Bold Moves

Last year, Bold Furniture went through an extensive rebranding, introducing the market to Bold+. It was a major change for the Muskegon, Mich.-based company that is know in the industry more for its OEM work than its own products. The company continues to evolve, this year under new ownership and new focus on its own furniture lines and the addition of Bold Studio — a branch of the company focused on creating custom products for its customers.

All the pieces were always there. Executive Director Mike Kelley, an industry veteran known for building brands through strong sales organizations, just had to put them all together. Bold+ and Bold Studio — along with the OEM work, which will remain a focus — have a lot going for it. They have nearly a million square feet of vertically integrated manufacturing muscle in the heart of West Michigan’s furniture manufacturing hub and deep roots in OEM work. And they have decades of experience building furniture for the modern workplace. Bold was always the name on the invoice; now it is the name on the showroom.

“Everything is coming together,” said Kelley, an industry veteran who helped build Izzydesign and Enwork. “We have manufacturing, a team of designers and engineers and a sales group that are world class. Bold+ and Bold Studio are 100% focused on design. This company is committed to operational excellence and using our design resources in our studio group to serve our customers.”

Bold+ is also beginning to work with European companies to bring their designs and products to the North American market. Bold+ is partnering with BOS Barcelona to bring its entire catalog to the market, which will be sold through Bold+’s distribution network. BOS Barcelona, which makes high end executive office and conference room products, will also be part of the Bold+ showroom on the 10th floor of THE MART.

This isn’t your typical furniture reboot. Bold isn’t content to be another player with a catalog and a couple SKUs. Instead, they’re approaching this from a new angle — design-forward, customization-ready, and engineered to flex with the future.

“We’re not trying to be everything to everyone,” said Kelley. “We’re trying to be essential to the people who need flexibility, simplicity and smart solutions.”

Bold’s relaunch isn’t just about putting a new label on the old model. It’s about building something fresh that works for today’s workplace. That means new products and a few refreshes of some of its most popular products.

But it is Bold Studio that gets Kelley excited about the company’s future. Bold Studio works with designers, dealers and their customers create bespoke products — total customization from the ground up. They are currently working on a $4 million project that includes custom workstations and private offices that was co-designed with the customer and architectural firm.

“There’s a commitment to the operational side of our business, but we are doubling down on our resources to support customization and studio work,” Kelley said. “This is about co-designing with our customers, which includes dealers, who increasingly want their own private label product lines. I’m going to be doubling the size of that department.”

Bold+ is expanding and adding height adjustability to its mid-century modern influenced Ready///Able desk collection. Ready///Able includes desking with classic shelving and modular cabinets, with each piece thoughtfully crafted to maximize space and organization.

It also totally revamped the Bold Select collection designed by Joey Ruiter. The Bold Select collection is not just a system, but a system of freestanding furniture. Designers can select pieces from a kit of parts. There’s nothing tethered or mechanically attached. Everything is modular — one plug powers it all. At the heart of it lies a completely new and unique power distribution system, one plug can power 10 to 12 fully loaded workstations and it’s engineered to be future proof.

Bold+ is also introducing Design Declassified, a new material that uses reclaimed plastic waste from Mattel toys to create furniture products. And new for Bold+ is its Cake table line with its star metal base, upcycled HDPE plastic inserts and tops with options including veneer and terrazzo.

But what’s really driving Bold’s rebirth is its hybrid approach. While it continues to produce its own lines, the company isn’t abandoning its OEM roots. In fact, it’s doubling down. Nook, one of Bold’s OEM customers, will be showing its products in the Bold+ showroom.

Bold+ also has undergone a complete restructuring of the front office. The company has a new COO and it is bringing in a engineering manager, three more designer/project managers and a number of designers.

The evolution of Bold+ continues and it looks to be stronger than ever at this year’s NeoCon.