After branching out from bedding into furniture last fall, direct-to-consumer home goods brand Parachute continues its quest to cover every room in the home with the launch of its first living room collection.
The new line includes sofas, chairs, coffee and side tables, lighting and rugs featuring modern lines and soft curves. The collection follows Parachute’s launch of bed frames, nightstands and other bedroom pieces last year.
“We see the living room as the next step for us as we’ve continued to build out our assortment,” said Ariel Kaye, founder and CEO, Parachute. “And we’ve certainly had products that work for the living room—things like rugs and window treatments and decor—but these foundational pieces take it to another level as we aim to provide comfort for our customers.”
The living room line is made primarily with PFAS-free textiles, a major push for Parachute. A common class of chemicals considered toxic by the Environmental Protection Agency, PFAS often appear in performance upholstery fabrics.
“As we moved into furniture, we had a very healthy debate about the idea around performance fabrics and knowing that many customers have grown accustomed to those types of fabrications in their home,” Kaye said. “But as we really learned more about furniture and the fabrics used, and we found that so many of these fabrics have PFAS in them, we decided to really take a stance against that because they are forever chemicals and they continue to off-gas.”
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Rather than using stain-resistant upholstery, Kaye said Parachute chose to outfit the furnishings in fabrics that are easy to clean.
Along with a new product line, Parachute also rolls out several more brick-and-mortar retail locations. The company plans to open locations in Boulder, Colorado, Boston and a second store in Los Angeles. The company aims to double its physical retail footprint to 25 by the end of 2022.
Kaye said brick-and-mortar retail plays an important role for Parachute, even helping drive business online. The company has found that customers who shop in-store first end up spending around three times more on the brand’s website.
“As we were thinking about what retail looked like for Parachute, it was really important that we brought the brand to life, that we gave our customers an opportunity to really see and experience our products in an environment that felt like home and to build that relationship with that customer,” she said.
Another important customer base for Parachute’s brick-and-mortar outlets is interior designers. The company recently opened its first to-the-trade store in the popular West Hollywood area of Los Angeles, and Kaye said designer business has become a major component of Parachute’s sales growth, accounting for 25 percent of furniture sales annually.
“Interior designers spend about $41 billion in the home space every year, so they’re a huge gatekeeper to revenue and a huge way for us to connect with customers,” she said. “We’re seeing these products really resonate with interior designers, and we’re very excited to continue to expand into the living room and for interior designers to have more products to choose from when they’re sourcing for their clients.”