Customer Creation: Box-Pleat Beauty
Posted by Brad | Filed under wing chairs, decorating, dining chairs
We frequently have customers that like to take one of our styles and make it their own. It's something that we encourage. As I was going through the inspection area the other day this pair of chairs caught my eye.
The first thing that popped into my head was that it was a terrific idea to use small wing chairs at the end of a table with complementary, but stylistically different side chairs. As I pulled them aside to get a better look I noticed that neither chair is a standard style that we make. The side chairs are based upon the Rolled Back Dining Chair with Half Skirt. However there are a lot of small changes that really make it a totally new chair. First of all it has a camel back instead of the rolled style. It also keeps the short skirt, revealing the finished legs but the skirt is a box-pleat as an alternative to the kick-pleat skirt. Finally, the tapered legs of the original style have been replaced with Chippendale type.
The end chairs get a similar treatment. Once again the customer started with a Danbury Parsons Wing Chair, but requested some alterations. The Crescent back of the Danbury was substituted for a camel back and the kick-pleat skirt was replaced with a box-pleat for a perfect match of the side chairs.
While there is no way for us to allow this level of customization on our web site, we encourage you to call us with any changes you'd like to make. In most cases we can accommodate the request. Call one of our design consultants (828.396.1049) for more information or to get a quote.
Our Top 5 Resolutions for the New Year
Posted by Brad | Filed under news
Quite a few people set resolutions for the New Year. I'm one of them. Resolutions shouldn't just be for people--they can be a great motivator for companies as well. Businesses that want to keep their doors open should always set goals, but resolutions are a little different. Goals are often concrete: loose 10 pounds, save $5000 or increase profits 7%. Resolutions on the other hand can be measurable, but are often more open-ended steering you in a new direction that may not have a measurable result. You tend to see resolutions like: loose weight, be kind to strangers or exercise more.Towards the end of every year I set goals for the upcoming year. This year I made a separate list of resolutions and since most all of them directly involve our customers I thought I might as well share them.
- Offer a wider variety of home furnishings. We have great customers and I get a lot of letters from them letting me know how happy they are with their purchase. Unfortunately, once they have their dining chairs we really don't have a lot of other furniture to offer. I get people telling me that they would buy just about anything that we would make and I want to give them the opportunity.
- Communicate better. We do a pretty good job now especially pre-sale and during shipping. Where I see room for improvement is post-sale. We need to do a better job following up to ensure the customer is happy. I'd also extend this to sending out emails to customers (that opt-in) about new products that are in the pipeline. I also want to blog more. I've been lax about this lately, especially considering all the great stuff that our customers are doing.
- Ask customers what they want. Most businesses have products that they offer customers. I think this is the wrong way to go about this. We want to make what you want, so you don't have to make compromises in your decorating.
- Make our web site more customer-centered. I personally think that we have a great site, but nothing is perfect. I want to customers to have the information at hand when they need it. This is a hard thing to do because you can overload people with too much. The best way to deal with this is showing the customer information based on where they are in the buying process.
- Offer customers a voice through services such as Facebook, Twitter and Flickr. Our customers have great things to say and they often want to share their experiences or show what they have done. Social networking is the best way to do this and we are going to commit a lot of energy to it. It also opens us up to criticism, but it also keeps us honest and our feet to the fire.
I hope this gives you some kind of idea what we are looking to do in 2010. As I've already mentioned, our business revolves around you and we want to hear what you want. Feel free to leave a comment here or send me an email at brad@carringtoncourtdirect.com.
Have a great 2010!
Brad Haas
President Carrington Court Direct
It's Crunch Time - A Look At Fulfilling Christmas Orders
Posted by Brad | Filed under fabric, Christmas, shipping
The holiday season is always our busiest time of year. A good portion of our business comes between September and December. Building furniture is a complicated matter, especially when you have dozens of styles and over 200 fabrics. We can only really make an educated guess as to what particular combinations will be popular. One of the key aspects that we focus on is making sure we don't promise something that we cannot deliver and as the Christmas approaches this can become next to impossible.
You'd think in this day and age that computers could automate much of this, but as we've learned over the years that only human ingenuity will do. Luckily, the staff at Carrington Court have become experts in what I like to call "fire fighting." Most customers will never know the lengths that these people go through to get their orders to them on time. I'm truly grateful that we have people that will go the extra mile.
Most of what we face has very little to do with production (the actual building of furniture). With the necessary materials on hand we can get most orders built in a day or two. What causes us the most headaches is ensuring we have all the pieces. Consider this: we have many different styles of frames and our fabrics come from over a half dozen manufacturers. Add to this the vagaries of shipping and it is pretty easy to see where things can fall apart.
Our number one hurdle is usually fabric. We try to keep everything in stock, but in reality this is very hard to do. There are often long lead times and there are inevitable gaps where we run out of fabric while waiting for the next roll to arrive. Over the last few years the textile industry in the U.S. has suffered tremendously. I can't tell you how many times we get an shipping date on a fabric that gets pushed back and then pushed back again, only to get a notification that the mill has decided to drop it.
At the same time we have a customer patiently waiting for their order, anxiously looking forward to having family or friends over for the holidays. So how do we handle this type of situation? We have to beg, borrow or barter.
To be honest we put a lot of pressure on the mills. It's not like we are a multibillion dollar giant that has a lot of sway, but the squeaky wheel gets the oil. If we exhaust our options with the mill, we try to find other manufacturers that may have ordered the same fabric and try to buy it from them. This takes a lot of leg work, but it is something that we occasionally do. If we hit another dead end, the next step is scouring through retail fabric shops trying to find anything we can. This is something that we don't particularly like to do. It is very time intensive and paying retail prices for fabric will pretty much kill any profit from an order. Our final option is to call the customer and try to move them into another fabric. Once at this step we've often discovered fabrics that are similar to the one ordered and nine times out of ten this is something that the customer has no problems with.
The other problem we run into with holiday deadlines is shipping. We ship by many different sources including FedEx, common carriers and home delivery services. We pick the the fastest, most affordable way to get a particular type of furniture to you. FedEx Home Delivery is often the fastest route and we can reliably estimate the arrival date. Unfortunately, anything larger than a standard sized parsons chair or dining chair is too big to ship. The weather can play havoc on FedEx. A snow storm can delay a shipment a day or two and at Christmastime this may be a day too long. Home delivery services are frequently used for oversize items or very large orders. These services have a longer transit time than FedEx and we can never be sure exactly when a truck will be in a customers area.
The closer we come to Christmas, the more we must focus on shipping. When using FedEx, we always build in a day or two extra time in transit just in case there is a delay. With home delivery services we work closely with the shipper to ensure that the customers order gets on a truck in time to be delivered. Frequently this means one of our employees loading up their SUV or pick-up and rushing down to the shipping company to get on the "last truck out." One other option that we use is common carriers. They are fast like FedEx, but only offer curbside service, unlike a home delivery company. Using a common carrier takes a lot of research. You have to find one that actually ships to an area where the customer lives. In addition not all do residential deliveries. On top of that, pricing a transit times vary greatly.
Carrington Court has been selling directly to the public from our website since 1997 (in business since 1984). With each passing year we get better at this complicated ballet. While no year goes off without a hitch, we will continue to do everything possible to make our customers experience as smooth as possible. I know that some may not be interested in knowing what goes on behind the scenes, but I just wanted to take the time to acknowledge and thank all of our team for their hard work.
Holiday Slipcovers - Decorate More Than Your Tree This Season
Posted by Brad | Filed under Christmas, Thanksgiving, slipcovers
I have to admit this is my favorite time of year. There's nothing better than the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Parades, parties and getting together with family. One thing I always look forward to is putting up the holiday decorations. It's even more special now that I have kids.
September through the end of the year is the busiest time at Carrington Court. Everyone's ordering new furniture in time for the inevitable get-togethers that happen in November and December. It is essentially a part of the holiday decorating process. Let's face it--these holidays are focused around eating, so your dining room will be the one place that receives the most attention from family and friends. We put a lot of thought into ways that we could make your dining experience more festive and we came up with a line of holiday specific slipcovers.
Nicholas Holiday Slipcover
Slipcovers turn out to be a very good fit (no pun intended) for this time of year. First of all, they allow you to give your dining room a more festive look without being stuck with it year round. You put them on in November and take them off in January. Slipcovers also offer protection to the chairs underneath. Cranberries and gravy tend to be less ominous when in the worst case scenario you end up replacing a slipcover rather than an entire chair. Finally, slipcovers are an option for those who purchased chairs in the past that are still perfectly good but would like to change up the look.
This Christmas we are offering two very similar styles with one major difference. Both slipcovers have a simple, pleated skirt and are offered in a festive red fabric with gold accents. The only difference: the Noel Slipcover features a screen printed wreath on the back and the Nicholas Slipcover does not.
These slipcovers are available for most side chairs in our line. We are excited about offering something especially for the holidays. In the future we are considering adding more seasonal pieces throughout the year, so keep an eye on this space for more announcements. As always, if you have any questions about purchasing slipcovers, feel free to call us (828.396.1049) or send email to info@carringtoncourtdirect.com.
Happy Holidays!
Some Modern Additions
Posted by Brad | Filed under news, dining chairs
One thing we are working on is to offer more selection in our line. Although we have some contemporary designs, we've tended to lean toward more traditional styles. This is not to say that you could not get a modern feel from a traditional chair. Just by selecting the right fabric a chair could look either traditional or contemporary. For example, a dining chair with a toile on it would look very different than one with bold colors and geometric shapes.
Several customers have suggested styles they would like to see and these week introduced two new chairs with a nod to the modern. The first is the Modesto Dining Chair. It is really a departure from our past products. The flared, concave back sets this one apart from the rest of our line.
The other new chair (Fresno Dining Chair) has many of the great features of contemporary designs. It is very symmetrical with a short back and crisp lines. The linear layout is broken by a single large button on the in-back. I really love the look of this chair. I'm not sure what it is, but I'm reminded of a freshly pressed pair of pants with its nice, straight creases.
Of course, we will be introducing even more news styles in the future. As always we want to here from you with any suggestions.
Slipcovers - Change the Look of Your Dining Room Without Spending a Lot of Money
Posted by Brad | Filed under news, tips, slipcovers
The holidays are coming up and I know many of you would like to redecorate before having friends and family over. Of course this is easier said than done, especially during a recession. Even if you have the money you may be reluctant to part with it.
We think we have a solution that will allow you to dramatically alter the look of your dining and parsons chairs without costing you a fortune. What am I talking about? Slipcovers. We have added five new slipcover styles to our line and there are more to come.
At the very least, a slipcover allows you to change the look of a chair by permitting you to change the fabric without going to the expense of buying an entirely new chair. Slipcovers can also dramatically change the look of a chair. For example you might go from unskirted to skirted. You may want to have one color on your chairs for fall and winter and then take the slipcover off for spring and summer. A slipcover offers a lot of flexibility and since they are relatively affordable, you can get multiple sets to change the look as often as you like.
Slipcovers may not be for everyone. Although they are tailored to the chairs we offer, you won't get the crisp look of an upholstered chair. However, I have to admit they can really come in handy. My family uses slipcovers in our breakfast room. With two cats and two children they are more of a shield than anything else. If we get food or cat hair on them, we can just take them off for a cleaning. And when company comes, we take off the slipcovers and have pristine chairs to display for those special occasions.
Designer Magan Toth Discusses Inspiration for Greenwich Parsons Chair
Posted by Brad | Filed under decorating, dining chairs, parsons chairs
We frequently work with designers and many go the extra step to get exactly what they envision for their clients. Designer Magan Toth had a picture in her mind of the perfect chairs for a client's breakfast nook in Boones Mill, Virginia. Since Magan was the inspiration for the Greenwich Parsons Wing Chair, we wanted to find out what exactly led her to this design and give credit where credit is due.
I first contacted Carrington Court about the possibility of collaborating on a dining chair that I had been envisioning for a client in Boones Mill, Virginia. I was specifically seeking a set of chairs for a kitchen breakfast nook that were both refined and lightly formal, yet modern and bold. Parsons chairs proved to be too narrow and ordinary for the space, and a classic wing chair was too traditional and boxy. So, after discussing the specific requirements I had for the chair, Carrington custom built what is now their 'Greenwich Parsons Wing Chair.'
What I adore about this chair is that it is a modern combination of a classic wing chair and a parsons chair. The shallow wings on a widened parsons chair make for an inviting, substantial, and more proportional seat. This shape, in addition to a shortened skirt, is made with just the right combination of classic and modern lines. I completed this chair design with an oversized floral patterned fabric and contrast piping to create a bold statement in the room and to enhance the backdrop of the chair's oversized back.
The result was a wonderful chair that I was fortunate enough to see added to Carrington's permanent collection. I appreciate the exquisite quality of construction, pattern matching, and overall care that Carrington extended to this collaboration. This has surely been a valuable experience and opportunity, and I would like to thank Brad and Tricia Haas for making my client the first to have this chair in their home.
We frequently do modifications to our styles, but it is rare for one to actually make it into our line. Once we saw Magan's completed design we were in love. I can't tell you how many employees commented on how great this chair turned out. Of course we wanted to share it with the world and The Greenwich Parsons Wing Chair was born.
It takes a lot of hard work, experience and training to get where Ms. Toth is today. She is a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University with a degree in Interior Design. She has over 10 years of professional experiences in both residential and commercial projects. Prior to owning her own firm, she worked for several award-winning architecture firms in the mid-east including Glave & Holmes Associates in Richmond, Virginia, and Bizios Architect in Durham, North Carolina.
Magan has taken her experience to a new level and founded the interior design firm, Nested Interiors, in Durham, NC. Her design interests and interior environments reference an eclectic range of designs trends, history, and collectibles. Aside from the standard array of professional interior design services, she says that Nested Interiors focuses on creating custom interior environments that are personal, livable, and accessible.
If you'd like learn more about Magan and Nested Interiors check out the following links:
http://www.nestedinteriors.com
http://nestedinteriors.blogspot.com
5 Ways to Extend the Life of Your Upholstered Furniture
Posted by Brad | Filed under fabric, care, cleaning
I was visiting our production manager's home the other day where I found him restoring an antique chair. It wasn't a big job--nothing that couldn't be take care of with some wood stain and fabric. This got me to thinking about just how long a piece of modern furniture will last.
A well constructed piece of upholstered furniture will last decades. If you think about all the materials that go into the construction of a chair or sofa there is not a lot that will degrade quickly. Wood frames, steel springs and foam cushions will last longer than most people. Relatively speaking, the fabric is the only part that has potential to wear out quickly. No mater how heavy the material, upholstery fabric is subjected to a lot. I'm not talking about stains and spills, but the constant friction generated when a person sits. Being a woven material, it is bound to eventually fray and break down.
That's not necessarily a bad thing. Fabric fashions come and go just like clothing. So if you take steps to care for your upholstery, you'll be able to make it last until you tire of it and are ready to have it replaced or reupholstered. Here are five ways to prolong the life of your furniture:
- Vacuuming - Most people vacuum their floors, but rarely do their upholstery. It's a good idea to vacuum your fabric covered furniture once per week. This removes surface dust and dirt before it becomes embedded in the fibers. It also decreases wear from the "sandpaper effect" which occurs from friction between the body, dust and the fabric.
- Turning Cushions - If your sofa, love seat or chair has loose cushions, flip them on a regular basis. This will allow the fabric to wear evenly and keep the piece looking newer for a longer period of time.
- Avoid the Sun - The UV rays of the sun are just as damaging to fabrics and finishes as they are to skin. Keep upholstery out of direct sunlight when possible. If you can't keep it out of the sun be sure to use blinds, shades, curtains or have the windows treated to block UV radiation.
- Use All of Your Furniture - I'm sure that in almost every room there is one piece of furniture that gets used the most. You have a living room that may be filled with many different types of furniture and the only piece that ever gets any use is the sofa. Make a habit of sitting in the less frequently used furnishings. The same goes for the dining room. If you always sit in the same couple of chairs rotate the chairs around occasionally. You can still keep the same spot--just use a different chair.
- Consider Fabric Protection - Fabric protection can be a life saver, but don't rely upon it solely. It will help block absorption and ease the removal of stains, but it's not an invincible plastic cover. You may especially want consider fabric protection on light colored natural fabrics, but it is probably unnecessary for dark fabrics made from synthetic materials. Ultrasuedes and microfibers are particularly stain resistant and may not need any additional protection.
Following these guidelines will help you get the most from your upholstery. As I said before, fabric will eventually wear out. It is inevitable fact of nature, but how much life you get from it is up to you.
One last thing I'd like to mention--before you clean any stains or dirt from fabric be sure to look up the cleaning code. Every fabric on our site has a cleaning code and it explains the best treatment to use. Some fabrics can be cleaned with soap and water, others need solvent based cleaners while a few can only be professional cleaned. If you use the wrong cleaner serious damage could occur such as fading. As always, if you ever have any questions about cleaning upholstery from Carrington Court feel free to call one of our design consultants (828.396.1049) and they'll be more than happy to assist you.
The Myth of Free Shipping
Posted by Brad | Filed under wing chairs, shipping, tips
What is it about the "idea" of free shipping that is so attractive. I, myself have been lured by this phrase many times. But how can this be? UPS, FedEx and the USPS don't work for free. Does it really matter? At least we're saving some money.
A retailer throwing in the cost of shipping as an incentive for buying their product is believable enough. For instance, on Amazon.com if you spend over $25 you often are eligible for free standard shipping. Since a lot of the items that Amazon sells is books, CDs and DVDs one could see how eating a dollar or two is possible--especially since Amazon is such a huge seller. It's not like they are paying the same shipping rates as the average Joe on the streets. They get deep discounts and they play the averages to know that in the end, they won't lose money.
Where you should be suspicious about free shipping is on large or heavy items. Things like refrigerators, tires, auto parts, big screen TVs and furniture are extremely expensive to ship. It doesn't matter how large the company selling these items is. They are not going to be able to negotiate the price down enough with the carrier to give away free shipping. The cost is going to have to be made up somewhere.
So, how do retailers offer free shipping on these larger items. There are several ways, but here are the most common methods:
- They hide the actually cost of shipping in the price of the item. This is an especially effective tactic on expensive items. For example, let's say that a big screen TV is priced at $3000. The retailer may pay something like $2500 for it. If the big box retailer is a big shipper, they may be able to negotiate a shipping rate of $150. So they offer "free" shipping to spur interest. In the end the retailer is still making $350 and has probably charged a higher retail price to cover those charges.
- Another particularly effective method is the use of "standard" shipping. Let's take the example of the big screen TV again. The retailer may offer this TV for $2700 with a cost of $2550. Once again the actual cost of shipping is $150. Of course if they offer free shipping, they won't make any money. So how can they do it? They offer free "standard" shipping. The customer is told that the order may take 2 to 4 weeks for delivery, but if they wish to receive it within the next few days they can use an expedited shipping method and the cost will be $200. Of course many customers will be anxious to get that new TV so will go ahead and pay the extra shipping charge. The retailer actually makes an extra $50 on the transaction and this helps defray the costs of the customers that accept the free method. It's just a matter of averages.
This same principles apply to low cost shipping. The lesson here is that shipping is always charged and you may not see it. Once again, you may think, "big deal, at least I'm saving money one way or another." The problem with this mindset is that the true cost of the product is hidden. Let me give one more example to illustrate my point, this time from an industry that I'm more than familiar with: furniture.
Furniture Co. offers a wing chair for $450 with free shipping. The chair price is a steal in itself, but free shipping takes the cake. Now lets say that shipping the chair costs $200, which is not an unreasonable amount. That would put the cost at $250. Now think about this for a second. A wing chair for $250. Is this a rational price? Think about the cost of manufacturing. In that price is the fabric, frame, springs, cushions, finishing, upholstery, sewing and all the other parts and labor in addition to the profit to be made. Can you really make a quality chair for this price? One other thing to consider is that if this is sold retail (not direct from the manufacturer) there is a 30% - 50% markup.
I'm a strong advocate to showing customers the true price. That is one reason why Carrington Court breaks out the shipping price. We want you to understand that we are not hiding anything. Along those same lines we don't treat shipping as a profit center. Our goal is to break even on shipping. There are times that we lose a couple of dollars on shipping, but we never overcharge. We're in the furniture business not the freight business.
There's a lot more to be said about shipping. I know some may think this is a boring subject, but when you're purchasing furniture, it is a subject that is important to be informed on. I also don't want you to think that everyone offering free shipping is trying to rip you off. There are good deals to be had, but it is in your best interest to reflect on all the costs of your purchase. In the coming weeks I'll be posting an article detailing all the ins-and-outs of furniture delivery, the costs involved and different shipping methods available. Let me know if you have any questions.
Rise to the Occasion With Our New Bar Stool Collection
Posted by Brad | Filed under news, bar stools
A frequent request from customers has always been for bar stools. After all, people frequently want all upholstery in a room coordinated. We've come up with a variety of offerings which should please just about everyone.
In putting together this group we've tried to cover all the bases. We're offering both counter and bar height chairs. So, you get either a 24" or 30" seat height. In addition you can choose from over 200 fabrics or leathers. Finished legs or upholstered--the choice is yours.
Of course these bar stools still must meet the stringent requirements of everything we sell.
- Quality...Quality...Quality
- Affordability.
- Customization.
- Speedy Production & Delivery.
While many of the styles are similar, the details are what make each stool unique. Styles include camel, crescent and rolled backs. Some chairs have full seats, while others have borders. Nailhead trim is available and this option is gorgeous on the leather stool. Another refinement is the brass footrest which provides both protection and a touch of class.
We hope you like what you see. We're always open to suggestions and would love to hear your feedback. You can comment on this post or email us directly (info@carringtoncourtdirect.com) with your ideas and questions. As always, check back often. There is much more to come.