Twenty-eight-year-old entrepreneur Brad Sewell has moved more times than he can count: Ohio to Detroit, Detroit to San Francisco, San Francisco to Boston. And each time, what proved even harder than condensing his life into boxes or driving thousands of miles cross-country was having to part with furnishings he really loved but couldn’t realistically take with him.
“You build emotions around these pieces, and then you have to leave them behind,” he says, citing high moving costs, bulky shapes, and sheer logistics.
What’s more, when he moved to Boston for graduate school and looked into investing in well-designed furniture, he was confronted with steep prices, startling delivery costs, and lengthy lead times that left him with few practical options.
“Working in the tech industry,” Sewell explains—he'd just left his job as a supply base engineer for Apple—“my taste for quality and appreciation for design was high, but my budget was more along the lines of IKEA.”
So he’s working to change the system. His solution? Use a vertically integrated model (à la Warby Parker or Everlane) to create a line of affordable furnishings that—like the campaign-style pieces from 18th-century Europe—can break down and fit within the maximum dimensions of a UPS or FedEx box. Take out the parts, pop them together in a matter of minutes, and voilà, a sofa that you can just as easily take apart for your next move.
Campaign launches today (and starts shipping in November) with three basics—an armchair for $495, a two-seater loveseat for $745, and a three-seater sofa for $995—each made of a few modules built from steel frames and covered in natural fabrics. The parts are slipcovered individually so that the upholstery can be replaced after a bit of wear. By purchasing materials directly from manufacturers, cutting steel with a rented machine in San Jose, California, and assembling the forms at its Emeryville heaquarters, Campaign is able to keep prices under the $1,000 mark. Not to mention, shipping—which usually takes around a week—is free.
Striving to create streamlined, affordable forms meant for everyday living, Sewell says he follows the mantra of Charles and Ray Eames: “We want to make the best for the most for the least.”
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