Howards Furniture and Decorating Center

At least a half-dozen upholstery suppliers are rolling out DIY (design it yourself) upholstery programs this week that allow consumers to insert their own personalities and style into sofas and chairs. And Bassett is offering a second generation of customization, having introduced its first DIY collection several years ago.

If the choice of hundreds of fabrics wasn’t enough, manufacturers are now allowing consumers to select everything from arm, leg and back styles to cushion construction, length (from
Texas long to apartment short) and details like fringes and welting.

Dixon Bartlett, a principal with Carolyn Hipple in HB2 Resources, a consulting firm working for Norwalk Custom Furniture, indicated the reason for the DIY proliferation is to give consumers many reasons not to say no.

“The consumer loves (to) make it her own,” he said.

Besides 850 fabrics, Norwalk’s Variations collection provides six basic frames and every configuration one can think of – including even a wood base and various shapes of legs.

“Why the concepts works for dealers is that it provides them with the most productive square footage,” Bartlett said. Dealers can place one frame on the floor and sell a variety of configurations, he said.

Broyhill’s DIY collection, called Multiples, includes a variety of leg, arm, and back choices along with various lengths and 275 pillow fabrics.

“Consumers want to personalize their living rooms across many income levels,” said Paul Peters, vice president of upholstery. “Multiples allows them to create the perfect piece to fit their space at affordable price points, and gives them the confidence that they’ve made the right choice with their investment.

“Since it is a custom story, it also allows for a retail footprint with a minimal inventory commitment,” he added.

Peters said Broyhill is launching the line to offer consumers choice, and also confidence.

“Offering a focused custom story from a trusted brand removes anxiety in the consumer’s decision process. It also benefits our dealers by offering further applications of the special fabric choices they already offer,” he said.

While DIY groups require less inventory, keeping up with a ton of SKUs required to support the program has kept some vendors from similar introductions. That hasn’t frightened Rowe, which is introducing a Suit Yourself customization program this market in its Clayton Marcus division.
Options include 11 wood finishes and 750 fabrics, or use of the customer’s own material.

Saverio Mancina, Rowe’s director of communications, said a computerized manufacturing system that once provided the company with a nightmare of inventory foul-ups is now running smoothly.

“It’s working brilliantly to our advantage,” said Mancina. “We feel Suit Yourself reduces the obstacle to buying.”

Source: www.highpointmarket.org

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