What do you prefer to see when walking into a furniture showroom?

The Keeping Room is less than 5,000 sf so we have limited floor space. Sarah and I were discussing which is better for customers, what is your input?

1) Have less inventory but have room settings where things are coordinated (sofa/chairs/benches/coffee tables)

2) Have more inventory but lined up and not in any format (which is how we currently do it).

The only way to set up room settings is to reduce stock levels about 20% to "unjam" the furniture and create layouts. Both have their merits, in the lined-up scenario, you can see more items and frames, in the room setting layout you can point to it and say "I like that look, I'll take it".

Let us know!

I'm happy with more inventory and rows of furniture so I can compare. I think that the designer rooms are attractive, but they don't help me as much with the buying decision as seeing lots of different pieces.

I agree, I would rather see more pieces. Is it completly a one or the other choice though? I think it might be fun to have one small "room" setup and change pieces out to show different combinations occasionally. Maybe highlight a new show piece that has come in, etc. Save the rest of the space for as many pieces as you can fit. Maybe that isn't doable or would be too much work. But I think if you have a piece that has not been as popular as you thought it would be for instance, due to color or some other reason, seeing it in a room setting might help someone picture how it could work in their home that they otherwise might not have thought of on their own. Just a thought. If it does have to be one or another, I prefer to see more pieces and sit in more pieces.

I like to see more pieces also but I also like to see accessories. Tables with lamps and knicknacks. Sofas with pillows and maybe a throw. That helps me get ideas and visualize.

Another vote for more pieces. With all the different leathers, nail heads, customization programs, etc available from premium suppliers I think the more items you physically show the greater the advantage.

Personally, I prefer to see a greater variety of leathers (especially non-protected) as that is sorely lacking in most stores. Additionally, there are so many models within the catalogs...seeing them in person and being able to sit in them is invaluable. However, with Sarah moving into the professional interior designing space, it may be beneficial to have more space dedicated to her being able to show her vision of what to do with the furniture in a room. Just my 2 cents and certainly I have no business experience.

More pieces++

Thanks for the feedback....More pieces it is!

I like to see more rows of furniture but it's easier when everything is easy to find and not spread all over the store. There should be a floor plan so you know where each specific section is.

Noted, but not something we can do because the store floor plan is like a giant puzzle. When a sofa comes in, it has to go into available space which is currently occupied by two chairs. Then the two chairs have to go somewhere, so they shift into a spot occupied by a smaller console, and that console then has to be moved to a spot. To bring in a single sofa is usually moving six to seven pieces and takes an hour!

The most frequent complaint i have seen on this forum is peoples inability to find the pieces to look at and sit in. Some are willing to go a good distance to do so.

My preference is to see a more variety of chairs rather than online. Basically in the online store, they must be eye caches but in the store, we can feel and experience the comfort.