London-based furniture brand Raft Furniture has announced the opening of House of Raft, a 20,000 sqft hybrid showroom-workshop space that its says "represents a totally new premium retail experience".
Consisting of a sofa artisan workshop, interior design hub, furniture showroom and outlet centre, the end-to-end production process is visible to customers, in a true industry-first experience on the high street, says Raft: "The customer journey at House of Raft is seamless, and all under one roof. This will create an opportunity for trade collaborations as the sofa workshop space will operate as trade only, other than for appointments for customers who have bought a Raft sofa.
"Once customers confirm their purchase, in-house artisans in the workshop begin crafting the sofa by hand. Once under way, appointments can be scheduled to watch your sofa being made by one of Raft’s sofa experts, for a fully immersive, informative and reassuring experience showcasing the entire handmade process."
Mick Quinn, director and co-founder at Raft Furniture, says: “What we’re experiencing right now is a cultural revival. More and more people are looking to buy from local heritage brands, and Raft is offering the complete package.
"We have been working locally for so long, but physically merging our artisan sofa workshop with a bricks-and-mortar store creates a genuine connection between consumers and craftsmen. Customers will have the opportunity to enjoy the immersive sofa-making experience.”
In January this year, Raft announced the closure of its first store on Edgware Road, but behind the scenes, a huge expansion was under way. A redevelopment opportunity enabled Raft to undergo mass-refurbishments and the incorporation of its London sofa workshop to create House of Raft – and this summer will mark its opening and "the start of a retail experience that celebrates total transparency and quality", says the brand.
The showroom, outlet and interior design hub will open Saturday 5th July. The trade-only sofa artisan workshop will open its doors at the end of the summer.
