Design
Joe Noonan, CEO
Homepsun Design
any one piece that’s more popular
than the rest. “We’re actually not
seeing a significant concentration on
any one or two pieces. Our midcentury furniture, such as the Asher
Collection by Spectra Wood, is doing
well for us, but so are classic pieces
from Vermont Furniture Designs and
Cherry Pond Fine Furniture.”
The claim to be American made is
important to Homespun Design.
“First, we believe in the quality of
the products and also, there is a
great story to tell here. We’re not
wrapping ourselves in the American
ag, but supporting merican
manufacturing jobs is a great
secondary benefit of partnering with
highly skilled, domestic furniture
makers. nother benefit that we feel
strongly about is the environmental
impact of our offering versus others
and that has many components. First,
our products are mainly solid wood
and built to last for generations,
whereas lowered priced RTA (readyto-assemble) furniture is bound for
the landfill within three to five years
in most cases. Second, many of our
makers aim to source lumber and
most components locally, so the
carbon footprint is dramatically
smaller, because you’re not shipping
containers of lumber overseas and
then shipping containers of furniture
back this way. Third, as I’ve
mentioned, our makers source lumber
from sustainably harvested forests,
and many of our makers are members
of the Sustainable Furnishings
Council (as is Homespun Design),
which promotes sustainable
practices within the furniture
industry. Some overseas
manufacturers are less concerned
with sustainability, and that’s
re ected in the rampant
deforestation we’re seeing in
Southeast Asia and Latin America.”
underrepresented online. It’s a niche
we were thrilled to fill.” nd so they
do. Joe’s seventeen wood-makers
provide a variety of products for the
bedroom, dining or living room, with
wood choices such as maple, walnut,
cherry or oak. If you’re looking
for more custom, they provide
customization options on everything
from finish, type of, and scale of the
furniture to suit the needs of your
Running an online luxury furniture
retail store isn’t easy. Joe was an
executive at Wayfair, and he has the
experience that is leading Homespun
down the path towards success. He
was head of international affairs,
doing business with Europe,
Australia and Canada. Homespun
differs from other online furniture
hubs, in their customer service and
delivery methods. Homespun focuses
on the individual through one site,
as opposed to other retailers with
multiple. Currently, they only ship
their pieces in the continental
United States, as shipping costs
w ould be impractical for customers,
but Joe hopes to change this within
the next year or so. “Unlike
marketplace models that leave
own space.
Joe attributes his company’s
uniqueness to its focus: “high end,
bench-crafted furniture.” Homespun
Design is not limited to one style of
furniture. Styles range from midcentury, cottage, industrial,
reclaimed to traditional. Because
they create pieces that are geared
towards the individual, there’s not
93
customer service and logistics up to
individual sellers, we don’t work on
a fixed portion of the retail price.
Along with ensuring we’re able to
invest in premium custom service
and delivery, one of the key
considerations in pricing for us is
where our makers’ brick and mortar
partners price the products. We
want to offer fair value to the
customer while not undercutting the
stores, many of which are single
shop operations that have partnered
with our makers for many years. We
want to earn our customers’ business
because we have an unparalleled
selection of high quality, beautiful
furniture, not because they found
it in a store and can get it cheaper
from us.”
Talent of the makers is critical to
the success of Homespun Design.
They follow detailed principles when
choosing whom to hire, “ he first
criteria is that they’re making
beautiful, unique furniture here
in America. We’re also looking for
makers who have a compelling story
– why they’re making furniture, how
long they’ve been at it, and why
they’ve decided to maintain
production here as opposed to
shifting offshore. Lastly, we re
looking for makers who share our
appreciation for the environment.
That can mean a lot of things –
where they source their lumber,
both in terms of proximity to their
workshop as well as whether it’s
sustainably harvested. Many of our
makers reinforce that commitment
by using eco friendly finishing
materials, powering their factories
with alternative energy sources,
such as solar, and even by donating
their sawdust to local farms.”
Homespun Design standards are high.
They are choosy on the makers they
work with. “Our plan is to maintain
a fairly curated offering, with a high
bar for the makers we work with.
That said, we do have plans to
expand from the current set of
about a dozen makers to 20-25 by
the end of 2014.” With this addition
to his crew, Joe intends to increase
their product line to include
upholstered pieces and decorative
accents for the home in 2015.
Here is a look at three of
Homespun Design’s makers
and some of their work and
personalities:
Company: Goebel & Company
Maker: Martin Goebel
Martin Goebel, founder of Goebel &
Company, operates out of St. Louis,