Henrik Pontoppidan, Director of S2U Design, talks about the mezzanine floor graveyard for failed projects.

Spend enough time in Vietnamese furniture factories and you’ll notice something curious. In the corners of showrooms, on mezzanine floors, or stacked at the back of a warehouse, you’ll often find a group of samples gathering dust. They’re not rejects. In fact, some of them are excellent. But they all have one thing in common: they were developed for a customer who for one reason or another didn’t go ahead and ordered it.

Because the samples were made specifically for specific customers, most factories now consider it untouchable. Off limits. No one else is allowed to buy it – not even if it’s a super promising design and the original customers has disappeared.

Serious Vietnamese factories don’t take any risks of ending up in IP conflicts.

From Factory Mezzanines to Our Own Design Shelf

When I first launched S2U Design Vietnam, one of the ideas was to rescue the forgotten gems – those well-made samples gathering dust on factory mezzanines. The plan was simple: find the best of them, fix the flaws, and bring them to market. But it quickly proved unworkable. Most of these samples were tangled in uncertainty – no clear ownership, incomplete specs, and often outdated production setups. We shelved the idea.

Then, years later, the concept came back – but in a new form.

How we end up with great production ready designs, outperforming competing products

At S2U Design, our core business is delivering the blueprint to properly developed furniture – from idea to shipment – as a paid service as you can see on www.s2udesign.com. That’s the model. But occasionally a buyer approaches us hoping we’ll do development work for free. They see it as a simple factory intro and a small commission if things go well. We don’t work like that – and for good reason. That shortcut leads to inconsistent quality, unresolved design flaws, and no real control.

If a client isn’t prepared to invest a little in proper development – and own the outcome – we usually say no. But every now and then, a concept is too good to ignore. If we believe we can beat the competition on quality and price through better design, we quietly develop it ourselves. We hold the IP. We fine-tune every detail. Then we offer it back to the original client who has not been involved in the development. Most often, they don’t buy – perhaps indicating they didn’t have a strong intention or ability to buy in the first place.

What we’re left with, though, is a range of strong, clean, production-ready designs – better made, better looking, full control over specs and quality – and usually at a better price. And now, they’re available. Ready to quote. Ready to order. Full development is done. Factory is keen.

These aren’t old samples from factory storerooms. These are clean, ready-to-run products developed by S2U Design – and now we offer them to buyers who want something competitive and commercial with no direct competition.

Here’s one we prepared earlier

Take the white-painted bedroom range you see in the photos. We originally got the enquiry from a potential client who didn’t want to pay for development. But we saw a clear opportunity: The right timing, contemporary and popular style, and plenty of possibilities to design it better than the nearest run of the mill products in the market.

So, we designed and created it ourselves – carefully. Through own designs we did away with the frequently occurring quality issues found in most ready assembled fast selling budget furniture, such as:

Drawers either sticky or too loose
Drawers not quite lining up and gaps uneven.
Finish inconsistent
Back panes fitted with visible, wonky screws.

I know all of these from 15 years of importing and retailing furniture in the UK – hard to avoid, you live with them – small but annoying issues. And now I design to prevent them and produce cleaner solutions – cheaper! While controlling the production on the ground only in factories who back the agenda for better products.

The result? A better product than what’s out there – at a price point that works for mid-market retailers.

One example is the images from a sample inspection. This bedroom range is for sale at FOB prices from $39.50 for the large 3 Drawer Bedside Table and $75 for the large 2 over 4 Chest of Drawers. The value of a 40ft FCL is 14-15,000 USD – and the quality does not appear like budget end.

Skip the hassle, get it to market

If you’ve ever developed a range from scratch, you know how long it takes. And how often you find yourself in the dilemma of launching timely or postpone launch to re-do and perfect samples.

But with our pre-developed ranges, you can bypass all that. You get a range that’s already been through the process, already costed, and already vetted for production. You don’t need to draw anything. Just place an order, and we’ll get it made.

Ready to talk? – Request the price list

If this sounds like the kind of range you’d like to put on your shop floor – or if you just want to see what else we’ve developed – we’d love to hear from you.

With this article you’ll find photos from our own sample inspection. This is what the product actually looks like – not a factory showroom mock-up. Want the full FOB price list? Just ask – we’ll send you the whole package: prices, specs, lead times, options.

Call me directly: +44 (0)1432 851 824
WhatsApp: +44 (0)7766 70 50 60
henrik@s2udesign.com
www.s2udesign.com