In Her Shoes..
In conversation with Georgia Metcalfe, founder of French Bedroom.
This week we're chatting to the fabulous Georgia of French Bedroom. Georgia fuses creativity and design to produce authentic and thoughtful furniture, described by customers as 'antiques of the future'.
Georgia, you're celebrating almost 20 years of French Bedroom. What's one piece of advice you'd give to someone starting their own business?
Be realistic about the journey you are about to embark on. It’s tough, there are no shortcuts to putting in the work. The first few years is about figuring out who your customers are, the products that will become your best sellers and your operating model. Typically being on your own and needing to perform all the roles in the business takes persistence and relentless effort; keep your anchor point front of mind to maintain stamina.
I’ve been running French Bedroom for almost 20 years now, we’ve survived 3 recessions, a global pandemic and alongside build the business my wonderful family has grown too.
My advice would be, just start, and ignore those who tell you not to.
Getting Comfortable:
French Bedroom blends luxurious comfort and style. How important is comfort in your design philosophy?
Bedrooms are synonymous with comfort, a room of one’s own is so much more than a place to sleep in todays modern world.
Post pandemic our homes became multifunctional spaces, with bedrooms needing to double up with varied uses, from home yoga studios to office by day, bedroom by night.
This has certainly seen our product set evolve; we have dressing tables that double up as writing desks, we’d never have had that a few years ago.
We test the comfort of everything from lean back test on a headboard, to how a mattress performs on different slats – our vision is for our customers to keep the bed they purchase from us for life – performing at a comfort level that will guarantee longevity is key.
Founder Favourites:
The French Bedroom has such a distinct, elegant aesthetic. Do you have a favourite piece in the collection, or one that holds a special story?
It has to be The Love Story Collection, a furniture collection that now has 15 pieces and more on the way. Born from an obsession with the drivers behind our customers renovation reasons, we built a collection with enough variety and longevity to adapt to different life stages.
Our bedrooms, especially the largest bedroom in the house tend to become the backdrop to family life, many of our customers start their French Bedroom journey when they are getting married, or nesting pre baby, or starting a new chapter as empty nesters – or starting again when life takes an unexpected turn.
The collection takes its name from the emotion a well curated bedroom can hold. Love can be defined as deep affection, great pleasure, a feeling of pure joy. Most of us have this connection with our bed when we retire to it each evening. The Love Story Collection is designed to be the backdrop for one’s own bedroom to be an everlasting love story.
Looking Ahead:
What’s next for French Bedroom? Any exciting new collections or projects you can share a sneak peek of?
You might be the first to hear! We are launching a brand new 7 piece collection: The Gustavian Dark Collection – this style of furniture pays tribute to the kinship and visual dialogue between French and Swedish designs.
The collection includes a bed, bedsides, armoires and more; crafted from solid ash wood and finished with a rich and deep stain, the timeless look brings a sense of elevated hotel styling, and quiet luxury to your bedroom.
With horizontal hand-carved fluting, stepped inset corners and distinguished acorn corner finials each piece is smart yet comfortable. We’re so excited to launch a collection which is slightly edgier look for French Bedroom to see how our customers respond.
Want to know more?
Watch the full interview with Georgia & Claire below.
