When you get to High Point Market this week, expect some surprises from Arteriors. After intentionally slowing down its new product development last year, the design brand is revving back up with an abundance of new launches—items like its first portable rechargeable lamps and a series of different multiport and multidrop chandeliers and pendants. “As much as the design community loves the Arteriors brand and appreciated Arteriors designs, there was just a lot more opportunity,” says chief executive officer John Hart, who has been reshaping the company’s approach to product development since coming on board two years ago. “One of the first things we started getting after was development of new product. Part of it was getting processes organized around it. But as much as anything, it was: What are we going to develop, by when, to continue to drive growth? And this is the first market where we really start to see some of the outgrowth of that, which we’re very excited for.”
Hart arrived at the brand in January 2024 after two decades with Kohler and Ann Sacks, followed by CEO stints at Scott Group Studio and Luminaire. In Arteriors—which was founded by Mark Moussa in the 1980s and had grown exponentially into a global design company spanning categories like lighting, furniture and decor—he saw plenty of room for growth. “Part of what got me excited about looking at the opportunity is, in a beautiful business and a beautiful brand like Arteriors, I could see, even from the outside, before getting underneath the hood, all these different areas where it can be improved,” he says. “Just to build on the platform and to do more with what we already have.”
To drive innovation, Hart’s main focus is product. He made an effort to get the brand’s product developers in front of interior designers for real-time feedback. “We’ve got super talented people here—the design team and the product development team doing all of this, developing and launching things that the design community responds really well to,” he says. “They love our designs, but at the end of the day, [the product team] is not really connected to understanding who our customer is. How does a designer use this product? Is this the right dimension? Does that finish make sense based upon what else it is going to be sitting with? [We’re] not only bringing people on board that have that kind of experience—including having sold [to] and truly being part of the design community—to help drive [home] that process is a big deal, but [we’re also getting] the existing team out there. If they weren’t spending time at High Point, guess what, [product] designer? Your new job is to come to High Point, talk to all the salespeople, and give tours for media friends [to] see what kind of questions they’re asking.”
Crucial insight: For Hart, establishing a knowledge-based culture was a priority from the get-go. “Whether you’re developing product or you’re in the warehouse, or frankly, even in the accounting department, truly understanding how what you do impacts the customer—that was a pretty big cultural thing for us,” he says. “I’ve never come on board into a new role like this with the thought that the first thing I need to do is get all my own people in there. … It’s to understand: What’s the lay of the land? Where are the opportunities? Where do we need to get better versus not? We’ve made a handful of changes at the C-suite level, but one of the things I’m most positive about … is [bringing] on board some really talented, capable, driven individuals in key roles.”
Key quote: “I like where Arteriors is positioned today. I have got no doubt that there’s more that we can do at the higher end. We can stretch price points up, but you stretch price points up by having the right stuff. It’s got to be worth the money. At the end of the day, the most important thing is to create value for the designer; create the value for their end customer. With the entire experience, the product is at the core of that. I think about the product assortment, as much as anything, in terms of the categories that we’re developing into, and where the market is, and where we need to be with an inventory-based model to make sense for the designer to say: ‘Arteriors is my go-to for this category, and here are the reasons why, including the fact that their price points make sense for what I’m doing.’”
This episode is sponsored by Ernesta and Crypton. Listen to the show below. If you like what you hear, subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
The Thursday Show
Host Dennis Scully and BOH executive editor Fred Nicolaus discuss the biggest news in the design world, including the rise of AI consultants, a check-in on tariffs and inflation, and how designers are capitalizing on the wellness revolution. Later, Artemest founder and CEO Marco Credendino joins the show to talk about the brand’s plans for Milan Design Week.
This episode is sponsored by Loloi and Chelsea House. Listen to the show below. If you like what you hear, subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
