Sentient
Sentient is a Brooklyn-based designer and manufacturer of bespoke furniture for luxury residential, hospitality, and commercial clients, operating a 25,000 sq ft integrated workshop with master craftspeople and serving tier-1 brands including Edition Hotels, Four Seasons, Cartier, and Porsche.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersBrooklyn, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Sentient does
SENTIENT (legal entity SENTIENT™ Furniture Inc.) is a Brooklyn-based designer and manufacturer of bespoke furniture, founded in 2012 by Nersi Nasseri and Ali Yavari. The company operates from a 25,000 sq ft studio and workshop in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, where a team of 25-30 master craftspeople performs woodworking, metal fabrication, upholstery, and finishing entirely in-house. Its product portfolio spans the SENTIENT Luxury Collection (original designs including the ICFF 2024 Best Furniture-winning Aeon Sofa and Metamorph Chair), a Live Edge Furniture Collection using American hardwoods from Pennsylvania mills, custom furniture design and fabrication services, epoxy river tables, commercial millwork, banquet seating, and outdoor furniture. Technical differentiators include proprietary live-edge fabrication techniques (air-dried 18 months then kiln-dried 3 months), integrated metal shop capabilities in steel, brass, and bronze, and a brass signature mark embedded in each piece as an authenticity anchor.
The company generates revenue primarily through project-based custom furniture contracts (12-14 week typical timelines, quote-based pricing) plus made-to-order collection sales, with a structured Trade Program providing progressive volume discounts to architects and interior designers. Go-to-market combines enterprise field sales to architecture/design firms specifying Sentient for hospitality, retail luxury, corporate, and government clients; direct-to-consumer residential inquiries; and exhibition-driven brand building at ICFF and major design weeks in Dubai, Paris, New York, Miami, and London. Named clients include Edition Hotels, Four Seasons, Marriott, Hyatt, 1 Hotels, PUBLIC Hotel, British Airways, Nobu, Cartier, Fendi, Porsche, Saks Fifth Avenue, Pace Gallery, the United Nations, and NYU, with architecture partners including Rockwell Group, Gensler, CookFox, Yabu Pushelberg, and Ian Schrager. The company is privately held and founder-owned with no disclosed institutional funding.
Sentient firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Sentient
- Legal name
- SENTIENT™ Furniture Inc.
- Website
- https://sentientfurniture.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Sentient is a Brooklyn-based designer and manufacturer of bespoke furniture for luxury residential, hospitality, and commercial clients, operating a 25,000 sq ft integrated workshop with master craftspeople and serving tier-1 brands including Edition Hotels, Four Seasons, Cartier, and Porsche.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Sentient industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Custom Furniture Manufacturing
- NAICS
- Household and Institutional Furniture Manufacturing (33712), Custom Architectural Woodwork and Millwork Manufacturing (337212)
- SIC
- Household Furniture (2510)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Custom Cabinet Design & Build (HSAPAIAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Event Fabrication & Scenic/Set Build (Custom Builds, Installations) (BPAFAGAK)
Keywords
Where Sentient is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Brooklyn
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Sentient business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Custom Furniture Sales: Bespoke furniture designed and fabricated to client specifications. Projects range from single statement pieces to complete furniture programs for hotels and commercial spaces. Revenue is project-based with typical timelines of 12-14 weeks from concept to delivery.
- Luxury Collection Sales: Pre-designed signature pieces from the SENTIENT collection, including dining tables, sofas, chairs, credenzas, beds, and live edge designs. Each carries the brass signature mark. Made to order with customization options.
- Trade Program: Exclusive pricing and dedicated project management for design professionals including architects, interior designers, stagers, and developers. Includes progressive discounts based on project volume.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Custom Furniture - Quote Based |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Luxury Collection Pieces - Made to Order |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Trade Program - Progressive Volume Discounts |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Sentient product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Sentient is a Brooklyn-based furniture design studio, gallery, and workshop that designs and fabricates bespoke furniture for residential, hospitality, and commercial interiors. All production—woodworking, metal fabrication, upholstery, and finishing—is conducted in-house at a 25,000 sq ft Greenpoint workshop, with the studio also offering a signature Luxury Furniture Collection of original designs, a Live Edge Collection, and a Trade Program for design professionals.
Product overview
SENTIENT is a Brooklyn-based furniture design studio, gallery, and workshop offering a unified portfolio of custom and collection furniture. Their core offerings include the Luxury Furniture Collection (original museum-quality designs like dining tables, sofas, chairs, credenzas, beds, and artistic concept pieces), Custom Furniture Design & Fabrication (bespoke pieces built to client specifications from their 25,000 sq ft workshop), and the Live Edge Furniture Collection (where the natural contour of wood slabs defines each unique piece). They also operate a Trade Program for design professionals and provide large-scale Projects and Contract Services for hospitality and commercial clients. Every piece is conceived, designed, and handcrafted in Brooklyn with in-house woodworking, metal fabrication, upholstery, and finishing capabilities.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- SENTIENT Luxury Furniture Collection
Quantifiable outcome
- Complete furniture program for 200-room hotel capacity
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Sentient
Customer profileNamed customers18 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Sentient technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Sentient partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.
- Rockwell GroupcoreArchitecture firm partner for New York Edition Hotel project. Collaborated on hardwood communal oak tables, bar hosting stands, upholstered banquettes, coffee tables, and cocktail tables for lobby, restaurant, bar, and lounge areas.
- GenslercoreArchitecture firm partner for Bayer Healthcare Group and Pinnacle Foods corporate projects. Ongoing collaboration on commercial furniture specifications.
- CookFox ArchitectscoreArchitecture firm partner for hospitality and residential projects. Ongoing working relationship on custom furniture specifications.
- Ian SchragerflagshipFlagship design partner for Edition Hotels (London, Miami, NYC, Hollywood) and PUBLIC Hotel NYC. Long-term collaboration on lobby, restaurant, bar, lounge, and outdoor furniture programs.
- Yabu PushelbergcoreDesign firm partner for London Edition and Miami Edition hotels. Collaborated on custom banquettes, case goods, sofas, and restaurant furniture.
- Pennsylvania Mills (Wood Suppliers)minorFamily-owned mills in Pennsylvania source American hardwoods including black walnut, white oak, hard maple, cherry, and ash. Wood slabs air-dried up to 18 months, then kiln-dried in Brooklyn workshop.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Sentient competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Uhuru Design: Brooklyn-based, design-led custom furniture maker combining woodworking, fabrication and craft production for residential and hospitality clients. Highly comparable in scale, location, model and customer overlap.
- BDDW: Philadelphia-based designer/fabricator producing limited-edition and custom furniture for collectors, designers and institutions. Comparable in craft-led positioning, custom commission model and A&D specifier channel.
- Tom Dixon / Tom Dixon Studio: Design studio and brand designing and producing furniture, lighting and accessories with contract and residential reach; comparable design-led identity, exhibition presence and luxury/hospitality customer mix.
Broad incumbents
- Holly Hunt: Established luxury furniture and lighting brand serving residential and contract interiors through showrooms worldwide; comparable in A&D channel and premium positioning, though with broader catalog and distribution.
- Baker Furniture: Long-standing luxury residential and contract furniture maker serving designers and hospitality clients; comparable premium-pricing, designer-led collections, and custom/semi-custom capabilities.
- RH (Restoration Hardware): Large-scale luxury home furnishings brand with design galleries and a custom upholstery/atelier program; comparable in luxury positioning and designer/architect collaboration, though vastly larger and broader than SENTIENT.
- Roche Bobois: French luxury furniture brand with high-end made-to-order customization for residential and hospitality; comparable in customization depth and design-led positioning, but distributed through global showrooms rather than direct fabrication.
- Cassina: Italian design-led furniture manufacturer with strong A&D specification channel and custom hospitality projects; comparable design heritage and custom hospitality capability, but with broader catalog and global dealer network.
- Knoll: Leading contract office and hospitality furniture manufacturer; comparable in A&D specification and large hotel/corporate programs, but with catalog/modular product instead of full custom fabrication.
Emerging players
- Jacob May Furniture: Independent, design-led custom furniture maker focused on residential and small commercial commissions; comparable custom-fabrication model and design-forward positioning at a smaller scale.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Sentient social profiles
Digital presenceSentient financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Sentient leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Sentient funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Sentient M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Sentient
What does Sentient do?
Sentient is a Brooklyn-based furniture design studio, gallery, and workshop that designs and fabricates bespoke furniture for residential, hospitality, and commercial interiors. All production—woodworking, metal fabrication, upholstery, and finishing—is conducted in-house at a 25,000 sq ft Greenpoint workshop, with the studio also offering a signature Luxury Furniture Collection of original designs, a Live Edge Collection, and a Trade Program for design professionals.
Is Sentient a public or private company?
Sentient is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Sentient founded?
Sentient was founded in 2012. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Sentient based?
Sentient is headquartered in Brooklyn, United States, in the North America region.
How does Sentient make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Custom Furniture Sales are the primary driver. The others are luxury Collection Sales and trade Program.
Who are Sentient's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Uhuru Design, BDDW and Tom Dixon / Tom Dixon Studio. Broad incumbents are Holly Hunt, Baker Furniture, RH (Restoration Hardware), Roche Bobois, Cassina and Knoll. Jacob May Furniture is listed as an emerging player.
Does Sentient have an API?
No public API is recorded for Sentient.
What industry is Sentient in?
Sentient's product category is Custom Furniture Manufacturing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HSAPAIAA, Custom Cabinet Design & Build, with a secondary code of BPAFAGAK, Event Fabrication & Scenic/Set Build (Custom Builds, Installations). Its NAICS code is 33712 and its SIC code is 2510.