The Rise of Co-Living

Published by: Northland - January 25, 2017

Interesting things happen when you watch trends. One hospitality trend Northland is currently watching is co-living. With an emphasis on collaboration and community, there’s a noticeable shift taking place towards co-living.

In a nutshell, co-living is about community and developing connections between those who occupy that space. It’s group living, with shared kitchens and living areas and social programming.

Responding to shifts towards home sharing and other communal living concepts, hospitality companies have taken action. During 2016, companies like Airbnb and HomeStay watched their share of the hospitality market grow. While private hotels have different concepts and thus cannot directly compete with the Airbnbs and HomeStays, they can offer alternatives based around similar ideals.

 

Co-Living enters the mainstream

Last year, the co-living concept entered the mainstream for hospitality with AccorHotels’ newest brand: Jo&Joe. According to AccorHotels, Jo&Joe “…blends the best of private-rental hostel and hotel formats,” and calls it a “totally reinvented and disruptive experience in terms of design approach, catering, service, and customer journey.”

In 2017, there will be more emphasis on communal areas, as well as spaces that bring people together. This is true not only for hospitality but other sectors of society as well.

Companies are beginning to bridge gaps by creating shared spaces that blur the lines between work and home. Residential housing is growing in prevalence, especially on the US east coast.

Companies such as Common, PureHouse, WeWork/WeLive and NeueHouse have all developed ways to bring their employees together. There are a variety of concepts around the co-living/co-working theme. While each differs in some details, emphasis on shared space and communal experience remains.

Northland Furniture has long been a leader in the hospitality industry. For over forty years, we have survived trends and industry changes through responsive action, thoughtful design and quality manufacturing. While we are excited to watch how the industry changes, you can also count on Northland to not just be on the sidelines. We will be right there, doing what we have done for nearly half a century, creating quality furniture for you.

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Beyond the Collections | Custom Commercial Furniture

Published by: Northland - August 17, 2016

When searching for custom commercial furniture for hospitality, senior living, or dormitory, it’s easy to get caught up in the collections offered by different manufacturers. Collections provide a great option for individuals in different industries looking for a quick option for commercial furniture. They also give customers looking for custom commercial furniture a jumping off point and idea of what a manufacturer can build. It’s important to know, especially when it comes to manufacturers like Northland Furniture Company, that custom commercial furniture can be a custom as you desire.

Truly Custom Commercial Furniture

Commercial furniture manufacturers often create collections to make choosing new pieces for hospitality and other industries simple. Collections are tastefully designed and curated to appeal to broad audiences, which make them desirable for commercial institutions. Sometimes these collections can be customized, depending on the manufacturer, but it’s possible to walk into another facility and see the same collection elsewhere.

Truly custom commercial furniture leaves the design and style of the pieces up to your imagination. Customers work with designers at the manufacturer to create one-of-a-kind custom commercial furniture unique to your brand or individual facility.

Benefits of Custom Commercial Furniture

  • Accurately Represents Your Brand
  • Gives Guests or Residents a Comfortable, Unique Atmosphere
  • Furniture is One-of-a-Kind
  • Designed to Your Exact Style and Specifications

While not every commercial furniture manufacturer can create truly unique custom pieces, Northland can design and build whatever you want, with limited exclusions and restrictions. If you don’t see something you want in the collections we offer, don’t worry. We’re not limited by what’s in our collections and can custom design commercial furniture per your requirements. We like to get creative and are always excited to expand on the beautiful custom commercial furniture we produce.

Contact Northland for more information about custom commercial furniture design. Whether you want to customize items within our collections or work with us to create something truly unique to represent your company and your brand, we have the skill and creativity to create furniture you and your guests or residents will love for many years to come.

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Modernizing Dorm Room Furniture for the Next Generation

Published by: Northland - August 10, 2016

Dorm room furniture has remained the same for many years. It’s possible the same furniture our parents had when they were in college is the same as it was for the most recent graduates. As times and technology change, it’s necessary for dorm room furniture to evolve as well. No longer are filing cabinets used to hold actual files. By updating and modernizing dorm room furniture space can be better used for student housing and the residents that call these tiny rooms home.

We all have a similar vision of what to expect when thinking about dorm room furniture. Bunk beds or high captains beds, a small wooden desk, a wardrobe used both to hold clothing as well as give privacy when changing next to a roommate. What if the next generation had a different idea? Something a little more modern that better executes the space?

Modern Dorm Room Furniture

  • Use dorm casegoods that feature eye catching stains and laminates
  • Change dorm furniture shapes
  • Update handles, drawer pulls and hardware for a more modern look and feel
  • Eliminate keyboard trays, as nearly everyone uses a laptop now
  • Be bold and incorporate standup desks instead of tradition sitting desks for added health benefit
  • Create furniture with sleek, straight lines that has a minimalist approach
  • Evaluate current furniture to see what can be eliminated due to lack of need
  • Increase versatility of furniture so it can be used for a variety of purposes, which saves space and increases storage
  • Design modern dorm furniture that emphasises safety, a concern for student housing residents and staff
  • Choose dorm room furniture manufacturers that emphasis sustainability

There are many ways to modernize dorm furniture and create rooms that better execute the space afforded to them. From modern design to eliminating unnecessary furniture items, dorm room furniture doesn’t have to be the same for the next generation as it was for their parents. Contact Northland Furniture Company for more information about modernizing dorm room furniture.

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How to Choose Long Lasting Dormitory Furniture

Published by: Northland - July 20, 2016

Furnishing residence halls doesn’t have to be like waking up for an 8am class on a Monday. When you choose long lasting dormitory furniture, you’ll minimize the hassle and frequency of furnishing residence halls. How do you choose long lasting dorm furniture manufactures? Consider these tips for choosing a dormitory furniture manufacturer that will provide you will a long lasting and durable product.

Tips for Choosing Dormitory Furniture Manufacturers

  1. Look at their warranty. When choosing a dormitory furniture manufacturer, be sure to find out what their warranty is. If it’s only a year or two, it’s fair to assume that it might not be the most durable and won’t necessarily be the long lasting dormitory furniture you’re looking for. A company with a 10 year warranty, for example, stands behind their dormitory furniture and trusts that it will be long lasting.
  2. Experience counts. How long has the company been in business and how satisfied are their current and former customers? Choosing a company with 40 years experience under their belt speaks highly of the products they create and the trust their customers have. A company experienced in making dormitory furniture will also know the ins and outs of the industry and can help you in designing your custom order.
  3. Responsiveness. How responsive are the dorm furniture manufacturers you’re considering? You should be able to tell immediately how responsive they will be throughout the entire process. Residents in dormitories tend to be hard on furniture, so when an accident happens and a bed needs to be replaced, how quickly can the furniture be built and sent? A responsive company will make sure you’re taken care of from start to finish of the project and through the warranty phase.

Choosing a dorm furniture manufacturer can be as easy as living on campus and walking to the next class. Northland Furniture Company is a responsive company has been in business for 40 years and provides long lasting, durable dormitory furniture with a 10 year warranty. Contact Northland for more information about replacing dorm furniture.

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Maximizing Space With Dorm Furniture From Northland

Published by: Northland - May 18, 2016

Choosing the right dorm furniture from Northland Furniture can help students maximize space in their rooms, which have never been praised for their abundance of square footage. Dorm rooms are tiny and often shared with another person, who you may or may not know when you first move in. Living in the dorms teaches young adults how to compromise and communicate with another human in a small space, which they’ll find useful throughout their lives. By choosing dorm furniture that maximizes the little space they have, living in the residence halls may be a little more comfortable for both roommates.

Dorm Furniture | Maximizing Space with Beds

One of the easiest ways to proficiently utilize space with dorm furniture is through bed choice. Choosing the best bed style can free up space in the room for both roommates. Depending on the bed style, students can maximize space under and/or over the bed. Nearly as important, and in some cases more so, as the closet, space under or above the bed can be used for optimal storage.

Loft Bed

Loft beds provide a large amount of space in dorm rooms. Loft beds can be customized to maximize space. Roommates can often use loft beds as bunk beds to free up space on the other side of the room. Some loft bed styles have additional storage above the bed where a bed would be on a bunk bed. Lofting the lower bed to the highest height creates usable storage space below the bed.

Captain’s Bed

Captain’s beds have been a popular choice for dorm furniture for many years. Captain’s beds feature a bed on a platform with several drawers below. These types of beds allow for great organization. Extra drawers can be used to store anything from books and school supplies to an unused winter wardrobe during the spring and more. Captain’s beds are a great choice for dorm furniture in room that are a little larger than the norm.

Twin Bed

The more traditional college dorm bed includes a headboard and footboard with the opportunity for storage under the bed. Students needing more space for storage can buy risers to elevate the bed, which opens up more usability. These beds take up less physical space in dorm rooms, which provides the feeling of more space, which in many cases may be more important than storage.

Northland Furniture Company can work with you to create custom dorm furniture that opens up the space and uses it wisely. Contact us for more information about space saving dorm furniture.

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Prepare to Replace Residence Hall Furniture During Summer

Published by: Northland - April 13, 2016

Whether building new student housing facilities, or refurbishing existing, spring is the perfect time to start thinking about new residence hall furniture. Choosing new residence hall furniture in the spring allows ample time for the order to be built and delivered before summer installation when students have returned home for the break. Whether choosing a residence hall furniture collection or researching options for custom designed options, plan in advance to avoid pushing tight deadlines before school starts in the fall.

From residence halls to dormitories to student apartments, durability comes as one of the more prominent priorities for educational facilities. In a college setting, students can often be hard on the furniture year after year. Choosing pieces that are built to last and known for durability is wise for residence hall furniture.

In addition to durability, residence hall furniture must be both practical and functional. Students living in dormitories and residence halls have to use their rooms for a variety of purposes and usually share that area with a roommate. Practical furniture that allows two people to reside together comfortably in a small area is essential when it comes to furnishing dorms and residence halls. Students must sleep, study, eat and often play in their rooms, which makes functionality a key component in designing and choosing dormitory furniture.

Residence Hall Furniture Options

When it comes to buying new dorm room furniture for student housing, there are typically several options available. Over the course of time a college or university will replace residence hall furniture in waves, which results in different types of beds, wardrobes and desks scattered throughout the entirety of student housing. This often isn’t a problem as different students may prefer different types of beds – from Captain’s beds to loft-style bunk beds to more traditional beds with a head and footboard.

From different styles of wardrobes, dressers, beds, desks and tables, there are a variety of options available to choose from when it comes to residence hall furniture. In addition to style, more options include hardware, laminate finishes, colors and specifications. If you choose to design your own residence hall furniture, each piece of your personal collection can be customized for functionality, durability and practicality.

Lifespan and return on investment are important factors to consider when furnishing new dormitories or replacing dorm furniture. Choose a student housing furniture manufacturer that places priority on durability and offers a long warranty that guarantees you won’t have to replace residence hall furniture in as long a time as it takes an average student to get a college degree.

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Commercial Furniture Installation Floor by Floor

Published by: Northland - February 24, 2016

Replacing all of the furniture in a hotel, senior living community or dormitory can be a huge undertaking. With most commercial furniture companies, when you place a large order for a building with multiple floors all of the furniture arrives at once, which can be inconvenient if you aren’t ready. Commercial furniture installation most frequently needs to occur on a floor by floor basis.

Ordering commercial furniture from Northland Furniture Company allows for the replacement process to happen floor by floor, rather than all at once. If, of course, you do want to do a commercial furniture installation all at once, Northland is able to help you by completing the order as usual.

What usually happens when ordering new commercial furniture is that orders are made for the entire building. Companies may or may not be ready for this large of an order and the time it takes to replace all of the furniture in a building, but there are solutions. One option would be to order only the furniture you need most immediately and then repeat your order later on when the other floors need to be replace.

Floor by Floor Commercial Furniture Installation

Northland has a better solution. When you place your order with Northland, we can build all of your furniture at the time of your order and then store the pieces you aren’t ready to install until the time comes to replace the furniture on that floor. By allowing Northland to build and store your order it makes commercial furniture installation that much easier.

Placing multiple orders means the furniture will be built at the time of the order. If you get in behind a large order it could delay your timelines. By installing floor by floor and letting Northland store your pre-built furniture you cut out the build time for the next floors. We’ll store your commercial furniture for as long as you need and then ship it as soon as you’re ready for it.

Quick build times and storage options are a few of the advantages of commercial furniture installation floor by floor. Contact Northland Furniture Company for more information on our build and store commercial furniture options.

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Benefits of Buying Commercial Furniture Made in America

Published by: Northland - January 27, 2016

When it comes to buying commercial furniture, we know there are a variety of options. Many hotels, senior living communities and dormitories are cost conscious of the commercial furniture they buy for their facilities – as anyone would be. Many of these companies turn to commercial furniture manufacturers in China and Vietnam, thinking the ticket price of the items they are buying equate to overall savings.

Placing an order for furniture from suppliers outside of the United States may end up costing you more money than you originally anticipated. Why is that?

Reasons to Buy Commercial Furniture Made in America

  • Turn around time – Because our furniture is manufactured in America and shipped within the country we have fast turn around times and shipping time is significantly less than overseas
  • Shipments from overseas companies can take upwards of three months, whether you’re placing a large order or just need some touch up paint for your furniture
  • Shipping and transportation costs – Costs to ship within the same country are significantly less than from outside of the USA. Where you may have saved in initial costs you will make up for in shipping costs
  • Waste – When commercial furniture is shipped from overseas it won’t be packaged in reusable blankets. These blankets decrease the amount of waste created from packing and shipping materials and saves the customer money on shipping because excess materials aren’t being used, or wasted
  • Furniture made in America creates living wage jobs for individuals and families in our community. Jobs stay here and contribute to the local economy

At Northland Furniture Company, we create furniture that’s made in America. We build all of our commercial furniture at our facility in Bend, Oregon, and source our materials from the great Pacific Northwest. We guarantee quality commercial furniture turned around as quickly as possible and do our best to eliminate waste at all costs.

Contact Northland Furniture Company for more information about our American made commercial furniture for hospitality, senior living and dormitories.

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Choosing Affordable and Durable Dorm Furniture

Published by: Northland - July 1, 2015

In July, most students don’t worry too much about school starting and getting back into their studying rhythm. And for incoming freshman and students new to dorm life, their concerns lie more with who their roommate is going to be and if they’ll get along. Or how to decorate the small space they will soon call home. For student housing administrators, on the other hand, choosing new dorm furniture ranks high on your summer agenda. Finding the best, most functional dorm furniture at an affordable price is an important feature for any resident hall.

While factors such as what programs a college offers have the most weight in a student’s school selection, having dorm furniture that doesn’t automatically bring to mind a less than desirable group living experience can work in your school’s favor. Consider these dorm furniture factors when selecting the pieces for the resident halls at your school:

Typically, there are three choices for dorm furniture beds:

  • Twin Captains Bed
  • Twin Bunk Beds
  • Standard Twin Bed with Headboard

Most schools choose a variety of beds to fill their dorm rooms. While some rooms may have a Captains bed, which features a platform with built in drawer storage underneath, others may have bunk beds to utilize the space most effectively. Northland Furniture’s Shasta Collection includes all three styles of dorm room beds with quality built in from the beginning. The durable collection of beds make for restful nights sleep when students aren’t pulling all-nighters to finish a big project.

Three of the most commonly found dorm furniture clothing storage options include:

  • A wardrobe with two doors, a hanging rod and a shelf
  • A wardrobe with two doors, two drawers, a hanging rod and a shelf
  • A chest of four drawers

Depending on various factors including the size of the dorm room itself and the bed and desk selection, clothing storage could vary per room. When choosing dorm furniture consider how clothing should be stored most effectively for both the student and the space. The Shasta Collection includes all three practical and durable options.

Northland Furniture’s Shasta Collection offers an affordable and approachable price point for dorm furniture that’s built to last. Choosing the Shasta Collections provides the best return on your investment and instills confidence in students and their parents that they’ll be surrounded by comfortable, durable furnishings in their new home away from home.

Contact Northland Furniture for more information about our Shasta Collection and affordable educational furniture and dorm furniture.

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