With the Spring 2013 High Point Furniture Market #HPMKT quickly approaching, I find myself anxious and excited to see what the furniture & design industry has come up with this time around...to impress.
The theme of this coming market is "INSPIRATIONS". Already, I feel inspired!!
When the Wasser family goes to market (my dad has been attending since 1965) for our twice yearly buying trip, we hunt for the most unique, innovative, creative, and quality pieces of contemporary furniture. Keep in mind, contemporary furniture from one person to another can mean very different things.
As a retailer, I define contemporary furniture as being highly stylized, visually pleasing, and with a light and airy feeling. Contemporary furniture merges fashion, couture design, unique materials, comfort and quality to create a piece of art that you can live with, love and admire.
To me,contemporary furniture, more than any other category, brings newness, innovative technology and futuristic appeal to create an ultimate masterpiece. The lines of a piece of contemporary furniture are simple and clean. Spare me the ungapatched, thanks!
For us at Wasser’s contemporary takes on a whole new meaning. We meet the needs of educated and savvy clientele. . Our customer is sophisticated, world traveled, fashion- oriented, while quality is always their top priority. Accent pieces with glitz and glamour, done in a tasteful and upscale manner, are compliments to the simple straight lines of contemporary furniture…Furniture that stands out as stylish conversational pieces, items that aren’t “me too,”, that are constructed with care and quality is what makes our contemporary showroom stand out from other merchants.
Here are some common misconceptions that I always educate and enlighten consumers about regarding contemporary furniture.
Myth 1: Contemporary furniture is excessively overpriced.
Fact: The old saying "You get what you pay for," is still relevant in todays market. Sure you can purchase "inexpensive" contemporary furniture or you can find your self spending your life savings on contemporary furniture. However, you could find extreme price points when buying traditional, transitional or antique furniture too. So, the relation to price doesn't only apply in the contemporary realm. Price can be directly attributed to quality.
Find a happy medium. We strive to find the best quality products for the best price. The items we gravitate toward tend to be product made in the USA or Italy. We work with manufactures who pride themselves on the quality of products and customer service; we can do the same! We won't sell you anything that we wouldn't put in our own home. We also won't sell you anything that you will have a headache with down the road, because ultimately it will become our headache, and as a family business our goal is to avoid problems before they start.
When it comes down to it, good furniture should be considered an investment. It doesn't necessarily mean your are spending your life-time savings on one dining room table. Remember, anything that is built to last will have a measurable cost and return your investment several times over.
We find that many of our clients have bought, re-bought, and re-bought disposable and/or purchased from a commissioned salesperson who oversold furniture, before they realize how important understanding the quality of an item is and unfortunately left them being the victim of being taken by a "quick sale."
Now, I'm not suggesting anyone purchase only high end furniture. Contemporary furniture is attainable for every budget... but remember to ask questions before you purchase your next piece.
Important questions to ask when buying furniture for your home:
Fact: The old saying "You get what you pay for," is still relevant in todays market. Sure you can purchase "inexpensive" contemporary furniture or you can find your self spending your life savings on contemporary furniture. However, you could find extreme price points when buying traditional, transitional or antique furniture too. So, the relation to price doesn't only apply in the contemporary realm. Price can be directly attributed to quality.
Find a happy medium. We strive to find the best quality products for the best price. The items we gravitate toward tend to be product made in the USA or Italy. We work with manufactures who pride themselves on the quality of products and customer service; we can do the same! We won't sell you anything that we wouldn't put in our own home. We also won't sell you anything that you will have a headache with down the road, because ultimately it will become our headache, and as a family business our goal is to avoid problems before they start.
When it comes down to it, good furniture should be considered an investment. It doesn't necessarily mean your are spending your life-time savings on one dining room table. Remember, anything that is built to last will have a measurable cost and return your investment several times over.
We find that many of our clients have bought, re-bought, and re-bought disposable and/or purchased from a commissioned salesperson who oversold furniture, before they realize how important understanding the quality of an item is and unfortunately left them being the victim of being taken by a "quick sale."
Now, I'm not suggesting anyone purchase only high end furniture. Contemporary furniture is attainable for every budget... but remember to ask questions before you purchase your next piece.
Important questions to ask when buying furniture for your home:
- Where is this item made?
- For upholstery: What materials are used to build the frame and suspension?
- For Leather: Make sure when you are told something is "Leather" it is indeed 100% top grain genuine leather, not bonded, split, regenerated or matched. Ask to see the manufacturers description in their catalog, website or swatch rack. Don't trust a label on a price tag.
- For Casegoods such as dressers, nightstands, buffets: What materials are used to build the cabinet? Is it solid wood, wood veneer, pressboard or MDF (medium-density fiberboard)?
Myth 2: Modern furniture is nice to look at, but uncomfortable and not functional.
Fact: The most common feedback I get when clients are in our showroom is, "Wow, this is much more comfortable then it looks." We pride ourselves in knowing exactly how everything we sell, sits. Not every sofa from the same manufacturer sits the same.
The styles we pick for our showroom not only look fantastic, they sit like a dream.
We have items featuring pop-up mechanism headrests for added comfort and neck support, storage components in ottomans and underneath beds, sleeper sofa's that can be put into comfortable sectionals. The functionality is endless.
Let us know your needs and put us to the test... Chances are... we will exceed your expectations!
Fact: The most common feedback I get when clients are in our showroom is, "Wow, this is much more comfortable then it looks." We pride ourselves in knowing exactly how everything we sell, sits. Not every sofa from the same manufacturer sits the same.
The styles we pick for our showroom not only look fantastic, they sit like a dream.
We have items featuring pop-up mechanism headrests for added comfort and neck support, storage components in ottomans and underneath beds, sleeper sofa's that can be put into comfortable sectionals. The functionality is endless.
Let us know your needs and put us to the test... Chances are... we will exceed your expectations!
Myth 3: Contemporary furniture is not meant for families with children
Fact: Our customers may have babies, young children and teens, or they may be "empty-nesters." They all shop for contemporary furniture. Most of our items are safe in a room with kids. Our glass coffee tables will have rounded edges and their glass tops are fused to the bases to prevent tipping or injury.
We offer an extensive selection of quality leathers and fabrics for our seating, that are extremely durable and can withstand commercial wear. It means that our furniture is good enough for public spaces like hotels, lobbies and restaurants even if it is bought for the home. In other words, it is almost impossible to wear through the leather or fabric on your new furniture, if you are getting the right materials.
Leather and fabric is even safe for households with pets too! Unless your cat thinks it's a scratching post or your dog confuses it for a chewing toy, your good to go, and in fact recommended to go with leather as it can be easily wiped down with leather wipes and it is meant to last a lifetime.
Fact: Our customers may have babies, young children and teens, or they may be "empty-nesters." They all shop for contemporary furniture. Most of our items are safe in a room with kids. Our glass coffee tables will have rounded edges and their glass tops are fused to the bases to prevent tipping or injury.
We offer an extensive selection of quality leathers and fabrics for our seating, that are extremely durable and can withstand commercial wear. It means that our furniture is good enough for public spaces like hotels, lobbies and restaurants even if it is bought for the home. In other words, it is almost impossible to wear through the leather or fabric on your new furniture, if you are getting the right materials.
Leather and fabric is even safe for households with pets too! Unless your cat thinks it's a scratching post or your dog confuses it for a chewing toy, your good to go, and in fact recommended to go with leather as it can be easily wiped down with leather wipes and it is meant to last a lifetime.
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| Princess enjoying the evening on her American Leather Malibu sectional. |
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| This little Princess had upgraded herself from using the pet bed to her pet friendly area rug for her daily cat-naps. |
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| The perfect slumber party accessory, the Comfort Sleeper by American Leather. |
For more information on any of the information in this post, please feel free to Email Us. We're here to answer any questions you may have, filter through your concerns and assist you with finding the perfect furniture to fit your needs and lifestyle.
Please feel free to follow my posts, findings and interact with me LIVE from the High Point Furniture Market on Instagram @wassersfurniture or on Twitter @wassersfurn.
Please feel free to follow my posts, findings and interact with me LIVE from the High Point Furniture Market on Instagram @wassersfurniture or on Twitter @wassersfurn.
