Verellen's craftsmanship and quality is unmistakable at first sight. A few weeks ago, I was fortunate enough to take a tour of the Verellen factory in High Point, North Carolina. The experience was simply inspiring -- it's easy to say things are "eight way hand tied" or "made by hand"...but having the opportunity to see the process in person from start to finish was incredible. The craftspeople were genuinely happy and proud to bring these original furniture designs to life from conception.
I immediately chuckled to myself when I pulled up to the factory because -- the factory was so "Verellen". That's the thing about High Point market. You can go to dozens of custom furniture showrooms a day, but when you walk into Verellen, you have this feeling come over you like "Toto, we aren't dealing with basic American furniture anymore".
As a designer, what catches my eye the most is simply the engineering behind each Verellen design. I watched them construct these graciously swooping frames but still in my mind, I'm not quite smart enough to figure out how they build beautifully sloping frames out of solid wood...shout out to all the engineers who can figure this out!!
Selfishly, it was very fun to see how designers across the country style their Verellen pieces for their projects. I'm not sure of the story behind these Terrence sofas -- but absolutely love the contrasting fabric choices! If you have been in the shop -- you may recognize the Jill dining chairs in the photo...they are an Amethyst favorite! Verellen's fabrics are hand selected for their beauty, construction, and durability resulting in timeless merging of beautifully unique natural fiber fabrics with quality frames.
One thing I found particularly interesting was how influential the luxury automobile industry has been on the manufacturing efficiency of the Verellen factory. The precision and craftsmanship applied toward furniture construction was evident from the pattern stations to the quality assurance checks. The 8-way hand tied springs installation is a very intensive and physically demanding process -- it's the gold standard in furniture construction as it evenly distributes weight across the frame resulting in luxurious comfort and decades of durability.
LOVED watching the padding applied to these interesting frame shapes. Finally, I could actually visualize from a manufacturing perspective why their chairs are so stinking comfortable compared to other manufacturers!!
Verellen uses physical wooden patterns to cut each frame (these are made to order after all!). They are not importing their frames from overseas or a third party manufacturer and then simply adding their padding and fabric. Start to finish -- it begins and ends with Verellen. This wall held a few of the leg patterns used to make all of their exclusive furniture designs like the Camille club chair.
I love how the legs are part of the frame in the Isabella dining chair. No screw on legs here!
And of course, in true Verellen fashion, even the office admin spaces are a visual dream. (Yes, there is an on-site chicken coop!)
I'm so appreciative to Verellen for allowing me to have a behind the scenes look!
Chat soon,
Monica
