Vanguard Furniture: Behind the scenes

Vanguard Furniture: Behind the scenes

Vanguard Furniture recently offered us the opportunity to visit and see how they work behind the scenes.  Our experience was so educational and informative.  Seeing the process from beginning to end makes us better designers and better educators, which benefits both our team and our clients!

Touring Vanguard Furniture

Our tour started at the fabric mill, where we went through the process of creating fabric from the very start.  It was fascinating!  Much like we put together mood boards for our clients, they create mood boards to inspire new patterns.  We followed the dyeing process, then moved onto watching the programming of giant looms to weave the fibers into yards and yards of cloth.  Meanwhile, forklifts drive around to gather fibers from designated bins for the different patterns.  The factory itself reminded us of a bustling mini city with its machinery and people in constant motion.

 

 

 

Our next stop was the Vanguard Furniture factory.  The factory operates as a model of efficiency, and we loved seeing the various phases of production.  Certain tasks each remain the responsibility of a single person, such as applying nailhead trim, sewing cording, and cutting leather.  This ensures a high level of attention and craftsmanship. In addition, 3-4 people sign off on each piece in order to ascertain pristine quality when furniture and casegoods leave the factory.

When it comes to the finishing process, no detail is spared as each finish is applied by hand and each piece goes through several checkpoints throughout.  We saw frames being cut and assembled, fabric cut, sewn, and fitted, and even the 8 way hand tie which secures springs.  One person handles upholstering the inside of a chair while a second finishes the back, because the process is different.  It was truly amazing to take in everything that goes into a custom piece from start to end.

 

 

Our takeaway from the tour:

Overall, we left our tour with first-hand knowledge which we can share with our clients, which makes us better designers.  We’ve always understood that custom furnishings are worth the time and expense, but now we can describe the process in detail and share our behind-the-scenes photos and videos.  Thank you so much to Vanguard for hosting us and giving us such an incredible experience!

Header image: Vanguard Furniture showroom

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Glenna Stone Interior Design is an award-winning Philadelphia interior design firm serving Philadelphia, the Main Line, and surrounding cities. Utilizing her background and training in interior design, architecture, and engineering, Glenna specializes in creating interiors for residential and commercial design settings. We invite you to visit our website, view our portfolio, and catch up on the latest interior design concepts on our blog!