WORKING FROM HOME IS WORKING FOR BRANDS
Once it became clear that the two-week shutdown of most U.S. cities was going to be extended essentially indefinitely, Americans started realizing that months spent working from the couch was not going to cut it. Since the stay-at-home orders began trickling in last month, furniture companies like Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams have reported an uptick in home office furniture sales, evidence that people are looking to make the most of their new work-from-home reality.
John Christakos, the founder and CEO of Blu Dot, says that office furniture has traditionally been a “sleepy” category for the Minneapolis-based brand. “It’s not an area we’ve put a ton of focus on in the past, but we do have a nice assortment of desks, chairs and lamps,” he says. “The sales of our desks are up about four or five times from their normal rate. We only have a few desk chairs, but seating across the board is up by two or three times. We saw a definite shift right away.”
Office spaces require a unique balance of form and function. In March, 1stdibs saw a 15 percent increase in the office category compared to the same month last year. “What seems like a lifetime ago, most of us didn’t pay nearly enough attention to our workspaces,” says Anthony Barzilay Freund, editorial director at 1stdibs.
Outside of traditional retail, subscription furniture companies Feather and Fernish have both seen an increase in desk, lamp and chair rentals. Jay Reno, founder and CEO of Feather, reports a spike in items like shelving and even a demand for whiteboards. “It’s been helpful for us as we’re navigating this downturn, because our typical customer is someone who has just moved, and no one is really moving right now.”
Both brands have seen a mix of new customer sign-ups and existing customers adjusting what they rent. “This crisis is pretty acutely demonstrating the value that a furniture subscription service provides,” says Reno. “Instead of buying and committing to a desk that you may not need when you go back to your office, you can go through us and have it for as long as you need. No one knows how long this is going to go on, so having a level of flexibility is really helpful for our customers.”
In addition to home office furniture, Fernish has seen an increase in rentals of pillows and decorative accessories like mirrors and wall art. “When you’re spending so much time at home, and particularly with everyone having to do Zoom calls and show people what your space looks like, people are more conscious of what energy they’re giving off,” says Fernish co-founder Michael Barlow. “People are spending on their homes right now.”