Sales of large furniture increasing

Sales of large furniture sharply grew in the third quarter this year, indicating a new trend in lifestyle among young South Korean newlyweds and families.

According to furniture giant Hanssem, sales of six-person dining tables rose threefold compared to 2014. Bed-maker Ace Bed has also seen the sharp growth in sales of king-size beds, with a 17.7 percent rise this year, up by 3.4 percentage points compared to 2014. 

As the use of furniture is becoming diversified and the demand for extra space is rising, the “large furniture” trend is projected to continue, industry insiders said.

“The ‘bigger furniture’ trend reflects the preference among young people who attempt to utilize the limited space upon their unique lifestyles and do not hesitate to aggressively invest money for their lifestyle needs,” said Hanssem. Change of usage in the limited space, such as by using the living room area as an entertainment, dining or study, also attribute to the rising demand, industry watchers said.

To better meet the demand, Hanssem recently released a special six-person dining room furniture set consisting of a table and chairs. The table, at 1,700 mm, is longer than most dining tables, paired with bench-style chairs. The product is designed to serve multiple purposes such as for dining or studying, the company said.

In addition to the large tables, the need for big beds is also increasing, with the sales boosted by 50 percent on-year, Hanssem said.

According to Ace Bed, the increasing Korean average height and the growing importance of individual space appears to have contributed to the need for larger beds. The average height of Korean men as increased by 7 centimeters to 175 centimeters in nearly 40 years, according to various data available.

Ace said that for an ideal quality of sleep, about 90 centimeters of width is considered to be needed on for bed. The beds manufactured in the past used to be only around 70 centimeters, it added. 

Amid the fast-changing trend, more furniture manufacturers are releasing larger beds, such as Simmons, which recently released its supersize mattress California King.

By Lee Hyun-jeong (rene@heraldcorp.com)