INDUSTRY ∙ FACTORY DEVELOPMENT
Product Strategy Through Manufacturing
A eucalyptus outdoor furniture program exploring how manufacturing capability and material expertise shaped product direction, perceived value, and commercial success.
role ∙ 2019-2020
Director of Product Design & Development
MARKET
The Home Depot · U.S. Retail & E-Commerce
scope
Product Development, Finishes, Soft Goods
FOCUS
Manufacturing Development & Commercial Positioning
overview
Building the product and the production base together.
Lakewood is a 5-piece eucalyptus outdoor seating set — four chairs and a round coffee table — developed for U.S. mass retail and placed with The Home Depot. The program was built on a new factory partnership and focused development effort on the elements that would matter most at retail: proportions calibrated to a target price point, a proprietary multi-step finish, and a purpose-built soft-goods program.
THE OPPORTUNITY
Eucalyptus was well-positioned for U.S. mass retail — durable, price-accessible, and broadly appealing — and there was a clear opening to bring it to Home Depot. What was needed was the right product, the right price point, and a production partner capable of delivering at scale.
01 • DIRECTION
Designing for a broad retail customer.
The collection needed to feel more residential without losing the accessibility that defines successful mass-market furniture. Working from an existing factory design, the focus was on refining the overall character through proportion, detail, and construction—creating a product that felt more considered for its intended customer while remaining aligned with a highly competitive retail price.
Turned elements, shaped arms, and decorative back details gave the collection a familiar, approachable character—comfortable in a wide range of homes, yet distinctive enough to stand apart in a highly competitive outdoor category.
For mass retail, the design brief is also a commercial brief.
direction
Adapting an existing factory base for a broad U.S. retail audience and a specific price point.
approach
Concentrating development effort on the elements with the greatest commercial impact.
manufacturing
Building factory capability alongside the product, not after approval.
finish & soft goods
Developing a proprietary eucalyptus finish and coordinated soft-goods program, both built for scale.
02 • approach
Building the production capability alongside the product.
The work treated manufacturing development and product development as a single process. Beginning with an existing factory base shortened the timeline and concentrated development effort on the elements with the greatest commercial impact — the finish and the soft goods.
Factory capability was built in parallel with the product, with design decisions refined in response to manufacturing realities. The goal was not simply to approve an attractive sample, but to create a product the factory could reproduce consistently at scale.
03 • FINISH & SOFT GOODS
Creating differentiation through finish and soft goods.
The finish was the program's primary differentiator. A custom multi-step wood treatment was developed to bring out the depth and character of eucalyptus while remaining repeatable at production scale. The process had to perform consistently across shaped components, broad surfaces, edges, and decorative details — controlling color, texture, contrast, and application sequence without adding cost or complexity the price point couldn't absorb.
The soft-goods program was developed as an integral part of the furniture, not selected after the frames were complete. Seat depth, cushion thickness, fill, fabric color, accent textiles, and visual proportion were coordinated to create the right comfort and merchandising presentation while meeting the performance, costing, and replenishment requirements of a large retail program.
At this retail level, finish quality drives perceived value — but the process must remain repeatable.
COMMERCIAL CONSIDERATIONS
Design decisions evaluated through national retail requirements.
Broad retail audience
Balanced residential character with approachable proportions, finishes, and configurations suited to a wide national market.
New manufacturing partner
Developed factory capability alongside the product rather than treating sampling as a stand-alone exercise.
Perceived value
A proprietary multi-step eucalyptus finish and coordinated soft-goods package elevated a commercially restrained product.
Production scale
Construction, tolerances, finish application, and upholstery refined for repeatable high-volume output.
