Source Furniture for which they are built, is now under strain and redundant. Although merchants have adjusted, in part by recognizing uncertainty and delays in ocean shipping as a reality, the industry is still dealing with backups and backlogs. the current state of the economy.
Nickie Morrison, Purchasing Manager for IFN Modern, Was Interviewed and Shared Her Insights.
IFN Modern are popular online retail furniture sources that specialize in selling mid-century modern influences, such as furnishings from the Kennedy or Mad Men eras. IFN Modern, which began operations in 2009, has expanded significantly and takes pride in providing reproduction furniture sourcing from the mid-20th century that is of the highest caliber.
Q-Furniture had a discussion with Nickie Morrison, IFN Modern’s head of purchasing, about the importance of furniture sourcing and shopping for products in the online source furniture marketplace.
What Is IFN Modern?
IFN Modern was founded in 2009 without any clear plans to market things from the mid-century modern era. In fact, when our business first started out, we sold anything and everything related to the furniture sector, including dining tables, storage, and beds. However, we found that finding these things from various businesses and manufacturers was difficult since either the quality was poor and we frequently heard complaints about the products, or the pricing was simply too expensive for us to continue buying from them. Additionally, they might run out of stock or have products that were abruptly withdrawn.
At the same time, we began noticing a trend among our own clientele and the products they were purchasing, particularly mid-century modern style furniture and items and designs from the Bauhaus era. We decided to sell just mid-century modern-styled sources furniture in the late 2010s after realizing the potential of this particular and unique segment of the furniture market. As a result, our most well-known and sought-after products to this day are the renowned Barcelona chairs and Eames lounge stools, timeless concrete stools, and furniture items that you could recognize in any home design magazine.
You Mentioned That Locating Furniture Products Became Difficult; What Did You Do Next?
Yes, from quality control (QC) standpoint, procuring from various manufacturers and businesses proved challenging. Although our company is based in Canada, the bulk of our clients are in the United States. We have several warehouses in both Canada and the US to avoid additional duties and import fees. We were unable to guarantee a high enough QC for our consumers because the majority of our employees are based in Canada and our warehouses are just used for stocking purposes.
As a result, as was already indicated, after we chose to only sell source furniture that was designed in the mid-century modern era, we made the decision to make our own goods in order to maintain the quality of the goods delivered to our consumers. To do this, we had to travel to China so that we could oversee the entire manufacturing process. However, because a large portion of our products is made of leather or fabric, we wanted to make sure that these particular materials were sourced from another region of the world, specifically, Europe. This way, we could guarantee that our customers would receive the highest-quality materials and products at the most affordable prices.
Could You Briefly Describe Your Experiences Working With Chinese Manufacturers and Obtaining Your Materials From Europe?
A blessing and a curse have come from working with our Chinese suppliers. On the plus side, we were able to customize our products to exactly what we wanted and make our replica source furniture look as authentic as feasible. In comparison to if we had bought them from another producer, we were also able to monitor and regulate the quality of our products to a considerably greater extent. On the negative side, we had to adapt to and learn a few quirks and traditions during our first few years.
The process of locating materials in Europe was probably the most enjoyable for me because I got the chance to visit the continent and look into new leather and fabric sources. This is a crucial component of our business since the materials we utilize in our goods set us apart from other low-end reproduction businesses.
Purchasing and furniture sourcing supplies from one region of the world to another is a challenging task, but it does require good coordination, organization, and management of communication (both incoming and outbound).
Why Did You Choose To Use Leather or High-quality Fabrics For The Vast Majority Of Your Products, As You Mentioned?
We selected our particular materials for a number of reasons. First off, it is in our best interest and right as a source furniture reproduction firm to have replicas that are as similar to the original pieces as possible. To do this, we must use materials that are as near to the original in quality as feasible. Second, despite the fact that some designs by interior architects and original interior designers may cost more than $8000 per chair! Our furniture pieces are nowhere near as expensive as some of the original pieces. However, our average products are still around the $900 mark and are still not thought of as being inexpensive. This is largely due to the high-quality materials and craftsmanship our products are made with.
How Crucial Is Having A Reliable Supply Chain Management System?
Without a doubt, it’s important to our operation! Being continually aware of and knowledgeable about our supply chain is part of my daily responsibilities because, as previously indicated, we procure our own supplies, make them, and ship them from our own facilities.
How Did Your Company’s Growth Affect Your Sourcing and Purchasing Decisions?
Our company believes that since we started producing our own goods, the quality of our items has improved significantly. As we started to become famous online, we encountered more feedback and criticism than ever before. This is a common occurrence for businesses going through expansion and is especially true for product-based businesses. The approach that fits the first 100 orders you receive will probably not work for 1000, 10,000, or 100,000 after that. I cannot tell you how many times we have changed our material furniture sourcing, or even changed our manufacturer. As our business expands, it is my responsibility to keep seeking new and better suppliers and customers.
What Factors Do You Consider When Sourcing Materials For Your Furniture?
The cost of goods and the quality of the items are always in tension, just like in any product-based firm. On the one hand, a business can only succeed if it can balance the costs of materials and construction against the price at which the product is offered. On the other hand, if a corporation uses low-quality materials to reduce costs, the final product will be of lower quality, and the likelihood of a disgruntled or disappointed consumer increases significantly.
We live in a time when there is so much information, communication, and competition that we can’t afford to lose customers over a subpar product. Rather, we would prefer to remain competitive by furniture sourcing either the highest quality materials possible or at the very least, more features while reducing our margins slightly more than our rivals. For instance, all of our cushions have an additional layer of foaming wrapped in Dacron inserted to add comfort and support while maintaining the cushion’s shape, a feature that is sometimes missed by competitors. We usually try to prioritize quality over number, I suppose.
The Furniture Industry Is A Very Competitive One; How Do You Think You’ve Been Able To Grow So Quickly While Remaining So Competitive?
Yes, the source furniture market is fiercely competitive. The US source furniture sector alone is worth over $100 billion. However, I believe that our supply chain gives us the largest competitive advantage over our rivals. As I previously stated, the majority of source furniture manufacturers obtain their goods from numerous different businesses and producers, just as we did before. As a result, they are unable to regulate the quality of their goods or modify them in response to client input. When we start looking into more and varied furniture sourcing possibilities beyond what we presently sell, I believe this is crucial for our growth and we will continue in this direction.
If Anyone Is Interested In Sourcing Or Manufacturing Their Own Goods From Abroad, Do You Have Any Final Observations or Insights You’d Like To Share With Them?
I would unquestionably advise anyone trying to source or produce their own goods to first visit and get to know the manufacturers and factories they will be working with. I believe there has been a significant misperception and over-assumption regarding the simplicity of furniture-sourcing goods from countries like China as a result of the recent Alibaba IPO and all the buzz around it. Yes, it may be substantially less expensive than any domestic suppliers, but that also raises questions about quality control.
Delivering excellent and high-quality products is our first focus because, as a smaller, privately held company, we are ultimately responsible to our consumers rather than any shareholders or investors. I would advise anyone entering this area to get knowledgeable about every aspect of their supply chain because it is a frequently disregarded yet crucial component of any firm that sells goods.
You’ll Be Considering Continuing When We Ask What You Do and How You Do It.
Let’s start with the simplest thing first: the room itself. If the space works, do you like the color of the walls, and are you adding any details to the room to make it more interesting — for example, paneling, a picture rail, or coving? Do you already own any lovely features you would want to display? fireplaces, gorgeous floors, and oak beams? What about your skirting board, window and door trim, and architraves? – Yes, I am aware that we always start with the minimum essentials in each area, but Dean ALWAYS says, “A room should look nice without any furniture in it”, so here is where the design process begins.
Now That We Have The Space, What Should We Do?
Locate your essential pieces of source furniture. The focal point of the room is where your eyes naturally gravitate when you enter it, such as the sofa in the living room, the bed in the bedroom, the dining table, etc. We spend a lot of time gazing at the distinctive pieces, therefore it is crucial to get them correctly. The majority of our decisions are made as if it were our forever home since we always say when we do every cottage in the estate that we should be glad to live in it ourselves (and we like to think we have high standards). This reflects how we do it. The sofa (and other furnishings) won’t receive the same care as if it were your own, but this will make visitors who stay feel at home. Therefore, my plans for linen sofas were abandoned!
Locate your essential pieces of source furniture. The focal point of the room is where your eyes naturally gravitate when you enter it, such as the sofa in the living room, the bed in the bedroom, the dining table, etc. We spend a lot of time gazing at the distinctive pieces, therefore it is crucial to get them correctly. The majority of our decisions are made as if it were our forever home since we always say when we do every cottage in the estate that we should be glad to live in it ourselves (and we like to think we have high standards). This reflects how we do it. The sofa (and other furnishings) won’t receive the same care as if it were your own, but this will make visitors who stay feel at home. Therefore, my plans for linen sofas were abandoned!
After spending a lot of time investigating online, we realized we needed assistance. We had a clear vision of how it should appear, but we definitely needed more guidance on the fabric and comfort. If you’re lucky, you spend a lot of time sitting on a sofa. Because we had so many needs, we contacted a wonderful firm called Sofas & Stuff. In order to visit their showroom, we planned ahead and brought a painted skirting board, a sample of our floor, and the color of our walls with us. It was crucial that we got it correctly!
Okay, We Had The Sofa! What Happens Next?”
Now, the space seems quite cozy! Side lamps for ambient lighting and a few other small items still need to be purchased. We occasionally see items we really like in a shop and if they are too expensive and they are quite simple to construct we attempt at making them. I don’t remember the last time we bought a complete side lamp without adjusting it whatsoever!?
To find beautiful pieces, we have started to frequent charity shops and places that sell used source furniture as frequently as we can. We adore the concept of upcycling objects, especially when they must have a fascinating past. It goes without saying that recycling and avoiding landfills are only the inevitable positive side effects!
Although our preferences may change over time, we have always operated on these same guiding principles:
- The space must be interesting enough to be vacant.
- The place where you put your money is the room’s masterpiece.
- Take your time hunting for the specific vintage items that will make the space stand out and remarkable (and is cost-effective).
To find out more about our selection, get in touch with us on LinkedIn Q-Furniture.
