Hand-painted Furniture is an Heirloom Waiting to Happen

Fourteen-month-old Joey was seated for the first time in his hand-painted high chair. His eyes lit up as he examined closely the bunnies having a picnic in the park on the tray. He scrunched around to see a painted sun with a happy face shining on his headrest, and the bumblebee with the butterfly flying over the flower garden.

"Why, he never noticed the other high chair before or even his crib for that matter," his mother said excitedly. "I never thought babies would know the difference."

Now Joey won't sit anywhere else as he points out the different painted pictures on his chair to anyone willing to look.

This is one of the best reasons to choose hand-painted furniture. The pieces will stimulate a child's awareness of his or her surroundings. No one is too young to begin appreciating art.

Decorative painting is not a new concept. Going back centuries to the palaces in Europe, painting on furniture has served a double purpose. Functional art is such that the top of a table or the sides of a dresser becomes the canvas for a creative artist. Put to daily use, the art becomes a part of our lives.

Today, hand painted furniture in nurseries and children's rooms offers your buyer the opportunity to customize pieces that will be handed down from generation to generation- a chance to start their own heirlooms.

Cribs, beds, night stands, armoires, high chairs, wastebaskets, hampers, desks, vanities, and toy boxes are just the beginning of a long list of hand painted furnishings to creatively combine in a child's room.

The success in merchandising this type of product is in the display. Most importantly, though, is the enthusiasm of the salesperson. The art sells itself. However, some customers need to be "given permission" to spend more on their children's furniture. When decorating a nursery, it is a good idea to remind the parents that when they enter the baby's room (and sometimes at a sleepy 3:00 a.m.) seeing the beauty of the surroundings will bring endless joy to Mom and Dad and their new, precious arrival.

Customizing and theming a child's room is a big plus with hand-painted furniture selections. Stores can have a local artist on staff who can personalize a piece of stock furniture with the child's name, favorite toys, pet animals, or endearing characters. The in-house artist offers to continue the art at the customer's home by creating wall murals to complete child's room. This popular concept substitutes for wallpaper. It is important when painting the walls of children's rooms to bring the art and focus down to their level. This philosophy in children's room décor has proven that children feel comfortable in a world that is their own size. Scaled down furniture such as tables and chairs are also important for the same reason.

Manufacturers of hand-painted furniture can take a customer's theme and carry the painting throughout the pieces. The furniture is built and designed with the art in mind. This gives the manufacturer a "leg up" by choosing the proper wood that will accommodate the non-toxic, water-based paints. From start to finish, the manufacturer can provide proper pre- and post-production methods that will ensure the art to last throughout the years without chipping, cracking or bleeding knotholes.

Showcasing the furniture in a vignette allows a display of the entire room décor. The design work has been made easier, the sales dollars higher when the customer can visualize the entire room. The more options shown, the greater the sales potential. The customer may eliminate one piece in the group but it is much more difficult to have them add a piece not shown.

Assisting with ideas that can work in their home, along with the courtesy of sending out a staff person to do home calls increases your store's custom service. Measuring the room, arranging the furniture, suggesting wall and window treatment gives that added touch missing in too many retail stores today.

Rags to Riches began at Andrea Totten's dining room table in Pasadena, California on February 9, 1971 with her mother's old Singer Sewing machine. After producing a patchwork quilt from her sewing scraps, Totten found the finished results not very pleasing. Learning from her mistakes, coordinating colors, and improved sewing skills, she ventured out on a new endeavor to produce high quality bedding and accessories. Today Rags to Riches, with it's subdivision, Sweetpea of California, is a leader in the industry. The innovative line can be seen in over 500 specialty stores nationally, and is produced in a 13,000 sq. ft. facility employing more than 50 people. The company has expanded to include hand painted furniture designed to coordinate with the bedding and upholstered furniture in both children's and teen sizes. Ms. Totten has appeared on national television speaking about her business. She has been featured in newspapers and magazines for her active role in encouraging women to venture into entrepreneurship.