Three Tips For Furnishing Your Small Business

Studies show that the most popular definitions of a happy home are a space where you feel secure (69 percent), a place for relaxation (64 percent) and a space where you can be free to be yourself (57 percent). When it comes to making a home feel like a home, U.S. consumers are willing to spent more than $2,000 on a living room decoration.

The same thing can be true of a small business such as a boutique. The interior design industry generates $10 billion annually as homeowners and business owners look for ways to spruce up their homes and businesses.

A big part of that interior design is furniture. In fact, furniture and home furnishing stores generated more than $106 billion worth of sales in 2015. Whether you’re looking for a comfy couch for your living room, boutique furniture to add some character to your business or vintage furniture for a home or business office, there are plenty of options available.

Furniture is typically the third most expensive thing people buy after a home and a car and when buying furniture, people look at five key qualities.

  • Durability
  • The look
  • Quality
  • Comfort
  • Cost

If those qualities are met, Americans have shown a willingness to spend money, whether they’re buying vintage furniture, outdoor furniture or boutique furniture. Vintage furniture is popular among U.S. consumers and a Furniture Today survey found 57 percent of customers have a preference for vintage pieces.

But interest in furniture isn’t just limited to vintage pieces. Americans have shown a preference for buying American, citing high quality. Fifty-nine percent of people surveyed expressed a willingness to buy American and spent up to 20 percent more on American pieces. Those in the market for dining room furniture, boutique furniture or living room furniture can take comfort knowing the U.S. furniture market is led by American organizations.

Depending on your design tastes, a good place to start if you’re redesigning is with a sofa. A Furniture Today survey found that 60 percent of responders design a living room around a sofa. Furthermore, among sofa-buyers 91 percent said quality and durability are very important when they make a purchase; 36 percent of respondents said they expect to keep a new sofa for 5-9 years and some expect to keep it even longer than that.

The advantages of quality furniture in your living room are obvious, not the least of which are durability and comfort. But there are plenty of advantages to having good furniture in a small business as well.

  • People Take You Seriously: Whether you’re looking for boutique furniture, restaurant furniture or patio furniture for a business, it pays to get quality pieces. When a customer comes into a business, it’s up to that business to make a good impression. Having quality vintage pieces at a restaurant or high quality leather chairs or sofas in an office space lets customers know you should be taken seriously. If they take you seriously, that means that trust you and that increases their chances of doing business with you.
  • Good Design: Having quality furniture is important, but maximizing your office space or small business is important too. It’s important to choose furniture that reflects what your business is and arrange it in a way that’s appealing to customers. In a boutique for example, comfortable chairs might offer a way for customers to rest. Other pieces such as shelving could be effective for displaying your store’s products.
  • Keeping Customers: The furniture you pick is what customers are going to see every time they come into your store. It’s a good decision to select furniture that falls in line with the type of customer you want to attract. Upscale furniture for example might attract a more upscale crowd. More causal furniture may attract a more casual clientele. Ultimately the investment you’re willing to put into your furniture sends a signal to a customer that your business is worth their investment and worth their time.

Whether you’re adding furniture to a living room or a business space, there are plenty of options and styles available. When it comes to business, the key is finding quality pieces that reflect what your business does, can be used to effectively display your products and appeal to consumers.