Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

As Jeff and Rich know, I`m an idea person. I`m not a entrepreneur. I`m just the idea person, and I`m posting my ideas in hopes that it will create conversation, create more ideas, and maybe lead to a business for someone. So take my ideas and run with them, please.

This week`s idea came to mind when I noticed how my friend`s dogs were damaging the upholstery on her sofa. I thought "Why doesn`t someone sell furniture that is DESIGNED to be slip covered?"

I`m not referring to the usual One-Size-Fits-All kind of slipcover and I`m not referring to futons. I`m referring to a more revolutionary furniture design idea. What if a sofa could be broken up into a few pieces; each piece to be slip covered with a custom cover; and have locking mechanisms to hold the pieces together and make the pieces easy to reassemble. From the outside, it should look just like a regular sofa. Design the sofa such that it is style neutral and has interchangeable parts. This week I might want big rolled sofa arms. Next week, I might want something more contemporary. Make it possible.

Imagine, it`s early November and your paisley pastel sofa just doesn`t match the holiday season. Besides, your dog`s favorite place is your sofa and he is making sure that your guests won`t find it very welcoming. Unhook the latches that hold the side arms onto the sofa. Put the "holiday" slip covers on the sofa arms, the sofa back, the cushions, and the frame. Re-assemble, by simply slipping the sofa arms back into their locking mechanisms. The end look would appear seamless and it would like it is designed that way.

What do you think?

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Change creates Opportunity Opportunity creates Risk and Reward But, Who creates Change?

Not a good idea. IKEA has tried but the concept is too tacky and it doesn`t look good.
Why am I saying this? well, my father owns a reputable Upholstery shop here in California that caters to the Movie Stars. Some of his customers are: Paul Stanley, Andy Garcia, Madonna, Smokey Robinson, Michael Jackson, Cheech Marin, and I think he also catered to Ronald Reagan.

So I grew up around expensive furniture. The most expensive sofa he has ever designed sold for I think almost $75,000.00. the cheapest $2500.00 for a small chase lounge.
So I know for a fact that it wouldn`t work... at least not the detachable part of the sofa... As for the slip covers, slip covers are very trendy within the Hollywood community. I know people that own 5 pairs that cost about 6 thousand a piece ($54.00 dollars a yard of fabric)
The reason why your idea wouldn`t work is, in order for a sofa to be tailored it needs to be attached, the minute you build it in pieces (to make it detachable) it looses it`s shape, and they don`t look good because when you put it together the edges might not match with each other. Slip Covers and Upholstery is an art.
If you are ever in the Souther California area you can catch some of my father`s designs here: PDC or here MOCA


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Edgar Monroy
Web Developer / Owner / Consultant
When starting your own business the need to "know-how" is greater than money!
http://www.nuevolution.net

I disagree. I think it`s a great idea if all the quirks are ironed out. Why? Well the majority of us aren`t movie stars for one. I think many people would be thrilled with the possibilities of  interchangeable furniture. I also think it could be done in a way that all of the parts (seams, edges, ect) match up. Even if it doesn`t look like art when finished, I`m sure there is a way to make it look tailored. Maybe by using a fabric that is stretchy - but still adding details like the piping around the edges, ect? You`d have to make all of the parts lightweight enough so that one, or two people could easily switch out the parts. If I were single, and it looked like too much of a hassle, I`d pass on it. But, if it were easy enough and you could demonstrate it on one of the home shopping channels - that would be fabu!!

As for the IKEA furniture, I have never seen it up close so I couldn`t say whether or not I think it looks tacky. Online it looks nice enough though:

http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDispla y?topcategoryId=16186&catalogId=10103&storeId=12& ; ;langId=-1&categoryId=15947&cattype=&parentCats= 16186*16188*15947

Edgar - I did look at your father`s designs and they are fantastic - but obviously for a completely different market than the furniture Karen is describing.

People seem to be into modular homes these days, why not modular furniture?

 

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Melissa Yamello
Owner/Designer
Storybook Studio
www.storybookstudio.net

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I think it`s a great idea too - I`d probably be someone in the target market.

I`d never get the thing completely redone, but being able to change the cover as quickly as you can change sheets on the bed ... now I could totally do that!

I too love the idea. It`s a step between those folding foam sectionals of
the 80s and traditional solid furniture. Modular design is very in. Look at
the kinds of designs sold at Design Within Reach. That`s the type of place
that would eat up a furniture concept like this. Or... I can see it on the
low end at Target for the fresh-out-of-college-first-apartment market.

"Damn, my cat clawed up the arm of this couch. Oh well, I`ll go buy
another slipcover for the arm. Or maybe a whole new arm!"

Disclaimer: I don`t have a cat.

It can be done... don`t get me wrong... There are a few of them out there. but there`s too many problems with the design. For example, the locking mechanism would have to be perfected in a way that if a 300 pound person sits on an arm it won`t collapse. That is one of the biggest issues and why no-one in the industry has really pushed the issue.
Secondly, lets take a love seat into example, You would have to bolt / attach the arms in to places. The back and the seat (the platform) you can`t leave the arm just out in the air. There wouldn`t be enough support on the back, it would either crack or in time it would get loose.
In a sofa you only have three pressure / points... the part where the platform and the back meet and where the arms meet. These points have to be fastened securely to give the sofa support and longevity...
It could be done and I know of many companies that have such models.. and to be honest they are not big sellers.
This info is coming from the son of a prestigious Designer ( I grew up around sofas and frames till I was 26. Before I graduated from college that`s what I used to do for a living..


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Edgar Monroy
Web Developer / Owner / Consultant
When starting your own business the need to "know-how" is greater than money!
http://www.nuevolution.net

Whats wrong is the fact you said it was a bad idea. That is the worst way to develop an idea. You are stating this just because the quality of furniture that your father sells might be higher than that of this particular idea. And who really cares who buys his furniture. He might sell one couch for $10,000. She might sell 100,000 couches for $500. Huh, who wins??? Just because someone has tried it doesnt mean it won`t work. This is even more motivation to find that target market. So what I am saying to you. Instead of downing an idea because you are stuck in a paradigm, you might want to think about the past and how companies did the same thing you did. Look at SWISS watch makers, yeah they are great "time pieces" but they lost a great market share a while back when they though just because they were on top that noone could take away from that.

Ok, let me put this in an easier format. OK, here it is CSPURG...
It can be done.. Im not saying it can`t... it has been done.. as a matter a fact it`s already out there detachable arms, reversible cushions, Lazy chairs, lazy lounges.. and so forth. The problem with the design is that it is not sturdy enough to use as your every day couch. It would be more of a SHOW ME OFF BUT DON`T SIT ON ME Sofa.

The elements that are against the perfect detachable sofa design are:
1. Weight
2. Habits
3. The force of gravity.

It doesn`t matter if she sold 100 at 500... 95 of those would either be returned because of accidents or the arms broke...

See the problem is the mechanism. How do you expect to Lock the arms, or what ever you want to lock in place? They are Screwed on [built in for a reason]
The only way I can see it done would be avoiding wood and fabricating the whole sofa out of  "High  Density Foam" with a wire structure in the middle. In other words, they would have to be molded  just like your car seats, and that`s expensive. so she couldn`t sell at $500.00 it would have to be in the 1200`s just to profit.
Another thing she might or would want to do is, use high grade airliner Velcro to hold the arms, back or anything together.




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Edgar Monroy
Web Developer / Owner / Consultant
When starting your own business the need to "know-how" is greater than money!
http://www.nuevolution.net

Nu,

No worries.  The purpose of the original message is to create conversation and lead to new ideas.  I still think that it`s possible, and that is why I said "Furniture DESIGNED to be Slip covered".  I know it won`t sell to everyone, but I think a lot of pet owners and lot of people who thrive on change would appreciate the ability to re-cover their sofa at will.  And for those of us who tend to move a lot, being about to break a sofa into pieces might make is easier to move.

 

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Change creates Opportunity Opportunity creates Risk and Reward But, Who creates Change?

I still say, sign me up when they come out!

We`re still on a bad futon couch because we don`t want to pay for something nicer when it`s only going to get destroyed, between the baby and the pets ...
But I`d pay for something that I can just "spiff up" with a new cover instead of having to replace the whole thing.