David Francis Furniture :: Blog

I adore designing case pieces and love the versatility of chests…they can be used in virtually every room.

- Today, you may be buying a chest to store your clothing; but tomorrow, this same piece may be parked in the dining room and used as a buffet.
- Chests are great for hallways - place one near the front door to be used as a catch-all for your keys or position one down a long corridor to showcase a fabulous piece of art.
- Arrange a chest against an odd-sized wall or to use it to add life to a desolate corner.

Buy high-quality with clean lines…if/when your décor changes a few years down the road, you can change the finish and/or hardware for a fresh, new look. My advice to you: if you buy one piece of furniture this year, make it a chest!

Las Vegas Market is less than a week away. The David Francis showroom is brim with new introductions. World Market Center is working hard to woo designers. If the draw of Sin City isn't enough, they are planning culinary events, educational sessions and INSPIREDESIGN (a market-within-a-market focused on commercial design). But, will they come?

I have high hopes that this market will see more activity than the last. If our recent company activity is any indicator, then we will be busier. All it takes is the cultivation of a few great relationships to make it all worthwhile. Stay tuned...

Ahhh! The entire 2010 collection of new products has been posted in our online catalog. What a great looking group! One big change this year is that I focused on "designing to a price point," so many items are built with a rattan frame vs. mahogany. Who says rattan is only casual? We're proving just the opposite.

We've also moved to a completely digital catalog and price guide. No printed catalog means we could pass savings on to our customers, plus it allows us to be more environmentally-sensitive. So far, we've received kudos on this decision.

And speaking of digital, we are now on Facebook and Twitter! I just uploaded images yesterday and I'm trying to get a hang of the "tweet" thing! If you use these websites, follow up or become a fan!

Back in Economics class, we were all taught that price is essentially the cost of producing the product plus any profit factored in. Price is driven by supply and demand. Price is a number. It’s devoid of emotion. It is what it is.

Value, on the other hand, is WORTH. Value is determined by factors like exclusivity, rarity, customization and quality. Value makes a person feel good.

Common, mass-produced products may have an appealing (low) price, but do they carry value? Are they special?

Next time you are drawn to an item because of a low price, make sure you are buying it because you feel it has value. If it’s not special, if it doesn’t make you feel good…wait for something fabulous.

I came across a cool blog the other day that showed a whole host of modern cuckoo clocks. They came in wild colors and designs, innovative materials, with off-the-wall sounds. I was wowed that something as dated as the cuckoo clock was now suddenly ultra-cool.

It led to me wonder what old-fashioned furniture item might soon be the next big thing. Could it be the rocking chair? The fainting couch? Hmmmmm.

On a recent LinkedIn forum, someone posed the question to interior designers “what is your greatest challenge in the current economy?” Because there are so many diverse challenges these days, I thought this was a great question.

I think, for us, not being able to “create” a customer is a challenge. Unlike food, water and shelter, furniture is not a necessity. And with the collapse of the housing market, furniture is father down the list of “wants” than it used to be. If people just aren’t buying furniture, you can’t convince them to. We aren’t an impulse buy.

Luckily, David Francis Furniture is seen as a value. Our furniture doesn’t become dated or fall apart after a few years. So, we are still selling to people who want to invest in furniture they’ll have forever. But, we are definitely ready for the economy and consumer confidence to improve!

I just read the December 2009 issue of Fast Company, a magazine I love for its emphasis on design, marketing and the latest technology. There was an article on DWR, the home furnishings retailer who carries iconic products from some of the most well-known furniture, textile and product designers.

DWR enjoyed amazing success in the past, but apparently, they veered away from the business practices that first made them reputable and successful. The most shocking, to me, is that they’ve allegedly knocked-off furniture from designers and other manufacturers and sold those items as their own. I don’t know if this accusation is true, but just the notion of knock-offs make my blood boil!

Yes, David Francis Furniture has been knocked off. They say imitation is the highest form of flattery, but I beg to differ. Designing a piece of furniture, or any product for that matter, takes creative vision and lots of revisions. A designer’s heart is worn on his sleeve as he puts himself “out there” by revealing his design.

All that hard work and time put into a product can be easily replicated in other countries…using factories with no regard for original design. The only motivation is money. And most times, the knock-off is poorly done – think faux designer handbags being sold on the streets of any big city.

I don’t “get” the conscience of anyone who is willing to manufacturer a knock. And as a consumer, I like products not only with good design, but also with a soul and a story. A cheap reproduction just isn’t going to do it for me.

Many people, especially those in the luxury business, are finding it hard to be thankful for anything this year. This sector is struggling more than any other and signs of recovery are dim. It seems that the people deemed “aspirationals” were the ones who were snapping up luxury items…and now they are the ones under the most financial stress.

I, however, am very thankful. While 2009 was not a record-breaking year for David Francis Furniture, we are still here and we are still strong. We even avoided layoffs, which makes me very happy because our team is like family.

2010 will be better. In fact, we are already seeing an uptick in quotes and orders. We are introducing new items and I remain inspired to create beautiful furniture. Happy Thanksgiving!

One thing we’re known for is the ability to create custom finish colors for our furniture. This is a big selling point, as the customer never has to settle with “almost perfect.”

Usually, we are tasked with matching colors offered by other furniture manufacturers – tones of browns, crackles, antiquing, etc.

One of the most interesting requests ever came from a designer who shipped us a ceramic pomegranate and asked us to formulate a painted finish to match it! Our finishing department successfully created the perfect, fruity finish, to the delight of our customer.

This task proved that inspiration can come from anywhere. Have you ever had any “unconventional” inspirations? 

Putting your designs out there is a risk. You’ve invested time and money. These are your ideas…will anyone like them? Will the price point succeed? Is there a design flaw?

In these hard economic times, it is imperative that manufacturers have a tight control over their inventory levels and keep up with changing consumer buying habits. There is no room for mistakes - a large inventory coupled with slow sales will eventually kill a company. Therefore, every new design introduction must be successful.

Wouldn’t it be great to be able to apply a formula for choosing new designs? Something that’s more mathematical than a guessing game?

In order to evaluate new designs, I have created a “formula,” based on a rating system. There are four criteria and each is different and specific in nature. They are rated from 1 to 5. A new design must achieve a minimum of 14 points in order to move into production. The categories are as follows:

1. Unique Design
2. Is it “us”?
3. Price
4. Quality

To evaluate any new design, we have a team of specialists that each make their own independent evaluation. Once a final total has been determined, we can then make a decision on that particular design. The decision must be unanimous to work. So far, the system has worked well. It has reduced the number of new designs we are introducing and is keeping our inventory at a more manageable level.