Furniture with flair

YOU could say Erik Stammberger was born into the furniture design world. After all, it was his grandfather who established the now renowned W.Schillig, a German sofa manufacturing company in 1946.

The young Stammberger has obviously been exposed to the ins and outs of the industry all his 34 years.

However, as he says, after he finished his studies and graduated as Certified Merchant, he had lots of other options.

“But for me, the most interesting scenario was the attraction of our products and the opportunities they offered. I told myself, ‘let me see how I enjoy the industry first’,” he said, smiling.
So, armed with that exploratory attitude, he joined the company and went on to set up a W.Schillig company in the United States.

Today, the US market has become the company’s most important market, garnering some 20 per cent of worldwide sales.

Is this the result of his business acumen? Put this question to Stammberger, currently the CEO of W.Schillig, and he immediately credits his team of three in-house designers and a good network of distributors in many parts of the world.

“The reason for our success is because we listen to our distributors. We have 50 of these sales people representing us in the world. We look at global trends as well as trends in the local context, and we spend a lot of time and resources developing our products. We’re constantly asking ourselves, ‘how can we satisfy our customers?’ We already have many successes, and we’re still tweaking some ideas. My dream is to sell worldwide!” Stammberger enthuses.

Looking at the track record of the company, this is not an impossible task.

Besides offering an amazing design choice that incorporates multi functional options, W.Schillig furniture is simply in a class of its own!

Whether you’re sitting on its sofa, armchair, ottoman or lounger, you can be assured of utmost comfort. All you have to do is lean back, relax, and feel good!

It is this high value of quality combined with good design that has made W.Schillig renowned.

It is now one of Europe’s largest leather processors, with trade partners around the globe, and its own showrooms and a large trade fair and design centre in Upper Franconian Ebersdorf-Frohnlach, Germany.

About 40 per cent of its production is exported worldwide, and the company is today regarded as one of the significant upholstery furniture companies in Europe.

Stammberger believes there are three types of furniture manufacturers: the highest end, with its exclusive and expensive furniture; the low end, with its copies that it sells to the masses, and the most interesting intermediate sector, where the market is huge.

“We are in this interesting middle. Who are the manufacturers in this segment? Just a handful who offer good furniture focused on international concepts,” says Stammberger.

So, it is a niche market he is in then?

“All over the world, there is a high percentage of consumers who like European cars, Italian suits and Swiss watches. This is our target group. People who are well travelled, well educated and well exposed to international lifestyles and trends.”

The living area in the home, adds Stammberger, is the most lived-in space. You work hard, and when you come home, you want to be able to relax on a sofa that both looks good and is comfortable. You don’t want to sit on a sofa that sags, neither do you want a hard or too soft sofa.

“At W.Schillig, we create furniture that improves the lives of people. Our sofas are versatile; you can use them in different ways, for different purposes,” says Stammberger.

He proceeds to demonstrate just how versatile W.Schillig furniture is. I am completely amazed as he stretches out on a sofa, and pulls down the arm rest so that it becomes his head rest. That is for snoozing. If you want to read, all you have to do is incline the arm rest at the angle you want. Even the back rest can be adjusted up and down.

Other unique functions of W.Schillig furniture include seats that can be extended out or pushed back, pull lever to lower or bring up the back rest, and touch point functions. Super efficient mechanisms! Its ottoman can even be extended sideways to open up another seat in the centre. Just flip this seat, and underneath is a storage box!

W.Schillig specialises in both leather and fabric sofas. Personally, he likes leather but his wife prefers fabric. However, there is no fight over which sofa goes into his living room. All of the company’s sofas do!

“In my home, we change sofas a lot because we need to test them. Prototypes are placed in our home for a few weeks so we can ensure when you buy our sofas, they will add comfort to your life.”

Having made its presence felt in Europe and the US, the company is now turning its attention to Asia, and will foucs on the Asian market over the next five to 10 years.

“My desire is to educate people about what a sofa really is. People can spend a lot of money on designer bags and shoes, but when it comes to their sofas, they compromise. The value of a good sofa, which can last at least 12 years, is not fully appreciated,” Stammberger laments.

All that is set to change, at least for Malaysians, if James Edison and Jane Lui of J&J Chesters Malaysia Berhad can have their way. Formed in July 2003 to import, export and retail high-end and niche market furniture, the company brought in the W.Schillig range of furniture in April.

“The W.Schillig collection is carried exclusively by us, and we are making it easy for Malaysians to buy the furniture, with our easy pay scheme. Price range varies, according to styles and features. The economical range is about RM18,000. Add another 40 per cent more and you get a higher range," says Lui, who is the executive director at J&J Chesters.

Customers can have the W.Schillig collection customised to suit their size, shape and height. J&J Chesters provide personalised consultation, and will go to site for measurement, as well as to provide solutions for colour schemes, and space fitting.

If you’re interested to view, and experience the collection’s unique innovations, drop by at J&J Chesters. Its flagship showroom is located at Block B-O-8, Megan Avenue 1, 189, Jalan Tun Razak, Kuala Lumpur. Call 03-2166-8230/2166-8330 or fax 03-2166-9330.