Norwalk's new furniture design tool lets customers view in 360 degrees
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NORWALK, Ohio - Norwalk Furniture is set to debut its new 360 Design Tool on its website later this month. The tool allows customers to completely customize a furniture piece and then view it from 360 degrees.
 
“Our goal is to make the customer upholstery process fun, fast and foolproof,” said Caroline Hipple, president of Norwalk Furniture. “Never has it been easier to help the customer visualize their upholstery choices, change those choices — the arms, the backs, the finishes, nail treatments, welts, fabrics and on and on — and then visualize them. The fabric draping tool is top-notch. And, what’s more, it summarizes and makes order writing easy.”
 
After customization, the tool gives the salesperson or interior designer a detailed spec sheet featuring all of the pieces and custom options chosen. Watch Hipple break down the tool in the video below.
 
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One of the tool's primary benefits is that it drastically reduces the fear of making the wrong decision, Hipple says. 
 
“In today’s world, especially post- COVID, we are all interested in using technology as much as possible to speed our decision making. And we want our furniture our way,” Hipple added. “The new configurator makes the complex appear simple. I call it like paper-dolls for furniture.”
 
Norwalk worked with tech firm Intiaro to produce the tool, releasing a free iPhone and Android app a few months back. 
 
Hipple is a Woodworking Network Wood Industry Market Leader. She has been the president of the company since 2016.
 
Norwalk produces around 40,000 furniture pieces every year. The company operates a 440,000 square foot production facility in Norwalk, Ohio.
 
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Robert Dalheim

Robert Dalheim is an editor at the Woodworking Network. Along with publishing online news articles, he writes feature stories for the FDMC print publication. He can be reached at [email protected].