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From Home Furnishing Business

Former Wayfair Exec Launches Homespun Design

September 16, 2014  by in Furniture Retailing, Industry, Internet   

The new venture has curated All-American furniture handcrafted from solid woods--cherry, oak, maple and walnut, in contrast furniture created from recycled sawdust or other less-than-ideal materials on massive assembly lines overseas. Homespun Design features vendors from Vermont, New Hampshire, California, Maine, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin and Georgia with furniture reflecting everything from classic Shaker, traditional, and farmhouse styles to mid-century, modern and contemporary pieces.

“There’s nothing but potential when it comes to the online furniture space. It continues to grow, but didn’t have a site dedicated to the types of elegant items we offer--until now,” said Joe Noonan, Founder/CEO of Homespun Design, Mill Valley, Calif. “That’s a void we’re happy to fill, as one of our missions is to introduce online shoppers to well-crafted furniture that won’t be found at garage sales in five years or littering landfills a decade from now.”

Noonan’s has extensive knowledge of the online furniture space, as he spent several years as an executive at the largest online-only retailer of home goods in the United States, Wayfair.com, which recently filed for a $350 million initial public offering.

Noonan credits his time at Wayfair for fostering his passion for the furniture business. But instead of trying to offer millions of items across many different price points, Noonan is focusing his energies at Homespun Design only on U.S.-sourced items that reflect the highest quality, construction and durability.

Customers can tailor items to fit their specific needs, and have it delivered with white glove service, with the goal of a first-class, hassle-free experience.

Homespun is starting with the larger pieces--beds, armoires, desks, tables, cabinets and more--as those items usually form the foundation of decorating schemes. In the coming months, Homespun plans to add smaller accessories and accents, as well.

One of Homespun’s vendors, Santiago Mazon, head of operations for Artless Corp., described the new site.

“Homespun offers us, the small, independent and original companies, a platform for exposure and dissemination of our work and our values," he said. "In this digital age, Homespun also attempts to recreate the small town, Main Street effect of direct and personal exchange between the customer, the commercial storefront, and the maker of the goods. It's categorical emphasis on geography and aesthetics goes beyond stylistic norms and transcends into ideological values. Values that can be summed up as ‘we care.’"

With offerings ranging from $99 to $7,500, Homespun debuts with 11 high-end, U.S.-based furniture manufacturers and craftsmen providing heirloom-quality furniture to fit many tastes, with several more launching in the coming months. For some of these makers, HomespunDesign.com’s launch marks their online debut, as other sites didn’t complement or enhance their brands to the degree that Homespun does.

"Homespun is offering a forum which reflects the goals and aesthetic of our company, by reducing clutter (of other sales sites) and highlighting elegance through simplicity,” said Martin Goebel, owner and operations manager of Goebel & Co. Furniture.

Cherry Pond Fine Furniture President Peter Guest descends from six generations of furniture makers.

“We are excited to join your distinguished ensemble of American fine furniture makers," Guest said of the new site. "The quality of your Web site is exceptional, mirroring the passion, pride of craft, and down home American know-how of its members.”

Currently, HomespunDesign.com offers a choice of more than 200 unique, distinguished and often exclusive items for dining rooms, bedrooms and living rooms.

For more information on Homespun Design or to see all of the items available, go to HomespunDesign.com.