Everything You Need To Know About Designing and Selling Furniture, From Wood Shop to Wholesale Fabri
If you're one of the lucky few who not only did well in your high school shop class, but also enjoyed it, you might consider a career making and selling furniture. The most traditional way to go about it is by going to school for art and design, taking science and technology classes as well, and learning a variety of techniques.
If you're going to be spending that much time and money on the process, however, you should make absolute sure that it's something you'll want to keep doing after school. It's hard to know what kind of mindset you'll be in four years from now, but chances are you're not going to be happy with a degree in something you have no interest in pursuing. Try creating a few pieces before you take the dive into school. Start out with something simple, like some small tables or a chair.
You might find during this process that you're actually a complete natural and probably don't even need to bother with school. Keep in mind, though, that designing and making furniture is about more than aesthetics. Math and physics are involved to a great extent as well, which means that it would probably be wise to take at least a few classes, so you don't end up making a couch that will cave in as soon as someone sits on it, or a chair that tips over as soon as the sitter stands up. In the meantime, go ahead and do research on furniture stores in your area. Find out where the owners get the furniture-if they order it wholesale or commission it from local artists. If it's the latter, approach an owner with photos of your own designs and ask if he or she would be interested in selling your pieces in the store for a cut of the profit. If he or she says yes, set up a web site with images of the pieces you've done before and a statement about what kind of furniture you create. Leave your information for the owner to give to potential buyers--they might not be interested in anything in the store, but if they like the style they might want to commission you for something new.
Find a wholesale textile store you like and buy enough fabric for at least 10 pieces of furniture, so you can give potential buyers a choice about what kind of fabric they want used. Choose a variety of fabrics, including those with more traditional patterns as well as modern. If you're getting more business than you anticipated, stock up on the wholesale fabric so you don't have to delay the process. If you eventually find yourself with more than you need, resell it online or to another fabric store.
If you're going to be spending that much time and money on the process, however, you should make absolute sure that it's something you'll want to keep doing after school. It's hard to know what kind of mindset you'll be in four years from now, but chances are you're not going to be happy with a degree in something you have no interest in pursuing. Try creating a few pieces before you take the dive into school. Start out with something simple, like some small tables or a chair.
You might find during this process that you're actually a complete natural and probably don't even need to bother with school. Keep in mind, though, that designing and making furniture is about more than aesthetics. Math and physics are involved to a great extent as well, which means that it would probably be wise to take at least a few classes, so you don't end up making a couch that will cave in as soon as someone sits on it, or a chair that tips over as soon as the sitter stands up. In the meantime, go ahead and do research on furniture stores in your area. Find out where the owners get the furniture-if they order it wholesale or commission it from local artists. If it's the latter, approach an owner with photos of your own designs and ask if he or she would be interested in selling your pieces in the store for a cut of the profit. If he or she says yes, set up a web site with images of the pieces you've done before and a statement about what kind of furniture you create. Leave your information for the owner to give to potential buyers--they might not be interested in anything in the store, but if they like the style they might want to commission you for something new.
Find a wholesale textile store you like and buy enough fabric for at least 10 pieces of furniture, so you can give potential buyers a choice about what kind of fabric they want used. Choose a variety of fabrics, including those with more traditional patterns as well as modern. If you're getting more business than you anticipated, stock up on the wholesale fabric so you don't have to delay the process. If you eventually find yourself with more than you need, resell it online or to another fabric store.
