The 2010 Warehouse Sale

Here’s something to be thankful for! On November 26th, Black Friday, we’re having a Smart Furniture Warehouse Sale! Believe us when we say you won’t want to miss this! The Smart Furniture Studio will host the sale in Chattanooga, Tennessee. These are seriously some of the best deals of the year! How do we offer such great prices? We save up all of our returned items or boxes that have been opened throughout the year, and set up shop at our flagship store, the Studio. These sale items do not come with a warranty and all sales are final. Quantities may be limited, so get there early! (The sale starts at 8 a.m. Eastern Time.) We know some of our loyal customers can’t make the drive to Chattanooga the day after Thanksgiving. So we thought we’d offer a little sneak peek! While you’ll have to be present at the Warehouse Sale to shop the majority of these discounted items, we wanted to reward our Facebook fans! Starting today, fans of the Smart Furniture Facebook page can shop a small selection of our Warehouse Sale items at discounted prices BEFORE the actual sale starts on Black Friday! Want access to these great deals now? Check out our Facebook store and "Like" us on Facebook to unlock these deals, because they only last through November 26th!

NEW Embody Chair Video Review

Check out the new Embody Chair Video Review on our website (and YouTube):

We asked the guys at delegator.com to give us a thorough and independent review of the Embody Chair, essentially video versions of the written reviews they've been doing for a while now. They really came through with this one - informative, and accurate. We’re going to start commissioning lots of these video reviews to help our customers choose the right chair for them, and separate the wheat from the chaff. Coming next: Aeron, Nelson Swag Leg, the LCW, the Eames Lounge Chair, Mirra, Setu, and many others.

Your comments are welcome on our youtube page.

You can also watch the videos on our facebook page .

Stressless Grand Opening at the Studio

We’re full of celebrations this week!

On Thursday we’re having a party and a giveaway to mark the grand opening of our new line of Ekornes Stressless Chairs. The event will be at the Smart Furniture Studio (313 Manufacturers Road, Suite 107), and we’ll be serving wine, hors d'oeuvres, and smoked salmon. There’s also going to be a lottery; all you have to do is sign up, and you’ll have a chance to win a brand new Stressless Chair.

This is a truly exciting line of lounge chairs. They move and recline automatically, they read your body to make you more comfortable, and when you sit in them you’re always perfectly balanced. We’ve never sat in a recliner this comfortable, and that’s really saying something.

We hope you come out and enjoy the party with us, and we’d love the opportunity to give away a Stressless! Free food and wine, free party, free chair; what’s not to love? Come see us on Thursday, November 4th.

Celebrate 10 Years with Smart Furniture

If you didn’t already know (and why wouldn’t you?) this month marks Smart Furniture's 10-year anniversary. That’s right, it was ten years ago that a young Stanford Law student by the name of Stephen Culp was hit with the inspiration for our flagship product: Smart Shelves. The idea behind Smart Shelves was to make furniture that put design into the hands of the customer, a concept we called Design On Demand. We wanted to break down the barrier between the company and the customer, and designer and the consumer. Ten years later, we’ve accomplished those goals, and established some new ones. From a single storage facility in California to a warehouse, studio and corporate office in Chattanooga, we’ve come a long way. When we thought about how we wanted to celebrate our big milestone, our thoughts turned to the people who got us where we are, and the people we started this company to serve: You. Our customers took Design On Demand and ran with it, and our customers helped turn us into one of the premier online furniture sellers in the country. Our customers made our partnerships with dealers like Herman Miller and Steelcase successful, and our customers are the reason we opened a studio to sell our products directly. When we think back over ten great years, years that made this company what it is today, we think about how we began, and who we relied on. We began with a revolutionary idea for shelving, and we relied on the intelligence and creativity of our customers. That’s why we want to celebrate both by announcing, beginning November 1st, a 25% off sale on all of our Smart Shelves, still the flagship product of our company. We figure this will give folks who already have the shelves a good opportunity to get a few more, and newbies the chance to get their first set. One more thing, for the people who’ve been with us for ten years: Thank You.

Remember Remember, the 8th of November...

I wanted to reach out to our blog readers and remind everyone that there are only 11 days left in our Blu Dot 20/20 Sale. From now until November 8th, every Blu Dot product you buy from us will be 20% off. Check out the Blu Dot Page on our website, there are lots of beautiful products that would look great in your home, not to mention under a special someone's tree come Christmas! The special someone is me, if you’re confused.

Blu Dot is one of our favorite partners to work with. Their furniture and accessories are ultra-modern and ultra-cool. Don’t let the sale pass you by! Purchase before the 8th of November, and get great value on top of great products. 

10-10-10

One of the most popular and widely seen short films of all time is Powers of Ten (1977), a little movie about proportion and scale by Charles and Ray Eames. Starting with a picnicking couple in Chicago, the camera continuously zooms out to frame an area ten times greater than the one before. It only takes 24 (1024) zooms to extend the view to the limits of the known universe. Then Charles and Ray Eames take the camera in the other direction; we zoom in to the couple on the picnic, eventually shrinking to view the human hand at a sub-atomic level (this time in 16 moves - 10-16). It’s a startling film, and awe-inspiring to boot. Just the technical mastery on display in the special effects is reason enough to see it; it’s often shown in film schools for this reason alone. Powers of Ten has been on permanent display at the Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. for decades, and it’s shown in schools and theaters all across the country to this day. Even if Charles and Ray hadn’t built some of the most important furniture of the 20th century, they would be remembered for making this very cool film.

To celebrate the film, the Eames Office is putting on a series of events across the country on 10/10/10, a unique and uniquely fitting day to re-examine the iconic film.

The Powers of Ten movie is available for purchase at Smart Furniture Studio, right here in Chattanooga Tennessee.

Setting SAYL with Yves Behar

We first noticed Yves Behar during our trip to NeoCon this summer.

He was the keynote speaker, and talked a lot about the relationship between the designer and the buyer. He said that while the designer has to follow his own vision, and make something that works on a creative level, they also have a social responsibility to use technology and engineering to provide buyers with the most functional product possible. An eye-catching recycling bin project is useless if the bins aren’t easy to use, and a beautiful chair isn’t worth much if it’s not comfortable and supportive (preaching to the choir). The speech was about bridging the gap between personal expression and usefulness, enjoyment, and responsibility. Since Smart Furniture is all about putting parts of the creative process and design in the hands of our customers, we knew Behar was a man to watch. We even had the foresight to get our picture taken with him!


And boy, did he ever come through. Today marks the release of Behar’s newest design, which just happens to be a Herman Miller chair. It’s called SAYL, and it’s absolutely breathtaking.



The original concept for the chair was suspension bridge (Natch - Behar works in San Fransisco), and you can see how he executed that in the back of the chair. But not until you sit in it do you get the full impact; this is a very comfortable chair. The suspension bridge look is also suspension bridge engineering; the Y along the back of the chair is anchored at the top and bottom of the seat and seat back, and it creates just the right amount of tension to keep your back healthy and happy. Behar put his money where his mouth was at NeoCon, and the result is truly a thing of beauty. We’re really excited to be selling it at Smart Furniture. (Full disclosure: When you order this chair, because Herman Miller is just releasing it and kind of keeping it under wraps, it won’t arrive until February. Trust us though, it’s worth the wait.)

The design doesn't stop with suspension, though. Like the Setu Chair before it, this is a Herman Miller chair focused on using the least amount of material possible. In a way it’s a challenge; can you build a comfortable chair with no stuffing and padding, plenty of space in the seat back, lightweight materials, and a slight profile? Yves Behar can. The lack of material makes this a great chair for folks who care about the environment, and that’s one more way Behar was able to fulfill his social responsibilities while at the same time stretching his considerable creative muscles. In a way the chair reminded me of the Lars von Trier film The Five Obstructions, where a celebrated short filmmaker was challenged to re-make his film 5 times, each time with severe restrictions and, well, obstructions (no shot could last longer than half a second, it had to be animated, it had to be filmed in another country with a pitiful budget and poverty-stricken natives, etc.) In the end these restrictions only allowed the filmmaker’s creativity to fully blossom. Because he couldn’t rely on what he knew would work he had to break the mold and forge a new path. And the SAYL Chair is the result of a remarkably similar design exercise.

We’re really proud to offer our customers this chair; it’s one of a kind, and at $399, it’s an absolute steal.

The Knoll Sale Ends Tonight at Midnight

Design Milk and Smart Furniture

This past month Smart Furniture has been partnering with Design Milk for their 2010 Reader Survey.  
If you’re a fan of Design Milk, like we are, check out their survey, and help them learn a little more about their readers.  You can fill out the survey until Sunday, October 3rd at midnight.  What’s in it for you, you ask?  One lucky person who fills out the survey will be chosen at random to win a $500 gift card to SmartFurniture.com!

The Cherner Chair Company

As the Smart Furniture Cherner Sale comes to a close tomorrow, we wanted to pay homage to The Cherner Chair Company and its rich design history.  

Best known for its iconic molded plywood furniture, The Cherner Chair Company blends two generations of innovative design to offer the best of both the past and the present.  
Norman Cherner, the man behind the world-famous “Cherner Chair,” is recognized for his work as architect and designer.  While he is celebrated most for his furniture design, Norman Cherner pioneered the way for prefabricated housing in the United States.  He designed, produced, and assembled one of the first prefabricated homes in the country for the U.S. Department of Housing in 1957.  A published author, Cherner studied and taught classes at the Columbia University Fine Arts Department and the Museum of Modern Art in New York while growing his personal practice.

Following in his father’s footsteps, Benjamin Cherner has devoted his career to architecture and design and is expanding upon his father’s legacy.  After hearing repeated requests that his father’s work be reissued, Benjamin teamed up with his brother, Thomas, to form The Cherner Chair Company in 1999.  


The collection of Cherner chairs, stools, and tables today include original designs from Norman Cherner along with new additions from Benjamin.  The company continues to use the same attention to detail found in Norman Cherner’s original work, and all Cherner products are hand assembled with sustainable materials.

The Knoll Annual Sale Begins Now.

Dunking For a Cause

Today, the Smart Furniture team had a unique opportunity. Stephen Culp, founder of Smart Furniture, was put (not without his water wings) in a dunk tank to raise money for the Ronald McDonald House.  

Five Smart Furniture employees turned out to give it their best shot...

...and our persistence paid off!

The day was a huge success!  Not only did Stephen put his swimmies to use, but the event raised over $7,000 for a great cause!

Choosing a Dining Table That’s Right For You

When looking to purchase a dining table for your home, there are a lot of factors to consider.  More than likely, you hope at some point to entertain guests, family, or friends around this table.  We understand you want a beautiful piece of furniture, that fits seamlessly into your space, and comfortably accommodates your dinner guests.  We’ve written this post so you have a handy guide that can walk you through the steps of deciding which table is right for you.  

There are several factors to consider before you buy:

Function:  First let’s talk about the function of your table.  Will this be a table that fits in a larger dining room or a kitchen nook?  Do you want your table to expand to fit any number of guests, and do you have the room for that?

Shape:  Next, what type of table do you prefer?  Round, oval, or rectangular?

Now that you know what you’re looking for, let’s dive into the specifics.  

A standard 47” round table fits 4 people comfortably.  Add just 10” to that, and you can put an additional 2 people around your table.  The great thing about dining tables today, is you can have the best of both worlds, given you have the space to accommodate an expanding table with leaves.  Take the Skovby Round Expanding Dining Table.  This table utilizes 3 leaves that are stored in the tables base.  With a twist of a lever, the table separates and expands to fit your needs in moments.

Skovby Round Expanding Dining Table SM 32

If a smaller round table doesn’t fit your needs or preferences, a rectangular dining table is a suitable alternative.  A 69”-long table can hold 6 people, and if you choose a table that extends with leaves, you can seat up to 8 people comfortably at a 109”-table.

If the above two options - a round or rectangular table holding between 4 and 8 people - doesn’t suit your needs, there are plenty of alternatives.   For example, if you can’t decide between a round or rectangular table, and you’d like the option to seat between 6 and 16 people, there are dining tables for you out there, believe it or not.  The Skovby Oval Expanding Dining Table can transform into a rectangular table, and has several leaves that can hold a crowd - giving you the ultimate flexibility when it comes to hosting your guests.

At Smart Furniture, we understand how important it is to have options that fit your individual needs.  With the introduction of Skovby chairs, tables, and sideboards, we hope to provide you with the options and flexibility to design exactly what you need for your space.  

Studio Trends: September

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Announcing The Ugliest Chair in America Contest Winners!

It's been an exciting month around here with this contest. We've really enjoyed looking at all your submissions (the blow-up chair? Aztec Discomfort? Classic.), and the voting was fast and furious. Over the course of the contest we were able to give out a bunch of gift cards (to runners-up Kim Bailey, Amy Hollis, Drew Burrows, John McDonald, and Toni Woollweever) and condolence prizes, all to deserving, funny, cringe-worthy entries. But, of course, there can only be one winner; only one chair can truly be called the Ugliest Chair in America.

Drum roll please...And the winner of a brand new Stressless Recliner is...

The Chair of Shame, from Jessica Miller!

Jessica’s entry, a ratty, grey, broken down and scuffed up masterpiece, received 1,142 votes and 236 comments on facebook, not to mention a few thousand sympathetic nods of the head. Your living room definitely deserved a Stressless intervention Jessica, and Smart Furniture is excited to make it happen!

And now, the runner up. Please turn down the lights...

Old Pal Stickley, from Becca Friedman!

For her "faded, soiled, scuffed and scarred" antique, Becca will be the recipient of a $500 gift card to Smart Furniture to spend in any way she chooses. Old Pal Stickley received 375 votes and 78 comments on facebook (and a bunch of non-professional antique appraisals!).

Well the contest is over, and it’s been a great ride. Congratulations to our winners, and be sure to stay tuned for more Smart Furniture contests in the future!