Hospitality Interiors speaks to Sam Samuels, MD of Furniture Fusion – one of the UK’s leading independent contract furniture companies – about trends, favourite projects and future aspirations …
Could you tell us a little bit about your background?
I started in the furniture business many moons ago, first of all working in a furniture warehouse that was for a retailer as I was in between jobs. I wanted to work in a recording studio initially, and had worked on a couple of live albums recorded by The Manor Mobile, which was the mobile arm of The Manor studios in Oxfordshire.
It was the early 90s and this retail company started opening branch after branch and I found myself in the showroom one day selling to prospective customers. Talking to people has never been hard for me so I kind of took to it, the next thing I was an area manager for six branches and by the mid 90s I was looking after 30 branches!
How did Furniture Fusion come about?
I was selling reproduction furniture which didn’t really excite me, and dealing with about 70 staff plus the public! The combination of all of this made me think that there must be something else I could do. I always was drawn to working on big deals so the manufacturing arm of where I worked asked me to start a contract division in 1996.
This started with me taking them to Hotelympia in 1996, but I was still selling very traditional furniture and mainly to pubs which was a great introduction to the industry, but perhaps not my ideal career move. In the summer of 1990 I had turned 30 and thought if I don’t do something for myself now then I might never do it, plus I was really keen to sell something that reflected my own tastes and passion. So contemporary furniture and design were the natural course.
Could you tell us a little more about the services Furniture Fusion provides?
Furniture Fusion provides furniture to commercial environments to be succinct. We can produce bespoke pieces, whether they are upholstered or joinery pieces. Our range is big and we are lucky to have a few pieces exclusive to us. We like to turn around quotes very quickly, just knowing how designers are we feel they do like this information turned around super quick. Whether it is chairs, tables, stools, sofas, sofa beds we can offer most items for most environments.
What would you say is Furniture Fusion’s core mantra/ ethos?
Furniture Fusion is dedicated to ideas and innovation. We create effective solutions for a diverse mix of clients including hotels, restaurants, bars, designers and architects.
Our approach to a brief is simple; we listen, we interpret, we deliver. The relationships we build are strong, our clients come to regard us as an integral part of their team. Above all Furniture Fusion enables you to realise your vision.
What has been the biggest challenge the company has faced?
Good question; some days it feels as if we are at saturation point with regards to furniture suppliers, having said that, the idea of that just keeps me on my toes to find better product, to try and create the trends. So I suppose that is turning a negative into a positive.
I guess there was a time it felt like the only chair being sold was a Tolix chair, but that was more of a frustration than a challenge or I guess revert back to my first point.
Do you have a project that you’re particularly proud of?
I would say that is a tricky question as so many projects offer their own unique points that we are proud of, but recently we completed a refurbishment of all hospitality areas at Aston Villa FC. The freedom we were given to suggest was immense and credit to the team at Aston Villa who were clear about where they wanted to go – I felt we interpreted this brief exactly.
It is like going to a tattoo artist and just asking them to draw on you. I read an interview with Roger Walters of Pink Floyd who was discussing the album Wish You Were Here and specifically the artist Storm Thorgerson who was involved in accompanying artwork. He said there is no point getting an artist in to then tell them what to draw/paint. The idea is that you are buying into what that artist can offer or at least interpret from music to art. That idea really resonates with me.
What’s your favourite aspect of the design industry?
I really like the idea of seeing trends work their way say from Milan to seeing product or certain colours make their way into the mainstream. I have always felt that fashion and furniture run sort of parallel, albeit not on the same time line but it is interesting to watch how that evolves.
Have you noted any key shifts in furniture for hospitality environments since the company’s inception?
I think we have been seeing various trends recently including a vintage revival, a retro revival. Colour I suppose is always dynamic. I remember being in The Mercer hotel in New York just before I started Furniture Fusion and getting my first taste of the work of Christian Liagre. It was also the first time I had seen so many pieces in Wenge, there was a run on that too a few years later.
What do you anticipate for the future of hospitality design?
I think you just cannot beat what I call a classic contemporary design. I think if you can furnish an area, whether it be a hotel room or public area, and after say 4/5 years it still looks fresh and current, then any designer has really done a fantastic job. I think there will be more concrete used or woodcrete which I worked with many years ago, as well as nickel coloured metal.
What’s next for Furniture Fusion?
2015 will see us launch a super cool bedroom range, plus we have so many new models that will be launched before the spring. Some of these will actually be previewed on our next newsletter. We have a partnership in Dubai which we are hoping to expand on, after completing various projects for golf courses, shopping centres and restaurants. Our website is about to change so that is exciting as well as we will offer 3D CAD blocks to download which we feel will benefit any designer.
