Mike Haines – Dwell’s imaginative expansion

How frequently should a retailer introduce new product? Like most, dwell, a retailer defined by its affordable, design-led furniture and off-the-wall accessories, adopts a seasonal approach. Paul Farley attended the launch of dwell’s Q3/4 collections, and heard about the company’s plans from previous Ekornes UK helmsman, Mike Haines …

ekonglong sofa chair

Il Bottaccio, an ornate classical venue in Knightsbridge, seems an odd place in which to present dwell’s newest wares, which are typified by the contemporary and the quirky. However, somehow it works – the eye is drawn to the collections rather than the surroundings, reminding visitors that these furnishings are eminently flexible.

Principally for the purpose of promotion to the consumer press, the new products have been arranged into three distinct stories: Geometrics, comprising angular models in soft greys and monochrome, broken up with splashes of intense citric accent colours; Super Natural, which blends moody gothic metallics and black finishes with furs and animal skins; and Pop Shop, a dazzling neon psychedelic collection of stand-out accessories.

These three looks sit fairly comfortably alongside the retailer’s best-selling furniture and upholstery mainstays.
The mix is eclectic, but, as anyone who has visited more than one dwell store may have noticed, each boasts a degree of individuality, contrary to the mainstream branding mindset that espouses identikit outlets. There’s a world of difference between the modern, Westfield-based centres and the Guildford store, a former Grade II Listed cinema.