Now Here’s An Idea: How to Fix Furniture Companies

Artistic collaborations do not always generate revolutionary results, as evidenced by Frank Gehry for Heller

The furniture industry has had a drab and uncomfortable few years. To be sure, the global recession hasn’t encouraged people to shell out for new sofas or kitchens, but even before the crisis many furniture companies seemed to lack strategy and focus. The standard and now exhausted trend has been for a company to contract well-known architects and/or designers to develop individual pieces or entire collections. In some cases this approach has yielded gems (Piero Lissoni for Boffi; Antonio Citterio for just about anyone) but in many others it’s turned out lemons (Frank Gehry collection by Heller, anyone?).

Pierro Lissoni for Boffi (photo courtesy of Boffi)

There may or may not be gold left in the idea of these types of partnerships; regardless it’s become automatic and thoughtless, an often seemingly desperate stab at capitalizing on an association with a hot name. Is this the only business model the furniture world has got? We’ve been bothered by the stagnancy of the industry overall and have been wondering what it might do to freshen itself up. Humbly we propose a few ideas:

Good Ideas: Vacancy

In 1956, SAS brought on great Dane Arne Jacobsen to design the Royal Hotel in Copenhagen. The result was an historic collaboration between brand and designer (at that time acting as furniture company). So why aren’t similar partnerships happening today? Imagine Andre Balazs working with Molteni & C to develop a “Mercer Collection” that the hotel would then showcase? It would seem to be a win-win. Balazs gets a hotelful of presumably sweet furniture at a hugely reduced rate and gives the hotel a big upgrade. Molteni & C, meanwhile, gains direct exposure to its ideal demographic. The two share the profits and a mountain of press and live happily ever after. The end.

Andre Balazs + Molteni & C. (Balazs photo courtesy Brioni - Molteni & C photo courtesy of Molteni & C)

Soul-saving, Butt-saving

Or how about this: Poltrona Frau and the American Presbyterian Church pair up to develop the “Chiesa Collection.” (We know how Calvin loved austerity in his places of worship….) Shouldn’t it be possible in this day and age for the religious among us to pay our respects to God without having to pay penance at the chiropractor’s on Monday morning? The Presbyterians’ main chapter has more than 2.3 million members across 10,000 congregations in the U.S. alone. Can Poltrona Frau—or any other furniture company, for that matter—work with a national chapter to produce en masse (”en mass”?) and bring a modicum of comfort to some of the more economically viable parishes? As for church donations, we can’t prove it but our hunch is that comfortable butts are generous butts.

Protestant church + Poltrona Frau (photo courtesy of Poltrona Frau)

This Idea Has Not Yet Been Rated

In 1980, Giorgio Armani shot to prominence by outfitting Richard Gere in American Gigolo, his purity of vision leading to a now-ubiquitous aesthetic in the world of luxury. Might we envision a furniture company collaborating with a movie set designer to achieve something equally inspired? To be sure, there have been  movie moments with memorable furniture design: the array of perfectly aligned tables in Gattica, the Djinn chairs in the Hilton Space Station in 2001: A Space Odyssey, and soon, Ron Arad’s chair in Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland. But is it possible for a furniture company to create a signature, iconic look for a film?

Johnny Deep in Tim Burton’s Alice In Wonderland (photo courtesy Manny the movie guy) + Ron Arad (photo courtesy Tchochkes)

The Djinn chairs in the Hilton Space Station in 2001: A Space Odyssey

Demolicious

When we go to buy a chair, we sit in it. A car, we drive it. A bed, we lay in it, possibly making subtle pelvic thrusts. Yet when we go to buy a kitchen, for a variety of reasons, we are not able to cook in it. So what’s the next best thing? Perhaps kitchen manufacturers could consider creating a dedicated site with a fully stocked, working kitchen, and invite top chefs to cook for a select group of journalists, amateur chefs, and foodies. Filmed, these videos could be used in company marketing materials and virally online as brand reinforcement and glorified how-to videos. As long as Emeril isn’t involved.

The chef Tom Colicchio + Boffi kitchen

Civic Duty

When New York City’s High Line opened, visitors immediately gravitated to the wood “lounger love seats.” Inviting and practical, with adjustable seating configurations, the chairs demonstrate that even on a budget a little creative thinking and ingenuity can go a long way. How can we get furniture companies specializing in outdoor furniture talking to more of our civic organizations? Park benches and tables, and bus kiosks… isn’t it possible for them to do more than simply function and attract graffiti?

NYC bus kiosk + Kajen Park Bench (by Thomas Bernstrand)

Talk (Shows) is Cheap

What is it with talk shows? The sets all look like law-firm conference rooms. Perhaps the idea is that the design should be neutral so as not to distract from the conversations with guests. But isn’t bad design equally distracting? Again, if well done, a partnership between show and furniture company would be mutually beneficial. The “design for the masses” movement is officially upon us; can’t the public handle seeing people on TV sitting in nice chairs?

Oprah TV studio