ZEELAND, Mich. – Flexibility continues to be a big point of sale in the furniture industry, and Michigan-based Hekman Furniture is capitalizing on it with a new category of product.
The company has launched what it’s calling custom modular cabinetry, or interchangeable wall units that can be configured in a variety of ways and used in different rooms.
“Some customers tell us they want them in their living room, their kitchen, in their home office or even in their closets,” said Jim O’Keefe, Hekman’s vice president of sales.
Unlike typical attached cabinetry, Hekman’s modular cabinets can be easily moved around a home. “They’re very stylish and because it’s all furniture, it’s easy to select, receive, install and enjoy,” he said. “An added benefit is that it doesn’t stay with the home like attached cabinets do. So, the investment the consumer makes will move with them to their next home.”
All cabinets are made at Hekman’s Michigan factory and ship in three weeks. Customers work with in-store designers to create exactly what they want.
“The ease of selection and sliding into place sure beats the complicated process and mess of custom cabinetry, carpentry, and cleanup,” said O’Keefe.
Currently, customers can select from three different cabinet widths, as well as selecting between wood tops or solid surface. Three finishes are offered, as are four door styles (wood and glass being among them), two drawer styles, six choices of hardware, and multiple drawer, door and storage configurations.
“The combinations are extensive and growing,” O’Keefe said. “We are getting lots of excited feedback from the field with requests for additional options.”
The category is a point of optimism for the company, which like much of the industry, is seeing softer sales. “When you have sales reps this excited about something right now, it’s meaningful,” he said. “Reps have to be excited about a product in order to sell it and they are with these cabinets.”
Hekman’s new cabinets launched earlier this year and are available now.
Hekman/Howard Miller employs around 1,500 people at 11 manufacturing and distribution plants around the world. The company offers bedroom, dining, home office, entertainment furniture, as well as a wide range of clocks and other furniture on the Howard Miller side. Howard Miller items ship out of Zeeland, Mich., while most Hekman items ship out of High Point.