Furnish, implementing “client design”

The arrival of Bohdan Myroshnichenko from Chernihiv, the current head of Le-puf Design Group LLC, in the furniture industry turned out to be long and tortuous, so to speak. Apparently, no other company in our Association has undergone so many transformations, unexpected rebirths, reforms as Myroshnichenko’s business project before becoming such a company as it is now.

More than twenty years ago, they started as an advertising agency, which later transformed into a printing house of the same profile, and after a while, there was a sharp turn – in the field of mechanical engineering (machinery for processing wood waste). And eight years ago they became interested in furniture: “in order to diversify the business and the possibility of entering foreign markets.” Then the company received its current name. All this time, furniture in it developed in parallel with mechanical engineering. And only this year he was finally finished – for lack of prospects. The furniture was more promising.

The main feature of this Chernihiv furniture production is an almost different combination of natural wood and metal in furniture products. This choice of furniture is due to quite logical considerations: if and when engaged in mechanical engineering, metalworking equipment and craftsmen of the appropriate profile were used for furniture needs, then why not use them for furniture needs, when they are significantly free?

Although the word “design” is present in the name of the company, there is no high design in its furniture, however, as well as its complete absence. Even Myroshnychenko himself calls it somewhat “negligent”, not complicating it at all, because he knows that such products are in great demand, including exports.

Furniture “Le-puf design groups” (Bogdan notes that this name was chosen arbitrarily and does not oblige), of course, in the category of eco-furniture. Stylistically, they guess such styles as “country”, “retro”, “Provence”. Where there is metal, there is usually a “loft”. We think it will not be offended if we combine all this with the concept of “box style”. And not without reason. The main furniture component of most of the company’s products are modules in the form of containers. By combining their placement in metal frames, furniture products for different purposes are created – shelves-chests of drawers, sideboards, which have a soft top, because they are also designed for sitting, sofas. Of course, modules are not just containers made of boards, but containers stylized under them, which, precisely due to this deliberate “negligence” characteristic of the so-called provincial style, are not devoid of a certain charm. As well as furniture in general. And although they are both structurally simple and stylistically simple, this is what makes them unique, thanks to which they are in demand. All this gives the company grounds to position itself as a Ukrainian manufacturer of stylish furniture.

The furniture in question is mainly intended for use on balconies, verandas, covered terraces, cottages, etc. Can also be operated in bathrooms. When ordering, such use should be noted that the shelves are additionally treated with clear varnish. Free. Of course, the wooden surfaces of such furniture do not require perfect sanding, customers are quite satisfied that pine or poplar is used as a wood material. Of course, thanks to this, they are satisfied with the low price of such furniture.

– The design of our furniture is specific also because, – the head of the company speaks, – that we for the most part realize furniture ideas of clients which they sketch to us. We can say that in this way we are a company that embodies “client design” in furniture because we really implement almost half of the projects for end-users. Such a symbiosis turns out. The client is very impressed that he is the co-creator of the furniture he needs, and we only help him realize his idea.

– Isn’t your company too altruistic, aren’t you “wasting” your products too much, practising free distribution of furniture products? Then you reward someone who guessed how old the company is, then offer as a gift some additional product to someone who will buy you a few items…

– In fact, these are marketing techniques that have a completely commercial purpose: to increase interest in our products. Others with the same purpose resort to seasonal or other conditional discounts, and here we have decided that for potential clients both more weighty, and more pleasant (that will guarantee the highest level of loyalty to the company) will receive not some percent of a discount, and as a gift full, useful for them a piece of furniture, even if it is a fairly simple table or hanger. We can afford such generosity, knowing that the value for the customer of our gift, and hence the growth due to this image of the company, is many times greater and more significant than our cost of its manufacture.