Sunday, September 4, 2011

MODLIFE'S MAKEOVER






Next month Modlife will celebrate its 7th Anniversary - which in this economy is close to "dog years." And in lieu of throwing my annual champagne parties I opted to give the showroom a remodel - we closed down for a week in July and completely painted the floors and walls for a fresh clean look.  Then I tackled the kitchen which was long overdue.  There we went for a high -gloss red and I vow to make more panninis and order out less.
Miraculously, in spite of closing down for a week and suffering from record high heat temperatures in Chicago, the store experienced record high sales, rentals and design revenues which we have never seen even before the recession.  And when sales are up - inventory goes down.  So I got the chance to go out on the road and scout for more inventory which is one of the responsibilities I enjoy most of this business.  As a result I uncovered a mother load of Robsjohn Gibbbings and Widdicomb furniture, some gorgeous Chinoiserie pieces by Renzo Rutili for Johnson Furniture Co., Atomic chairs by Karpen, and even some Bergere French chairs which I have some rock star ideas about reinventing.  Many of these pieces have already been sold through our global web portal, vandm.com - which got me thinking it was time to renovate the website as well.  This is the 4th web design since my second year in business and certainly my favorite.  I think it has a better vision of the direction of Modlife in not only showcasing the pieces in our inventory but, also spotlighting the potential we see in all good design furniture be it a chair in your livingroom, your mother's chaise lounge, your grandfathers credenza or a coffee table found in the back alley.  Send us a picture and we can help you reinvent it into one of your favorite pieces of furniture.
So stop by and see our fresh look at our showroom on Lincoln Avenue, and if you are not in the Chicago area please visit our new website: http://www.modlifehome.com  And as always, thank you for being a Modlife customer and checking us out from time to time.