While functionality is still important, furniture is more fun these days with a variety of color, fabric and style options that make furnishings more fashionable.
“For a young 20-year-old coming out of art school, it was quite boring actually, other than the relationships that I made with people,” said Ashley Jewell Collins, the third-generation owner of Hampton Furniture in Anderson. “It was like a sea of brown. Everything was neutral and it was all about functionality. Consumers cared very little about what it looked like. Today, that has all changed and that makes my job so much more fun.”
Collins gives much of the credit for the way we now approach furnishing our homes to social media. Research shows that home style ideas, wall art and home décor all rank among the top categories on Pinterest. And with more than 90 million posts under the hashtag #InteriorDesign, Instagram is a popular spot for interior design inspiration.
“For so long, unless we were friends, we weren’t inside of everyone’s home,” Collins said. “Now, we’re letting people into our lives. And especially this past year, with the shutdowns and quarantine and staying at home more, people realize now more than ever that you have to invest in your nest. You have to make it your oasis.”
Understanding that many consumers are overwhelmed by today’s myriad choices and custom options, Hampton Furniture has hired a merchandiser, Kristyn Jackson, to style and show furniture in a way that helps customers with space planning and to envision pieces of furniture in their own homes.
“We’re trying to make it easier for the consumer. Just like the way you shop online, I want you to be able to come in, see it, then click, add to cart and take it all home,” Collins said.
Hampton Furniture also is adding chandelier and pendant lighting and other home décor lines to give customers a complete home furnishings experience.
“Little by little, you’re going to see us expand in a lot of areas – home décor, rugs, accessories, wall art,” Collins said. “We really want to become a one-stop shop and we’ve got the space to do it.”
At 40,000 square feet with five showrooms, Hampton Furniture offers roughly an acre of home furnishings. The Whitehall Road store houses a large amount of inventory that can be sold from the floor, with new inventory coming in regularly. Hampton also has a mattress showroom that carries brands such as Tempur-Pedic® adjustable beds, Beautyrest, Serta and Sierra Sleep.
Hampton, too, places custom furniture orders and has options that make furniture customizable. For example, a new line by Universal offers custom size slipcovers.
“Custom doesn’t have to break the bank,” Collins said. “In fact, furnishing your home doesn’t have to break the bank. Because trends are changing so much, people are not looking for their forever furniture, they’re looking for something that they don’t have to feel bad about replacing in five years if they’re tired of looking at it or want something different.”
For more information, visit HamptonFurniture.com or follow Hampton Furniture on Facebook @hamptonfurnitureco.
