Lovesac Official Company Blog

Environment Furniture or Furniture for the Environment?

Celebrating Earth Day this week, we, at Lovesac HQ were discussing how little we’ve done to share with our friends the environmentally friendly aspects of our eco friendly furniture: Sacs and Sactionals…both of which are sustainable furniture products.

We are so obsessed with environment furniture—that is, utilizing our furniture’s, shape, texture, and color to create the right environment for your family and friends to enjoy their life on a couch, that we often simply forget to address the other meaning of the word “environment.”

What is Eco-Friendly Furniture?

First, let it be said that there are many and varying degrees of so-called eco friendly furniture on the market today. There is really no governing body that dictates the use of the phrase “eco friendly” or “environmentally friendly.” There are a many different standards or guidelines that have been published with recommendations on how to be environmentally friendly, how to be eco friendly, and how to develop environmentally conscious companies. These (typically) self-published standards typically cover the following aspects of sustainability and environmentally friendliness:

• Materials
• Energy & Atmosphere
• Human & Ecosystem Health
• Social Responsibility

It is unfortunate, to say the least, that a topic so important (our planet), and a category so large (furniture), does not have a more mature solution to promote or even police the use of sustainable and eco friendly, carbon-neutral, or environmentally friendly furniture products. As standards in this area develop, it is Lovesac’s intention to become a leader in this category—and an active promoter of sustainable practices and environmentally friendly lifestyles. The emerging standard that we like the best and intend to use as our benchmark for success in this area is the Level certification for furniture—developed by our friends at BIFMA (Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturer’s Association).

We like BIFMA standards in general and we develop our Sactionals to conform to their standards even though our products were originally designed for consumer use in the home—not as an industrial product. But by adhering to the standards set for industrial and commercial-use products, we are able stand behind our Lifetime Guarantee and our quality promise to consumers. By these standards, Lovesac makes:

• eco friendly couches (sofas)
• eco friendly bean bags
• eco friendly kids furniture
• eco friendly home
• eco friendly patio furniture
• eco friendly outdoor furniture

Put simply, we believe in eco friendly furniture

Without getting into too many boring details about the source of the wood in the Sactionals frames or the working conditions of our factories (which are world-class, of course), we offer up four key details about Sacs and Sactionals that are important for consumers who might be interested in buying Lovesac products to know concerning the eco friendly nature of Sacs and Sactionals.

1. Sactionals and Sacs come packed in a way that is a fraction of their original volume. Sactionals cushions and back pillows come packed up inside of the otherwise hollow hardwood base frames. Naked Sacs are vacuum compressed to 1/8 their original volume and shipped inside of high-tension duffels. This signature “shrinking” of Lovesac’s key products is a literal shrinking of our carbon footprint. Put simply: we are able to ship more than 450 Sactionals Pieces on a truck that typically fits no more than 45 traditional sofa-sets from a traditional furniture brands. Sacs and Sactionals are eco friendly furniture.
2. Sacs are filled with recycled foam. Traditional furniture brands cut their sofa cushions from large “buns” of virgin polyurethane foam. The foam in the cushions and the foam beneath the upholstery on all parts of a traditional sofa are all very blocky and fixed shapes. This creates tons (literally tons) of wasted scraps of foam. Lovesac buys these randomly shaped pieces of wasted scrap foam and shreds it up to create our trademarked Durafoam blend of varying densities recycled furniture foam. We shred thousands of pounds of this recycled foam each day. Much of this foam could have other wise ended up in land-fills, domestic and abroad.
3. Sactionals cushions are upholstered in fabric that is woven so tightly, it conforms to the new flame-resistance standards of the State of California (TB117-2013) without any chemical treatment. For this reason, the foam inside of Sactionals contains none of the harmful chemicals (like chlorinated tris) so commonly associated with polyurethane foam.
4. Sacs and Sationals are guaranteed for life…and they are built to actually last a lifetime. Other products and brands talk about being “sustainable” or being friendly to the environment—but lasting a lifetime—and maybe into the next one truly is true sustainability.

There is so much more to share regarding how we make our products and what makes Lovesac the truly eco friendly furniture solution for anybody, anywhere. Much of it this information is quite technical and (to be honest) kind of boring.

The bottom line is simple: Lovesac furniture is not just good as environment furniture—but its good for-the-environment furniture.

Color + Shapes = Simple Home Décor

Technology. Cars. Technology in cars. Bluetooth controlled appliances.  Smartphone controlled automated home programming. Remote control curtains. Weather controlled sun-shades. Interactive thermostats….Everything in design is getting so complicated these days. Jean pockets adorned with gems, jewels, beads and embroidery. LED’s embedded into nearly anything with electricity and some things that never needed it. Over-design is rampant—even when it comes to home décor. Ironically, while its easy to say things like “less is more,”  or “Simplicity is the ultimate Sophistication,” da Vinci never raised a kid in the post-Cosby-Show day and age of the digital revolution….he never even saw it coming.

As it  turns out, it takes far more discipline, effort, and design acumen to execute something that is both simple and extremely well done; both sophisticated and fun.

 

Each season the Lovesac design team aim to introduce a new look—a carefully designed and curated selection of colors, fabrics, Sac and Sactionals covers paired with tasteful home accessories to complete a cohesive look. For Spring 2014 we introduce: the COLOR collection.

 

 

In reaction to the over-design, over-programming, and over-embellishment so pervasive today, the COLOR collection explores 2 design aesthetics and applies them over Sacs, Sactionals, throw pillows and blankets. One: primary and complimentary colors. Two: basic geometric shapes such as rectangles, squares, circles, triangles, and Spheres.

 

Looking at some of these behind-the-scenes images from our Spring 2014 Lovesac COLOR line photoshoot in Connecticut—do you have a room in your home that could get back to the basics?

 

-- The Lovesac Design Team

Is the name “Lovesac” a good brand name?

 

Post by Lovesac.

Recently Lovesac Furniture Co. circulated a Facebook video depicting a woman easily arranging and rearranging its patented Sactionals pieces into various useful configurations. The video was shared broadly—reaching thousands of people who had never heard of Lovesac before. There were two emerging themes from the many and varied comments: One, “This is amazing furniture…holy cow I gotta have that.” Two, “What’s up with the name ‘Lovesac,’ it makes no sense.”

I Love The Name Lovesac

This week is “Love your name week” according to American Onomatology. I am more biased than anyone can be on the subject, but I LOVE THE NAME LOVESAC. Sure, if we were starting over today, having invented (what I humbly think is) the most meaningful furniture invention of this century, Sactionals, then Sactionals would certainly not be called “Sac”tionals and the company would not be called “Lovesac.” We would have been something boring and stale, like a beanbag, a couch, or even worse yet, a sectional sofa. But life did not happen that way. Had we not invented the oversized Sac, we would have not needed a sort of hippie, 1970’s, flower power, love-peace-hate-war-kind-of name for our not-beanbag invention. As we’ve proven by being the undisputed leader in not-beanbags worldwide, Lovesac is most definitely the best name for that product.

We would have been something boring and stale, like a beanbag, a couch, or even worse yet, a sectional sofa.

But when we opened the first Lovesac store in 2001 to sell Lovesacs to everybody who dared peek inside, we learned right away that as the name of a retail store “Lovesac” was a two-edged sword. On the one hand, people could not resist commenting as they walked by. Funny comments, curious comments, half-laughing comments usually beginning with, “Looooooovesac….”

But at least people noticed us—and even if only for curiosity’s sake, many came in, had a great time, and the company grew. From our earliest days in the mall, people asked to buy the Lovesac T-shirts we were wearing. We have sold thousands along the way. I honestly cannot think of another furniture company where the same would even be remotely possible.

We then invented Sactionals because customers kept wanting to buy the couch in the corner of the store that was placed there to make the place look nice. We discovered that the key to our success was the ability to sell a great big Lovesac that we could shrink down to 1/8 its original volume and stock right there in a tiny store….so make a sofa that can

• shrink down - check
• be easily shipped - check
• be delivered - check
• fit down any hallway -check
• fit up any stairway - check
• fit through any doorway - check

With all those successes, it seemed like a good idea—and in the process we figured out how to make it machine washable and have changeable covers as well.

Why Lovesac?

So when people see our “Sactionals” invention, fall in love with it for every reason and then wonder, “why is this company called Lovesac,” it is not surprising at all. Maybe, as a first introduction, “Hi, my name is _____,” the name Lovesac is a bit strange. But ask anyone who knows the brand, knows the company, knows someone with a Lovesac, or has any Lovesac product about “Lovesac” they know exactly what you’re talking about—no clarification needed. This is because (I personally believe) that Lovesac is one of the most sticky and memorable brand names every conceived in the history of all branding.

Most importantly of all, anyone familiar with Lovesac, when asked about it, will always display at least a hint of a smile on their face as they reflect. Because it is LOVEsac. The name invokes emotion. The memory invokes comfort, warmth, and times spent with people you love. Love is the most powerful word in any language. Love is the most powerful force in any culture. Love is the most powerful emotion in the universe and humans are emotionally driven beings.

It’s A Force For Good

It sounds like marketing, but we at Lovesac get the unique opportunity of “spreading the love” every time anyone views our sign, sees our name in print, thinks it, reads, it says it, or puts on the T-shirt and spreads it for us. And with the word Sac attached to the end of it, “Lovesac” is just not-cheesy enough to reach the over-marketed-to masses, the cynical observers, the sense of humored adult, and even the impossible-to-reach youth of today. The old find it cute and the young find it funny.

Lovesac is not about building another beanbag, another couch, another sectional sofa, or just a brand name, it is a force for good in the world. Maybe not like earth-changing good, but at least the made-you-smile kind of good. The best part of all, however, is that with a name like Lovesac hanging above our door, it is incumbent upon us to live up to it—to spread the love—to do good in the world—and to love and accept all whom we are blessed to come into contact with. We’re doing our best.

What do YOU think about the name "Lovesac?" I really want to know - comment!

Keep spreadin’ the love,

- Shawny

Thursday Thought: Kurzweil's Law

[interal email to Lovesac HQ & stores: Thursday, Feb 20, 2014]

 

The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn. 

—Alvin Toffler (futurist)

 

 

For those of you who were NOT (un)lucky enough to be with Lovesac through thick and thin, for years and years, or through all of our sordid ups and downs, our current trajectory is to be expected. Its what you signed up for, it is exciting, or at least it should be exciting.

 

For those of you who have managed see it through—to help us claw our way into relevance over the course of some years, I imagine that you, just like me, can think back on all that we have done and seen and accomplished, and that you can recognize: a lot has changed. 

 

You ain’t seen nothin’ yet. 

 

Just like Toffer alludes to in the quote above, whether you’re new to the Sac or a seasoned vet, the pace at which this organization will grow and change will be more rapid each day to the next. Even as we become more “stable” in many ways, we will require more change, and more adaptability to navigate the road ahead. Even as many things finally normalize for us, the sheer magnitude of our existence requires more complexity, more sophistication, and more intelligence. And finally, there is the outside world—our macroeconomic environment—which, like Lovesac, is also a victim of Kurzwei’s law and demands that we keep up with it.  So in an effort to stay “Lovesac literate,” I suggest that this same ability—or rather attitude—to learn, unlearn, and relearn, is going to be the key to our collective survival. We love that you know what you know and that you bring that to our table—now let’s take it to the next level, together.

 

Stay nimble. Stay humble. Stay teachable. 

 

Stay Lovesac,

 

— Shawny

A True Limited Edition Lovesac Design

I will be holding a contest via Instagram and social media where you can share to win this Limited Edition Footsac Blanket THIS WEEKEND!!!  I say "Limited" because it is THE ONLY ONE EVER MADE. As we develop products, we sample multiple designs. This is an example of a design that was deemed the wrong color for the season at the time of its development....but I have it, and it is awesome. 

Don't worry, my amazing wife Tiffany and I cuddled in it only for this photo--so it is clean and new and soft and cuddly and amazing. And if you don't know what a Footsac Blanket is...then you should probably find out. Because even Lovesac we didn't invent the blanket--we made it amazing.

Stay tuned

 

-- Shawny

@Shawny_Nelson 

(If you're not already following me, then get in the game!!!)