David Francis Furniture :: Blog

It’s that time of the year again. The American Society of Furniture Designers has just announced the finalists for their prestigious 2008 Pinnacle Design Award. For the fourth time, David Francis Furniture has been selected as a finalist, this year in the Leather Upholstery category for my Bordeaux Leather Lounge Chair. Our stiff competition includes Century Furniture and Elite Leather, two massive manufacturers.

2008 marked the first year that we introduced a line of leather designs. Staying true to who we are, we combined leather with wood, twill and rattan. It took much effort to refine each piece so that they all flowed together into a well-edited offering that I can be proud of.

The result of blending the upholstered, double-stitched twill exterior, polished wood and leather interior created a unique design combination we’d never seen done before. As you can tell, I am very proud of this design from an artistic approach. And the Bordeaux Lounge Chair is the star of this collection.

As any great, self-absorbed designer, I am positive that my Bordeaux Leather Lounge Chair is, by far, the best design in the Leather Upholstery category. But, if history repeats itself, I will be putting the champagne back in the fridge for the forth time. Susan Lucci was nominated over 20 times before she won her first Daytime Emmy. If necessary, I’m prepared to wait a few more years for my Pinnacle Award!

As an avid follower of David Francis, you have probably noticed that in recent years we have diversified our line by introducing a lot of wood designs to complement our rattan pieces.  Our wood furniture has run the gauntlet from very traditional to transitional to contemporary.  However, with the current cost of fine hardwoods skyrocketing, it has become necessary to seek out alternative materials for designs. Ironically this has brought our attention back to rattan.

Since the early 1950’s when rattan was brought indoors and made fashionable, the basic forms, materials and patterns have remained the same or similar.  Most people would classify rattan furniture as being casual in nature. It has been designed this way on purpose - it fulfills a specific lifestyle. However, we are set to do something new – we are taking rattan designs from casual to luxurious.  

Besides being “eco-friendly,” rattan is extremely strong and durable.  It also holds finishes better than wood. Because it is so pliable, it has a lot of the properties you look for in construction. However, at this time, the most important thing rattan has going for it is its cost. Certain wood designs have become so expensive to produce that it has reduced the number of prospective buyers to a point they are no longer economically feasible. Therefore, we must make necessary adjustments in our product offering.

David Francis Furniture has already begun the transition from casual rattan to sophisticated and luxurious rattan designs. You will see the first of these in the 2009 catalog due out in early January. There will be more to come in 2010 and 2011. We are committed to offering you only the highest quality products for the luxury market regardless of the materials use. I am extremely excited to have this opportunity to “re-invent” rattan and to bring our new luxury rattan designs to market.  I hope you will be too.

I have been saying for the past several years that the furniture industry has many parallels to the fashion industry.  Each new catalog has all of the pomp and circumstance of a fashion show.  It is our equivalent to a debut on the Paris runway. All my work that has been done over the past 12 to 18 months culminates with the unveiling of our new fashions for the upcoming year.  Within the first 90 days of its introduction, the designs will be deemed either “in” or “out.”  Plans are already being made to add and to change several of the existing fashions with new designs that are in the catalog that was just published.  

Since our company is based exclusively on high quality, high-end luxury products, we have one objective when we introduce a new furniture fashion - it must be different.  The fashion industry is always moving forward.  You cannot exist in the past and expect to succeed.  Unless we can create a new “form” with a new twist using an old design, it has already been done.   There are so many “like” designs I see no reason to bring out just “another” chair or chest of drawers. It has to have a reason to exist!

I have already completed the fashion lineup for both 2009 and 2010.   As with any designer, fashion or furniture, I am impatient.  The designs for 2009 have not even been introduced and I cannot wait for the 2010 collections to become reality.  My finest designs are yet to come…I just wish they would get here a little faster!

There is a lot of artistry that goes into designing furniture. I liken it to working with clay. You first mold it into a rough form…take a step back and edit. Then, work the form over and over until you are satisfied enough to make a prototype, or sample. Once you see the sample, you pick it apart…deconstruct…reconstruct…make final changes and refinement until you are happy to put your name on it. 

Designing is extremely gratifying. You are able to watch your idea grow from lines on a page to an actual form, a reality you can touch and feel. To me, the success or failure of the public to respond to a particular design is not nearly as important as the creation and the process it took to complete. I like to feel proud that I pushed my own limits, that I was able to be objective and self-criticize until I felt my design was perfect.

The successful introduction of a new furniture design is one that gets the designer the attention and acceptance we all crave. A less than successful introduction…that’s something we refer to as a “limited edition”!

Everywhere you look, the buzz is all about “going green” and many furniture manufacturers are just now coming out with their own environmental statement about using renewable materials. David Francis Furniture has been using renewable materials since 1979 when we started as a wicker furniture company.  Since then, we have moved on to the use of rattan, bamboo, woven grasses and wood from certified forests. So, we’ve been “green” for almost 30 years!

In fact, the only things we originally provided that were not totally “green” were our polyfoam cushions and some of our finishing materials.  But now, we are using cushions that are made of reusable “green” materials and we are constantly looking at “greener” finishing products and processes.

As science begins to catch up with the demand for totally “green” products, I can assure you David Francis will remain in the forefront by providing you with the highest quality, renewable products on the market. 

Going “green” is not a new trend for David Francis Furniture, but it's the way we have been conducting our business since it began in 1979!

I just got back from our first showing at HD Expo in Las Vegas, a huge expo and conference with thousands of hospitality buyers. Since I had no idea what to expect, we decided to go small with a 10’ X 10’ booth in the “new exhibitor” section of the first floor.

We were among every product imaginable in regards to the hospitality design trade – linens, bath products, lighting, accessories, technology, artwork and furniture!

After seeing our competitors’ products, quality and design, I felt more than ever that we have a tremendous opportunity to fill a specific need. Whereas our prices may not be as low as some, our quality, finishing and upholstery is unmatched. I also believe that our quantity pricing is extremely competitive and will stand up to a side-by-side comparison with any other high-end manufacturer.

The recognition and positive feedback we received during our maiden voyage at HD Expo has energized us more than ever to be the very best at what we do.

So, I return from HD Expo feeling good about our commitment to bringing the hospitality design community the finest products, the highest quality designs and the best service.

We look forward to exhibiting again at the 2009 HD Expo, with a bigger and better booth and more visibility.