Custom Sofa Brand 'Max&'... "We Even Customize Seating Comfort"

Word of Mouth from Wedding and Mom Cafes
Sales Jump 80% in One Year
Online Applications and Sales Become Popular

Yuhungbok, Director of Max &.

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chunhan] "Size adjustment is basic, and we customize everything from fabric and leg design to seating comfort according to your preferences."

Director Yoo Heungbok of Max& is a veteran who has been selling furniture online for over 20 years. He focused on custom-made products in the highly competitive furniture market. Director Yoo stated, "Custom furniture is already quite common in Europe," and added, "I believe that in Korea, the time will come when custom methods become mainstream."

The custom sofa brand Max& promotes the slogan "Our family’s sofa, customized as we like." It means understanding the space shared with family and reflecting each member’s different tastes to propose custom furniture. The core sofa materials, leather and fabric, are directly sourced from Italy, the UK, and other countries. Among them, the WaterSafe suede fabric, co-developed with Italy’s Scamosciato, boasts near-perfect waterproof functionality through a patented domestic technique called the ‘Sanggam Cheongja method.’ Sofas are crafted by artisans with over 30 years of experience at a company-owned factory.

The seating comfort modification service is the most satisfying option among custom features for customers. Director Yoo explained, "Depending on the customer, even sitting on the same sofa can feel hard, soft, or somewhere in between," and added, "When purchasing a sofa, we offer three options: hard, medium, and soft." Max& supports creating your own sofa by combining six factors: size, color, leg design, fabric, and more.

Although selling custom furniture online is not easy, Max& has systematized its experience of producing custom products through numerous customer consultations. On the online mall built through the global e-commerce platform ‘Cafe24,’ customers select colors and check items that need changes, then finalize detailed matters through phone consultations with staff. Director Yoo said, "Over several years, we defined terminology and prepared checklists so that customers, consultation staff, and sofa makers can all understand and communicate effectively."

Max&’s sales last year increased by more than 80% compared to the previous year. The showroom opened in August 2019 in Paju City, Gyeonggi Province, became known through apartment complex resident meetings, local mom cafes, and interior and wedding communities, leading to customer recommendations. About 40% of total sales come from online orders by customers outside the metropolitan area. Max& products are broadly divided into three categories. The Premium line uses high-quality internal materials and fabrics. The Signature line is a popular product sold at reasonable prices, and the Unique line is designed to suit the tastes of the younger generation.