My recent furniture purchases includes Hancock & Moore and Smith Brothers of Berne. I love both but Smith Brothers is a better value as the two custom upholstered chairs I ordered from them was less than one H & M chair.

The H & M pieces that we purchased are leather and the SB chairs are upholstered. One tip to keep in mind is that the grade of leather isn't necessarily indicative of the quality but of how much it costs to acquire it. I prefer aniline leather.

If you have any leather questions I recommend Duane Collie's website, my furniture forum dot com. He is an absolute wealth of information and is so very helpful.

we bought a leather sofa and chair, with reclining from lazy boy locally. it has lasted fine for 9 years. it has a few cat claw marks but the dog nails haven't ripped it. we are a family of 5 with dogs and cats so i am pleased with the durability. i don't remember the cost but i am the ultimate bargain shopper (or cheapskate) so i am sure it was less than $2000.

It sounds like you had what is called Bycast or Bicast leather which is an inner layer of the cow's skin, not the top grain hide This inner layer is then coated with plastic to give it a uniform color and shine.

In some countries it is illegal to call this leather.

I think it will be very difficult for you to get a top grain aniline dyed sofa for under $2000.

I agree with pal above on it being difficult or impossible to find a quality leather sofa for under $2000, unless you find a good brand on Craigslist or similar. I've posted this before, but here are some leather furniture manufacturer ratings.

Here is a link that might be useful: Top Brands of leather furniture

I have a Flexsteel Leather Hide a Bed sofa that is about 18 years old. It was around 2700$ then and aside from a few cat scratches that will disappear with a little saddle soap, it looks and functions great.
No ripped seams. No squeeks. The mattress is even comfortable...I spent 6 weeks on it once.

missymoo12, I've got Flexsteel, too! That furniture is indestructible and it takes a few good men to move it.

dcward89, you would not believe what I paid for my sofa, oversize chair and ottoman, used at a thrift store. It had the patina of use, for sure, and now it's got some cat scratches, too. All the original tags and leather samples are still under the cushions. It says the leather is "top grain cowhide". When I have enough $$$$ to have it redone, I'll stick to that leather, but I know for certain that the cost of the ottoman alone will be more than I paid for all three pieces.

My philosophy is that good quality used is better than poor quality new. (Been there, done both.) Research brands and then look in consignment, used furniture and, yes, thrift stores.

The link is to Bauhaus. It's another brand I think is very well made. I have a buck leather Bauhaus loveseat with nailhead trim I've had for several years. The leather has been suffered misuse by a tenant, spills, dirt and even bicycle grease. It cleaned up fairly well, but even though it's several years old now, it has not a single saggy cushion. It was in pristine condition when I found it at a Salvation Army store - for $100.

You can do very, very well with your budget! ;-)

Here is a link that might be useful: good example of how sofas are made

Stay away from bonded leather. It is leather pulp that is ten glued onto backing. Terrible stuff compared to real leather. I also completely agree with buying high quality used vs new mediocre. I don't have one piece of new furniture in my entire 4 bedroom house and it all is holding up great over many years (3 kids, 2 dogs and 2 cats). I had a sectional that we bought new for the finished basement 5 years ago and it was a piece of junk. I just traded "up" to a high quality 70's sectional from a friend's mother's estate. Built like a tank that thing.

Thanks everyone for the comments and advice. I have been out shopping this morning at 3 different furniture stores. One was a chain type store, Levin...junk, junk and more junk (and thanks to all the info I am gleaning from here I could tell the junk), another mid-grade local place (think Broyhill, Flexsteel and Lane)...a lot of junk and a few decent pieces and then a more high end, family owned and ran local store. That place had a couple options that were within budget and were better quality than the other places.

One piece in particular had all hardwood frame, 8-way hand tied coils, top grain leather, nail head trim and nice simple but classic rolled arms...I can't stand these awful poofy pillowed arms that so much furniture has now. The salesman said it was from the "South Pacific" but wasn't sure which country that meant...maybe Malaysia, maybe Indonesia.

I will never get my DH to agree to used furniture...it's a losing battle that I'm not willing to take on. He has issues with other people's "garbage" so I know that's not gonna happen.

Thanks again for all your advice and suggestions. Hopefully your collective knowledge will help me select something that will last longer than our current piece of crap!!!

Just for reference, this is sort of the style I'm going for

And this is what I hate...

So if anyone knows of something in particular that you think is a good quality choice within my budge, please let me know!!! Thanks again!

This is an example of Smith Brothers leather with an English rolled arm.

This is my favorite Smith Brother sofa. I like tufting but it may not be something you care for.

I just recently purchased a Bradington Young sofa with grade 3 leather for around $2600, if you can up your budget a bit.

We bought two leather reclining loveseats from Lane well over 20 years ago. They have come in to replace the reclining mechanism on each of the love seats --- at no charge whatsoever. Lane furniture (at least when we bought it) is guaranteed for life and they live up to it.

Same goes for our bedroom furniture which we bought at the same time. We have had to replace drawer pulls a few times and they sent out the parts at no charge and very quickly. Always save your receipts!

Hmmmm.... I wonder if the "South Pacific" manufacturer has a warranty you could count on. I'll stick by my Flexsteel, made in the U.S.A.

Here is a link that might be useful: Flexsteel warranty

I agree with Holly, go to my furniture forum run by Duane collie. I am fortunate because his store is in my area and I bought my Leathercraft sofa and 2 recliners from him. My husband and I are both short and I needed something to fit us. I have the same sofa he has in his home. He sells Handcock and Moore and Bradington Young.He does not sell the Leathercraft any more. He has a whole sub forum on leather. Also give him a call and talk with him. He runs the store by himself so he will answer.

I also purchased my sofa from Duane.

Yes, Duane is wonderful and the three pieces that I purchased from him are very high quality. What impressed me the most is when he told me not to worry about the grading system that there were many grade ones that were lovely and the class was more representative of what the leather cost him, not the durability or aesthetics of the leather. It isn't every day that you find a salesperson/owner that will give you the straight scoop on quality.

WTBS, you won't find an H & M piece that is in your price range so I suggested Smith Brothers. It is made in the USA and, imo, is a wonderful quality.