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Hi I'm Barbara Newton
Everyone can appreciate this
Hancock and Moore Summerset Cane sofa.
You can see it's beauty and appeal in every detail
From the hand carved maple,
to the superb leather upholstery.
This sofa demonstrates exceptional attention
to quality and craftsmanship.
In terms of luxury, comfort and serviceability
Leather has become the material of choice for
the discerning consumer. For example,
each and every Hancock and Moore chair,
like this George the third will exhibit the unique physical
characteristics of the hides it's made from.
So no two peices of furniture will ever be the same.
Today we'll have a rare opportunity to watch master
craftspeople at work as they actually create these
two peices of Hancock and Moore furniture.
Together we'll visit Hancock and Moore's workshops
workshops in Hickory North Carolina,
and learn exactly what goes into
handcrafting furniture that is literally
the finest the world has to offer.
It all begins at Hancock and Moore's extensive lumber yard.
Where the wood specialist applies his grading stick
to raw timber that has been culled from the finest
grades available, from renewable sources worldwide.
For Hancock and Moore a high quality frame
is the essential foundation and inspiration
for the many painstaking processes to come
For example the legs are seamlessly cut from one
solid block of twenty quarter maple or mahogany.
Each and every carved detail is fashioned by
the imagination and deft hands of a
master carver. So that his hand carved pattern can be
perfectly recreated on just a few pieces at a time.
Then we sand more than seven times
With ever finer grades of sandpaper.
Now smooth as an eggshell the frame is sprayed with one
of the more than 50 finishes offered in the basic inventory.
Or to customer's specifications.
Renewed hand sanding and polishing
binds the colour deeply into the grain
for a superlative final product.
Beautifully finished as they are, Hancock and Moore
also constructs its frames to ensure strength and stability.
Components are drilled and held to the frame
by double dowels, which are glued and
screwed in place to offer maximum durability.
Weight bearing corners are secured with wooden blocks
that are similarly glued and then screwed into place.
Finally lag bolts are driven by hand through
the center of each block. Ensuring exceptional
strength and durability.
And then there is something we all experience,
in quite an intimate way, and probably
never think about. The springs.
Each piece of Hancock and Moore furniture
lives and dies by how comfortable it is.
And that's why, where ever possible we employ four rows
of coils rather than the miserly three used by others.
It's also why the base is made of solid webbing.
Stretched as tight as a drum.
It's resilience tested by each crafts person after they install it
Beneath goes steel bands crisscrossed and nailed
into place to provide the firm spring support
customer comfort demands.
The springs are fixed directly to this webbing and secured
against movement by clinchets.
Hancock and Moore uses the traditional eight way
hand tie to hold the springs in place from
eight anchor points. This means that the strings are
knotted at every point on the springs. Other manufacturers
may tie a couple of knots, but mostly they loop.
Watch what happens
when just one string gives way in that scenario:
Sitting on that piece of furniture will never
feel the same again.
Now our way. Where every contact point is knotted
Painless, because you wouldn't have felt a thing
and the integrity of the spring system would remain in tact
These days in leather the emphasis is on natural.
The less processed the leather is the more
expensive it will be. Leather for the seats
in your car for example is heavily sanded and
coated to maintain a uniform and consistent appearance.
But cast your eye for a moment on this splendid hide.
It takes up to five of these hides, 250 square feet
of leather to cover one Handcock and Moore sofa
The quality of leathers is measured in ascending order.
From Class One though Class Five.
These Class One leathers are both examples of top grain.
The first is called Supple Tevere and the other
is Aruba Sand. To ensure uniformity of colour they
have been sprayed with pigment. Both have been
sanded and embossed with a pleasing, natural
looking grain, and are not only durable but are
also easy to clean and maintain.
Next in Class Two we see
Document Honey and Cavalier Henna.
Gorgeous
The light sanding on both is barely noticable.
They have been processed using automated
techniques that include surface effects, such as
two tone sauvage, undistressed, they have also been
repeatedly toubled to achieve a soft texture.
Class Three leathers, such as these come from
that full top grain, that represents the very
highest quality upholstery leather.
They are: Equestrian Claret and Luggage Meerschaum
The latter has been hand rubbed after the application
of two colours, a transparent finish further enhances
the inherent beauty of the leather.
These two splendid leathers:
Nabuk Camel and Capri Harness
are among the rarest and most expensive that
Hancock and Moore offer. They are exceptional examples
of Class Four leathers. They are barely processed,
natural leathers. Nabuk Camel though slightly corrected
comes into its own in highly demanding
fashion and style applications.
While Capri Harness exemplifies pure or naked leather
Which will gain an appealing patina over time.
And above and beyond beautiful leathers like these
Hancock and Moore is also proud to offer a line of
specialty leathers such as:
Lambskin and Deerskin, setting once again
industry standards for style and quality. Here we see
Lambskin Claret, Deerskin Caramel, Steer Brindle
and two uniquely tooled and embossed leathers.
Cayman Rust and Florentine Cognac.
Hancock and Moore has approximately 500 leathers
on hand in a variety of colour choices, one
of the largest inventories in the industry. Though
expensive to maintain its value to Hancock and Moore's
customers makes it well worth the cost.
Leather exhibits unique qualities such as healed scars,
neck and fat wrinkles and insect bites
These hallmarks of the trail contribute to it's unique appeal.
Here we see Jimmy Moore who personally selects
premium leather for the company's furniture.
Highlighting blemishes that will not be acceptable for
inclusion when the leather is cut prior to sewing. It takes a
practiced and creative eye to determine
which marks will beautify and add their unique
and distinctive qualities to the finished furniture
and which must be cut around.
Tufting requires a sure hand and a practiced eye too.
As the craftsman penetrates the valuable leather
with a long needle. Securing buttons in perfect symmetry
throughout the chair. He applies years of experience
to creating the diamond, which will focus the button
within a halo of hand pleated leather.
As the sewing machine skillfully creates a welt it
emerges as a flawless leather bound cord
snaking away from the sewing foot in a seemlingly
unbroken line.
Most often in furniture construction it is a choice
between welts or nail-head trim.
Their use of both typifies Hancock and Moore's
attention to detail.
Which is further characterized by a multitude of
shapes and sizes in the brass nail-head trim to choose from
In a brilliant final touch the upholstery is hand rubbed
to reveal and highlight the colour beneath and then
polished to a radiant luster that gives it a
distinctive, antiqued appearance.
And let's not forget the all important hangtag
that graces every piece of furniture leaving
Hancock and Moore's workshops. On it we see the
signature of the craftspeople who have applied their
masterful skills to it's manufacturer in affirmation that
they have put the very best of heart and soul into their work
Sit on a piece of Handcock and Moore furniture
Experience for yourself it's unparalleled comfort, and style.
Experience the confidence that comes from knowing
it's been made especially for you.
It is rare indeed to find a company that goes so far
to ensure the satisfaction of their customers, and
which strives every day to be the best in the world by
making furniture with honesty the time honoured way.
I'd like to thank you for letting me share this special
experience with you.