Ferns and Furniture: an Interview with Eduardo Lizarraga of Furn & Co

       We were certainly not unfamiliar to Eduardo and Furn & Co. prior to our scheduled interview; so we were excited to sit down to learn more about this boutique showroom and the man behind it. When you walk into Furn & Co., you are drawn to the meticulous arrangements of furniture, with beautiful accessories discerningly spread throughout. Eduardo Lizarraga, the vivacious, yet humble founder, was somewhat surprised by the formality of our interview. Yet he did not hesitate to elaborate on the experiences he had both before and after he started Furn & Co. Eduardo’s answers had great personality and life, which are echoed in his effervescent showroom. In the interview Eduardo talked about his experiences, but was sure to stress the importance of the harmonious collaboration of “the team.” 

Nancy Stracka Interiors: So, you started Furn & Co. in '98, what did you do before this?

Eduardo Lizarraga of Furn & Co.: Well I worked for several showrooms in the building. For a period of time, I was just designing showrooms, offering my services as a merchandiser. So I would spend a week in a showroom, turn it around, and it would look different. Basically it was not decorating but more like merchandising, to increase sales.

NSI: So what gave you the idea to start Furn & Co.?

EL: Well, I'm a set designer by trade. I went to school at Parson's, but I never really did much in that field. I worked for a production company years ago in New York doing photo shootings and things like that, but I came to Boston and decided to stay here. But I didn't have a clue what to do! So I came to the Boston Design Center and I got offered a job doing sales and displays and things like that. After that, I started my services as a merchandiser, freelancing for people here. Then in the 90s I got offered a job at Webster which was opening for the first time. So they hired me and I worked there for a while. Then I was hired by the Martin Group, and I worked there for about seven years. Then I decided to leave that company and open my own showroom.

NSI: How did you come up with the name Furn & Co?

EL: Now that's very interesting. When I left the Martin Group, it was because there used to be another showroom here in the building, and the woman that owned it offered me a partnership. So at that time I was like "well, maybe it's time for me to do my own thing" and after I had worked for so many people I said "well, I can do that!" So I quit my job at the Martin Group and went to this new job for a short period of time, and it didn't work out. Partnerships are like marriages; they either work very well, or they just don't work (laughs). So after I left there, this space was available in the building. So I said "let's do it, this is it!" And I signed a lease. Right after that, I went back to the factory that I was representing with that other company and they said "Eduardo, we can't go with you. We made a deal with the company, not you personally." So I freaked out like "Oh my God, I've already signed a lease, and I have nothing to sell and a lot to lose!" Anyhow, I descided to put on my best tie and go to California. I went from business to business and knocked on doors and came back with four or five different companies and that's how I started it. The

name, that was the question, where did I come up with the name? Well, Ferns, F-E-R-Ns, are the oldest plants on earth. It is the only plant on earth that came back after an atomic bomb in Japan. So it is a very resiliant plant, and I am inspired by that. I also happen to love ferns. I'm not into flowers but I love ferns, they're very exciting. And so I said "well, why don't we just name the company 'fern'?" And my friends said "hmm, it's going to sound like you're selling plants." I didn't want that, so I started playing with the word because I didn't want my name associated with the company because when you have a name it becomes like a trade mark or something. So I decided it had to be a word no more than four or five letters, a quick thing. So I thought what if i change the E for the U and it sounds like the abbreviation for furniture?

NSI: How clever!

EL: Yes because you still say "fern" but the F-U-R-N looks like furniture! That's how we came up with the name. The fact that I went through sort of hard times in getting here, I thought it was appropriate. And Julie liked it too. Julie worked with me at the Maritn Group so she knows the whole history of the company because I dragged her with me. She's been my right hand since the very beginning and here we are ten years later, still in business and very proud of ourselves because we're just very humble people, smart and harworking. I think another thing that is one of our strengths is that I learned from my experiences that the more help you provide to the designers, the better things work. Interior designers have a lot on their minds especially if they have two or three projects at the same time, so from a business perspective it can get confusing. So when a designer comes in and we notice that they need help, we love to do that. Because we are a small company, what they call a "boutique showroom", we are familiar in everything we do and everything we have, so it is easy for us to help the designers. we do it with taste. That's pretty much the way we operate. Customer service is very important, I have learned this from my own shopping experiece. When I go to shops and boutiques to buy things for our showroom, and there is someone there who is very helpful, I will buy from them, those are the places I will go back to.

NSI: Are you constantly buying new products?

EL: Yes, we are a very active showroom, we never repeat our accessories. Every season we are up to date on trends and styles. Our business is like a fashion business, we have to know what's going on. We have to be a year or year and a half ahead of the trends. Also what is very important is in our showroom, we try to create an exciting environment, like and exciting world so that when an interior designer walks in here, they feel inspired by little corners and textures and all of our displays. We try to be a place of inspiration.

NSI: Do you have to travel to get your own inspiration?

EL: Well, I don't have to, but I do (laughs).

NSI: Why not right?

EL: Yes yes, we do attend trunk shows in Las Vegas for example. Also in my travels I keep my eyes open because it's the only way we can find interesting and different accessories. All of the sources for new products in our industry are the same sources. Everyone goes to the same trade shows. Why? Because at these shows the whole world comes to expose their own things and new things so, that's where you go to find somehting. So yeah, I travel and purchase things and that gives our accessories their own sort of niche. You look around in our showroom and you see differnt things that when they go together they look good. We merchandise to make it easier for interior designers to make the right judgements when they purchase our products for their clients.

NSI: What is your favorite place to travel?

EL: I enjoy Europe very much.

NSI: How often to you get over there?

EL: About twice a year. At the end of this summer I'm going to France, so I'll be doing some shopping there.




NSI: Who is your favorite artist?

EL: Well, I have enormous admiration for this man who it very much an artist. He is a furniture designer named Vladimir Kagan. He was a huge name back in the 60s because he's the one who invented the concept of the kitten-shape sofa, you know those rounded things. He was the head of the trend at the time. I've always been inspired by that man, what he did was set the trademark style of the 60s. So I have a lot of favorite artists, but he is just fantastic.

NSI: So does your own home look anything like the showroom?

EL: Absolutely not! My own home is just a real comfortable and casual place. I've always been horrified at the idea of anyone photographing my home. I am a very private person. I have a dog, and my house is designed for dogs. You know, they have accidents everywhere so I have throws all over my furniture to protect it and my carpet is covered in stains. I live very casually.

NSI: So what do you do in your spare time?


EL: Well let's see, I love music, I love opera, I paint and do my drawings, things like that. When I go home, I need to separate myself from this world of my showroom.

NSI: Do you ever sell your artwork?

EL: No no, it's all private.

NSI: Where do you go to see music and opera?

EL: Well I go to New York sometimes, but I try to stay here because everything here is about half the price, you know. The local opera company is great. I love concerts too.

NSI: What is the most recent concert you've been to?

EL: Hmm, I went to a phenominal concert, it wasn't very recent but it was very memorable, one day I was reading the paper and I saw that they were going to have the first male soprano singing. So picture this guy with a high pitched voice, it was very impressive. Apparently he had an accident when he was a little kid and when they repaired his vocal chords, he could sing in soprano. He's a famous guy because he can take the roles in opera of children or boys which usually they leave for others who have more husky voices, more like a teenager boy. So that was great.

NSI: Back to the showroom, do you have any best-sellers?


EL: Well that's a mystery because sometimes I will find something and think it will sell right away and it wont, or I'll buy something that I'm not too sure about and it will sell as soon as we bring it in. So I've learned that I can't just rely on my personal taste, I have to ask what Julie thinks and what others think too. We function as a team because we have better ideas that way.

NSI: What is your favorite part of owning your own showroom?

EL: Well my favorite part is when things sell! (laughs) But I think one of the most rewarding parts is when the things that I've purchased arrive here and I get to unpack, it's very exciting and rewarding to see and hear good feedback. It's like "we're doing something right". So my favorite part is when I realize that whatever we're doing here is well-liked. And Nancy Stracka will go for the full range of things, she has very sophisticated taste as well so what I notice about her is that she always knows what she's looking for, she doesn't dilly-dally, which is very important for an interior designer.

(the team)

NSI: Do you have a favorite item that's in the showroom right now?

EL: Well, I do. I have a pair of obelisks by the door. I love them very much because I have never seen them that size before. Do you know the movie "Room with a View"? These people go on vacation to Italy, to Florence, and when they go to a museum, people used to bring back miniature things as souvenirs so there are a lot of mini-obelisks. That's what you see at antique shops mostly. So one day I saw those big ones and I was thinking "where did they come from?" Well most likely someone in the 60s designed them for a hotel or a restaurant, they're one of my favorite things. I found them very pretty.

NSI: So how many different companies do you represent here?

EL: About fifteen companies. When it comes to accessories, we don't represent them, we just buy them and sell them. But for companies for which I am the agent, I would say there are about fifteen.




As we wandered around the showroom, we saw what Eduardo meant about trying to be a place of inspiration. Each corner had its own character. You could almost see the people that will one day be sitting on the chairs and at the tables. The photography below gives a taste of the overall feel of the showroom, but cannot capture the ambiance of being surrounded by it.

Furn&Co
Boston Design Center
One Design Center Place
Suite 332
Boston, MA 02210

email: furnco@concentric.net
Office: 617 342 1500
Fax: 617 439 9898