Catarina Sectional-No Complaints-Happy Customer

Couch arrived one week ago and it is even better than pictured. I just want to tell you how impressed I was with the manner in which the couch was packaged. It was packaged so well it took me two hours to remove all the wrappings. I am not complaining about this. I have showed off the couch and all are impressed with its quality. The reason I am writing you, is I need to know how to take care of it and is there and product to clean and protect the leather? Thank you for everything!

P. Scheinblum

CT

To the team at Bari Leather Furniture

Your Montego Collection has found a new home in Green Bay, WI. It arrived on Wednesday...during an all-time record cold spell...nearly 42 degrees below zero!
While it is adjusting to the frigid temps in Wisconsin, we just wanted to say thank you for the prompt shipping. The furniture looks great in our basement family rec room. We just wish you had shipped the Florida sunshine with it.

We attached some fun photos for you to enjoy.

Thanks again,

F and L Lent

Thanks for an excellent online buying experience

Our furniture was delivered yesterday, and it is absolutely exquisite, just beautiful, and the aroma...!  

 

The furniture is well-made with attention to detail, and it looks exactly like the online photo from which we made our decision.  We could not be more pleased with the entire transaction, including professional customer service (the few times we called, we were quickly connected with someone knowledgeable, no computerized loops or being sent to voicemail boxes). 

 

Bari Leather Furniture earns its outstanding reputation.  Thank you!

 

Clarence and Patricia Jetter

Washington, DC 

Eight Way Hand Tied Seating Systems: are they the best?

It seems whenever a store wants to justify the high cost of a sofa, loveseat or chair, they will invariably say that that set has an eight way hand tied seating system and that this is very expensive and the best seating system and thus the high cost. Is this true?
Well, it is and it isn't so let's dissect the truth from the well, let's say, urban legend.
Before answering whether it's the best or not, you have to first determine what kind of 8 way hand tied you are talking about. That's right; there's not one but two types of 8 way hand tied. Salesperson didn't tell you that did he? The first type is the traditional 8 way hand tied. It is built right into the deck (or bottom) of the frame. As such, the coils are attached directly to the frame. Then, each steel coil is tied at eight points to the surrounding springs so that they move together to give great support. Each piece of furniture has a unique pattern of springs, tied at different heights, designed to provide the best support and the most comfortable sit. These coils are very similar to the coils in a mattress and as such give great support. It's all done by hand and it is very labor intensive.

So, what about the other kind of eight way hand tied? Well, since manufacturers and retailers know that most Americans believe that eight way is the best, they sought out a way to do it for a little less and still give the comfort and quality of an 8 way system.. What they developed is a drop in system of coils. What does that mean? If you can imagine, they litterly build a square box and put the coils inside the box and then attach it to the frame deck of the furniture.  Is this bad? No, it is still a good seating system and very comfortable.  Would we reccomend owning a set of furniture with a drop in 8 way system? Yes.

We just feel that it's important to note that there are two types and for you to let your salesperson know that you understand the difference.

How can you tell which is which? The simplest way is to ask how is this 8 way system constructed? If they do not know or can't explain it as simply as we've just done, you need to do your own research. Check with the manufacturer or distributor. In most cases, they will have a website that should tell you, especially if it's the original 8 way hand tied.

Now the most important part: the answer to the question. Is 8 way hand tied the best seating system for furniture? No, it is not. But it is one of the three best. If you get a set with a genuine eight way hand tied seating system, you will have a seating system that is of the highest quality and comfort for years to come. An 8 way hand tied system, a Pirelli seating system and some but not all sinuous spring seating systems are equal in both quality and support. We will address sinuous and Pirelli in later blogs.

Semi Aniline Dyes vs. Full Aniline Dyes

Which is better, a semi aniline or a full aniline dyed leather?

This is one of the most confusing issues in the world of leather furniture and for the most part, no one’s fault. The problem comes from the misperception of the words full and semi. When most of us hear the words full and semi, we think done very well (full) or partially completed (semi).

What makes the issue most confusing is that most furniture stores have sales people who aren’t knowledgeable in how leather is tanned or dyed. And then, kind of like an urban legend, a myth was created and kept going and going and going….

The myth goes as follows: Full aniline dyed leathers are dyed all the way through and semi aniline dyed leathers are only dyed partially through the leather. The myth goes on to say that a full aniline dye is thus better because it will not show scratches to the leather because the dye goes all the way through.

Once you understand what the real difference is, you should appreciate how funny the myth is so…. Here’s the actual difference between the two:

Aniline is a type of dye. The technical definition is:

Aniline: A clear chemical used in tanning a skin to maintain softness.

There are many types of dyes and chemicals but aniline is the most common for natural materials such as animal skin or hides.When only aniline dye is used with a hide, you can see a lot of the variations in the hide which for a lot of styles and consumers is very desirable. It is with a full aniline dye that you get many tones and textures that are very attractive for leather furniture. So, a FULL aniline dye is one where ONLY aniline dyes were used in the hide.

A semi aniline dye means it was partially dyed with aniline and partially dyed with another type of dye. Why was another type used? Well, there are several reasons why a mixture of dyes might be used but the most common is a desire for color uniformity throughout the hide. Sometimes and for some styles of leather furniture, people prefer to have the exact same color through out the entire piece of furniture. Using only an aniline dye will not allow for this and thus other dyes are introduced to the hide to get the desired look and effect.

So, which is better, full aniline or semi aniline dying? You guessed it; neither is better. Another way to look at dyes are to think of them like wood stains. Which is better ; oil wood stains or water based wood stains. Neither is better; it just depends on what look you want in your house. The same is true with full or semi aniline dyes: they are simply ways of staining the hide to get the look you want for your furniture and whichever looks best in your house is what’s best for you.