to the Leather Expressions showroom to shop because I know
they’ll take care of them like they’ve done for me! I can honestly say that
there’s no better shopping experience anywhere!
Charlotte Brown
Leather Expressions Happy Customer
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Seven Helpful Tips to
Finding the Right Quality
Leather Furniture
1.
Check for padding underneath the leather. Quality leather sofas
have a foam pad underneath the leather to protect the leather from
the frame. This step also adds to the eye appeal and improves the
tailoring.
2.
Stay away from shredded foam. While less expensive than solid
foam, it tends to “migrate” to the lowest possible point leaving
your furniture with that baggy-­saggy look.
3.
Make sure you sit on the furniture in the same manner you intend to
use it, before buying it. This might sound over simplistic, however
the list is long of consumers who bought sofas through a catalog or
internet source and end up with buyer’s remorse because it was not
comfortable and they are now stuck with their purchase. Be certain
that the height and angle of the back as well as the depth of the
seat correspond with your size.
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4.
As with any furniture purchase, it is important
to decide what life span and service you expect
from your furniture. As we have discussed
through this leather guide, while leather is more
expensive than cloth covered furniture, it can still
be constructed quite cheaply.
5.
Check the warranty and ask clarifying
questions. The rule is that the better the interior
construction, the better the warranty. At Leather
Expressions, all of our furniture has a lifetime
warranty on frame and springs.
6.
Know what to expect on delivery day. Delivery
does not always include set up or removal of
trash. Make sure you know if your furniture
is going to be set up in your room or simply
deposited on your front lawn. Also know if
delivery people are trained professionals who
know how to handle furniture without damaging
your home or your new furniture.
7.
Do business with a person not a nameless,
faceless institution. Build a relationship with a
retailer you can trust, and who always backs up
his products. There is nothing more frustrating
than buying an expensive piece of furniture,
having problems with it, and then getting the
run-around when you call the retailer for help.
At Leather Expressions, we don’t believe in that kind
of customer treatment. I realize that you work hard for
your money. You deserve to get the best value for you
dollar and part of that value is being taken care of on the
warranty or any other issues you might have. Our furniture
is top quality and we rarely have customers that have
problems, but no one is perfect. I’ll be the first to admit
it. If there is anything that you have questions about, we’ll
take care of it promptly and properly, I promise.
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Three
Generations
of Service
The Leather
Expressions Story
How we began From Erdman Furniture
to Leather Expressions
Furniture
In the early 1920’s, our grandfather Lloyd
Erdman, Sr. worked as an upholsterer at Grand
Upholstery. He was an ambitious young man, and
supplemented his income by candling eggs in his
parent’s basement, where he developed a route
to sell them. One day he purchased a piece of
furniture from his employer, and brought it with
him on his egg route in an attempt to sell it. Soon
he was selling furniture to his egg customers, for
installments; each week.
In 1927 he purchased a small store at 4947
Frankford Avenue in Philadelphia. Here he
sold furniture, and also upholstered furniture.
By 1932, he and his wife Marion gave birth to
a son, Lloyd Erdman, Jr. Later, after serving his
country, Lloyd joined his father in the furniture
business.
Around 1960, the store moved to larger
quarters at the corner of Frankford Avenue &
Harrison Street, where Aria Frankford Hospital
now stands. My father and grandfather serviced
the Philadelphia area here for years, until my
father eventually moved to 2217 Bristol Pike
in Bensalem, PA In 1971. My brother Rick and I
(Steve) joined my Dad, Lloyd Jr., in 1976.
Seeing the need for a specialty store, my brother Rick and I decided to
take the business in a different direction. We became Leather Expressions
and the rest is history. We now have one location in Montgomeryville.
Although we took on a more specialized product, the goal that began on
an egg route has remained the same, providing the ultimate in value and
service.
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We sell only quality products, built to give you years of problem-free
enjoyment. We are committed to you, our customer, with all the necessary
information to make an informed buying decision. Our goal is that you are
100% satisfied. We are owner operators and are accountable thru every
step of the sales ownership process. We have an exceptional delivery
team and should a need for service after the sale arise, we have the best
service team with over 15 years of experience to handle any post sale
situation.
Reading this leather education guide was an important
first step towards your dream living space. Your
next move should be to reach out to a professional
designer, like Leather Expressions, and schedule a
design consultation to determine the best way to
proceed with your furniture needs. The details are on
the back cover of this guide.
Thank You for supporting
our family owned business.
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p Free p
One Hour, No-Obligation Furniture Design Consultation
to Find Your Perfect Leather Furniture
Reduce your stress and allow our design consultants to guide
you through the leather furniture buying process! We’ll even
come to your home.
Call us today at 215-631-1500 or go to
LeatherExpressions.com/consult to schedule your free design
consultation. During this valuable consult we’ll go over:
• How to assess your space needs and determine the right fit
• How to fit your sofa with the other items in your room
• How to tell the difference in leathers
• How to avoid costly special order mistakes
• AND MORE!
We’ve been helping Philadelphia furniture buyers for over 80 years
and I guarantee our time together will be valuable. Call today or go to
LeatherExpressions.com/consult.
927 Bethlehem Pike
Colmar, PA 18915
215-631-1500
[email protected]
www.LeatherExpressions.com