NEW YORK—Modern furniture boutique Lazzoni is cementing its position in New York City with a new flagship store in SoHo.
The metropolitan-centered brand blends fashion and function, specializing in space-saving pieces like coffee tables that easily transform into dining tables, sofas that turn into beds.
A counter folds out into a desk, then into a vanity. Everything expands or contracts; everything has multiple uses.
But unlike other niche brands specializing in multi-functional, tiny-apartment furniture, CEO Efe Kababulut stresses affordable luxury in his products.
Kababulut, a fourth generation carpenter with an obsession for detail, is confident and dedicated to Lazzoni’s ability to provide “the best quality for the best price.”
History
Geography is what gives Lazzoni an advantage, Kababulut explained.
“The company started off as a concept to manufacture the best quality with the best resources, but because we manufacture in Turkey, we can cut the cost and pass that onto the price,” he said. The currency there is about a third of the Euro’s value.
The leather is Italian—and so are some of the designers—but the carpentry has Asian roots.
Kababulut’s great grandfather built houses in the 1800s, employing joinery techniques. His grandfather was a cabinetmaker who designed the second biggest Parliament house in Ankara, Turkey.
Kababulut’s father learned from him and went on to design a variety of furniture. He eventually opened Lazzoni with a vision to take the brand international.
Now, being on Greene Street right along with all the other major, international furniture brands, Kababulut says it is like realizing a childhood dream.
Tech
The creative joints, compartments, and expanding ability of Lazzoni’s pieces has its roots in the joinery techniques found in ancient Asian furniture, but the brand also focuses on being forward thinking and tech-integrating. One of the cabinets includes a smart TV with gesture control.
The future is urbanization, Kababulut said. He draws inspiration from small-space living in New York City and other metropolitan areas and sticks to a sleek, clean aesthetic.
Even if you live in a larger space, he says, no one likes clutter.
Kababulut isn’t saying you shouldn’t have clutter—just that you should have somewhere to hide it (like the spacious compartment under their beds). And you should also have the ease of being able to turn off the lights without getting out of bed, which is why their designers placed energy-efficient LED light strips onto the headboard that can be turned on and off with some pressure.
Consultations
The 5,700-square foot SoHo showroom’s grand opening is on Oct. 23. The store, located at 26 Greene St., has four sales associates who are all interior designers and function as consultants for clients.
Everything displayed in the showroom is in stock, but customization in terms of size, color (over 100), and any other adjustments are available on request. The consultants will measure your apartment, then draw up a rendering within a day.
The furniture in stock will ship in a week and customized furniture takes 8 to 12 weeks. Then Lazzoni’s in-house delivery service ships everything over and arranges the furniture in the apartment to make it look like the rendering has come to life.
Kababulut shrugs. The point is convenience, he says, and just what New York City wants.
