Contract furniture: how to reach architects and designers

If you make furniture for hotels, restaurants, offices or care homes, you know the order is rarely signed by whoever chose the product. In between there is an architect or an interior designer who decided which chairs, tables and finishes went into the project. In contract this is called specification. Being a contract furniture manufacturer that sells furniture for architects and interior designers means selling twice: first to whoever specifies, then to whoever buys. This guide explains who specifies, what they need from you to include you, and how to stay in mind when the next project comes.

1. Who really specifies in a contract project

«Architects and interior designers» is a broad label. In practice, several people can put your product into a project:

The interior designer or interior design studio: chooses pieces, materials and finishes. In hotels and restaurants they usually carry the most weight on furniture.
The architect: on small projects or offices they sometimes handle the interior too; on large ones they usually coordinate and leave the furniture to the interior designer.
The FF&E consultant: on some hotel projects, a company is in charge of defining, budgeting and buying the furniture and equipment. If there is one, it is a key contact.
A chain's design or purchasing department: hotel and restaurant brands with many sites usually have design standards and approved suppliers.
The project manager or contractor: they rarely choose the product, but they can propose alternatives when budget or deadlines get tight.

Before writing to anyone, work out which of these profiles decides in the type of project you are after. A small studio refurbishing restaurants does not work like a chain's design team.

2. What a studio needs before including you

A specifier puts their reputation on the line with every piece they propose. If your product arrives late, does not meet what the project requires or does not look like the sample, it is their problem in front of the client. So before including you, they want to have to hand:

Downloadable technical information: data sheets with dimensions, materials and finishes; drawings in DWG or PDF; and 3D or BIM models so they can drop your pieces into their project without redrawing them.
Finish samples: fabrics, woods, lacquers, metals. Make them easy to request and quick to arrive.
Certificates and tests: fire behaviour, strength and heavy use, depending on what each project and country requires. Environmental or timber-origin certifications too, if you have them.
Real lead times: for manufacturing and delivery, and minimum order quantities. An optimistic lead time you then miss closes the door on the next project.
Indicative prices: a price list or ranges that let them see whether you fit the budget without requesting a formal quote for every piece.
Customisation options: what can be changed (dimensions, upholstery, finishes) and what cannot.
Reference projects: photos of real installations you can show with the client's permission.

If today all this is scattered across emails, a PDF catalogue and whatever your salesperson knows, the first job is to put it in one place, for example a trade area on your website. Having your data sheets published and well structured also helps search engines and AI assistants find you, as we explain in how to show up in ChatGPT if you are a manufacturer.

3. Where to find the studios that fit you

Not every studio is relevant. Look for those doing projects of the type and size you can serve:

Published projects: architecture and interior design magazines and websites publish projects with the studio's name and, often, the suppliers'. If a studio has done several hotels similar to the ones you furnish, it is a good candidate.
Studios' websites and social profiles: many show their projects in progress; you can see the style they work in and the brands they use.
Professional directories and awards: professional associations and industry awards list studios by area and speciality.
Projects being announced: behind every hotel or restaurant that is announced there is a studio. Following those projects leads you to the specifiers; we explain how in how to hear about hotel contract projects early.
Interiors and contract fairs: a fair's exhibitor catalogue and its talks programme tell you which studios and brands are active.

For each studio, note who handles interiors or materials, what kind of projects they do and which brands they tend to use. With that list you no longer write blind.

4. How to approach them without being just another catalogue

Studios receive catalogues and sales visits all the time. What usually works better is specific and useful:

Start with something of theirs: a project they have published or have in progress, and why your product would make sense in something similar.
Offer something that saves them work: BIM models of your contract pieces, a finish sample box or a comparison sheet.
Ask for little: «Shall I send you our upholstery samples to keep at the studio?» is easier to answer than «Can we set up a meeting?».

Write to a specific person, not the general inbox, and without heavy attachments in the first email to a studio that does not know you. If they reply, a short presentation at the studio with samples in hand is usually worth more than a long brochure.

5. How to stay in their library

Many studios have a materials library: a physical or digital space with samples and information from the suppliers they work with. Getting in is the first step; staying in is what gets you specified on the next project.

Keep samples up to date: if you change finishes or discontinue a fabric, tell them and replace it. An obsolete sample causes problems on site.
Update the downloadable information: data sheets, models and certificates, dated, at a link that does not change.
Write when you have something useful: a collection designed for contract, a finished project or a change in lead times. You do not need to write every week; you need what you send to be useful.
Answer fast: when a studio asks for a sample or a detail mid-project, speed matters almost as much as the product.
Note who has what: which samples each studio holds, which projects they have proposed you for and when you last spoke.

6. Track what happens with each studio

Specification is slow: many months can pass between the first conversation with a studio and an order. If you do not write it down, it is easy to think it is not working. A simple record (studio, person, projects they have included you in and the stage of each) tells you which studios really specify you and which deserve more of your time.

What you can do and what we can do

Organising your technical information, choosing the studios that fit and keeping in touch can all be done by hand. The hard part is keeping it up every week alongside production and quotes. That is where we come in: we build and run the prospecting system that finds studios and projects, identifies the person who specifies and writes to them with a concrete reason. You can see how we approach it for contract furniture manufacturers, and for the method to spot the projects themselves, read how to find contract projects before they are awarded. If you manufacture, this is how we approach customer acquisition for manufacturers.