Something that people are confronted with often is purchasing new furniture for their home. In most cases this is a rather simple process where one goes out, finds what they like in terms of style, size, shape and make the purchase. The furniture company brings out the furniture. Perhaps it's a sofa, loveseat and chair as well as ottomans and tables. The delivery guys bring it in through the nice large doorways and right into the room. Most people see this as the common scenario of a furniture delivery but quite often this is not always the case.
In my 15 years in furniture both in sales and behind the scenes working delivery, I've discovered a simple truth... not all homes are made the same. This may seem somewhat obvious in most circles but unfortunately it is all too common to come across a stairway that curves or angles so much that ordinary furniture just doesn't fit around it. Attic lofts can be the same way in that the 'A' frame of the house is at so much of an angle that furniture has no where to be placed or access to getting it up into the loft prevents normal sofas from being placed in such rooms. We've also found that older homes can be tough too as doorways are in the wrong spots to bring furniture through or door openings just aren't wide enough to fit that fabric sofa through.
Enter the futon....
When you say futon, typically the first thing that pops into most peoples heads are images of a college student sitting on a lumpy mattress that is on top of an unfinished pine or wood frame. Usually in the corner or under loft or perhaps in a small dorm room with small windows and a view of surrounding buildings. For many of us, well... yes this true. However futon furniture has come a long way since the 80's when it made great collegiate furniture but to have it in your home was not the most appealing thought. One such company by the name of August Lotz set out to change the way futons now were perceived and wanted to make them look more like furniture. Mark Barton who originally engineered the design for the modern day August Lotz futon frames brought an infusion of new ideas and styles into the market. Many of these concepts have been borrowed by other manufacturers including the signature piece of Lotz called the August Lotz futon frame. This frame was designed in an arts and crafts look that was reminiscent of early American hardwood furniture. However, it took awhile for furniture retailers to warm up to this concept.
Furniture companies and futon specialty stores starting discovering that in places that they couldn't get regular furniture into they could take futons in piece by piece and assemble them in the room. Typically August Lotz oak wood frames have 6 components to the frame (Two Arms, Two Rails and a Seat and Back rack section.) These parts could be taken into the room around the tight corners and in through small entry ways and could be assembled in a space that normally most furniture could not be placed. Futon mattresses would be carried in and placed on top of the frame completing the futon. Finally these spaces could be used and turned basements into family rooms, lofts into bedrooms and spare rooms into home offices with sofas.
August Lotz took this concept further by not only offering full size sofas but added loveseats and chairs into the line as well for an entire living room set. Matching coffee tables, end tables and sofa tables. Entire sets could now be purchased for rooms and spaces that so badly needed the furniture but could never fit it in. Many styles have become available and answer the style needs of almost everyone.
So if you own a home with tight corners, or difficult stairways or perhaps doorways that have never been kind in terms of fitting furniture through, please keep futon furniture in mind. It might turn that unused space into a room the whole family will enjoy!
For more information about the August Lotz brand of futon furniture products mentioned in this article, visit Futons Now to learn more.
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