The age of mass production and consumerism has made it increasingly difficult to maintain originality and quality in the field of interior design. However, companies like FOROM are intentionally bringing back the importance of authentic, thoughtful, and practical furniture design. Recently, DesignSpec Co-Founder Fiona Sanipelli sat down with the FOROM founder, Loic Kessl, to delve into the behind-the-scenes creation process of their furniture collection.
Role and Background
Please tell us a little bit about yourself, including your background in the design industry. Were you a former designer, or did you have experience in retail?
I initially worked as a home stager, creating furniture to display in real estate properties. Later, I pursued further education at Parsons School of Design in New York. The furniture class particularly inspired me, leading to my decision to create FOROM. My goal was to sell unique furniture of high quality and standard. My South of France roots heavily influence the collection, with Mediterranean heritage inspiring the lines, curves, and organic shapes in our designs. We focus on collaborating with European brands and strive to offer statement pieces while prioritizing durability and affordability.
“We focus on collaborating with European brands and strive to offer statement pieces while prioritizing durability and affordability.“
Loic Kessl
Design Trends
Do you believe that the current design trend is shifting toward an emphasis on raw, naturalistic, organic textures and shapes like the ones presented in your work?
I think lately designs feel more dormant. The lines are gentler, featuring more curves and softer shapes. Here in FOROM, we predominantly use calm materials. Our focus remains on traditional craftsmanship, with most of our pieces being handcrafted. We carefully select materials, prioritizing sustainability and durability. Stone and metal are popular choices, with stainless steel being particularly sought after. We have discovered a fantastic small factory in South Korea specializing in custom stainless steel. Materials like this allow us to achieve a polished, clean finish, which is a key focus in our new collections.
“Our focus remains on traditional craftsmanship, with most of our pieces being handcrafted.”
Loic Kessl
Feature Product
Are there other products in your collection that you are especially proud of or excited about?
One of the products that I love is the Stainless Steel Mirrored Coffee Table. This piece has a hand-polished mirrored finish that is highly reflective, making it suitable for both indoor and outdoor use. The table is very durable because it’s made of real stainless steel. A piece like this creates a nice contrast with a softer environment, such as fabric or a furry rug.
The Stainless Steel Collection will consist of four new tables, a stool, and a modular lounge chair. The stool will have a removable custom fabric pad on top, possibly with a magnetic attachment. This piece will allow for various customization options, including different colors, fabrics, and prints.
Our focus this year has been on enhancing the trade process and simplifying the online purchasing journey. In addition to our product line expansion, we are also adding innovative sorting features into our collections to make it easier for designers to navigate through our options. We believe improving those aspects allows us to better serve the needs of our valued designers.
Could you tell us about your ceramic pieces? Do you design some of them as well?
Most of them are hand-glazed or handmade, and they are primarily European, with some brands being newly introduced to the US market by FOROM. We always try to stay ahead of the curve by regularly visiting Europe, which helps us to foresee trends in the American market.
Product Fabrication
How did you overcome the challenges of custom fabrication? What kind of approach have you developed?
The biggest challenge was to find the right manufacturers and partners who could offer a combination of high-quality, durable materials at a price point that is still accessible. We generally choose locations based on the type of material we want to use for our product. For example, for our stainless steel pieces, we found that South Korea has high quality metal works, while offering good value.
It’s always challenging to be in the production business because you have to aim for perfection. Being extremely detail-oriented is a must, and there’s a lot of back and forth involved. This is because factories have their own perspective, and the challenge lies in achieving the perfect design.
DesignSpec Collaboration
In terms of the DS Collection, could you please share any specific goals you’d like to achieve through this collaboration?
I believe it’s important to cultivate new relationships within the design industry, particularly with interior designers. With the DesignSpec Collection, our main focus is hospitality design. We are especially passionate about the restaurant, hotel, and food industry. FOROM is dedicated to providing the products that hospitality designers need and desire.
In terms of logistics, we can now estimate delivery times based on the user’s location, taking into account the US state and shipping method. We have developed an algorithm for each product, including those from our brand partners, with the goal of meeting trade expectations. We believe that DesignSpec will improve customer confidence in placing orders by ensuring timely delivery, especially as online shopping continues to grow.
We believe that DesignSpec will improve customer confidence in placing orders by ensuring timely delivery, especially as online shopping continues to grow.
-Loic Kessl
Business Approach
Could you expand a little more on your business model?
Our business model is a bit complex because we have brand partners from Europe, but we also have our own collections. We’re aiming to stock these brands exclusively and maintain a detailed inventory of core products at the showroom facility. Our goal is to ensure easy availability of products for our customers.
Regarding our partnerships with these brands, we seek to create direct collaborations with them. This means they design a product that is unique and exclusive to FOROM. It allows us to promote the brand in different ways through our perspective. Overall, we are looking to explore collaborations with emerging brands, utilizing this leverage to expand our online presence through social media, introducing new content and more exclusive products.
Future
Are there any upcoming products or collaborations you are particularly excited about?
Our emphasis this year is on local US production, particularly when it comes to our upholstery collections. We plan to partner with local upholsterers to make this vision a reality. This approach will reduce carbon emissions, as there will be fewer containers and lower shipping.
DesignSpec is proud to partner with FOROM on our upcoming product catalog, DS Collection. The collection will feature products available for purchase as-is, with the option for some items to transform into something else. DS Collection empowers users to customize and blend elements to create their own unique designs.
