Kim Salmela Atelier

What Kim Salmela Atelier does

Kim Salmela Atelier is a privately held, founder-owned custom furniture and textile design company founded in 1999 and headquartered in a small boutique factory in Los Angeles, California. The company designs, manufactures, and sells made-to-order upholstered furniture including sofas, sectionals, settees, chairs, beds, benches, ottomans, stools, and decorative pillows, all customizable across 150+ fabric options. Production is in-house at the LA facility, with reported lead times of 3-4 weeks for standard pieces and up to 12-14 weeks for larger sectionals.

The company serves three primary customer segments: interior designers and their residential clients (the primary channel), high-end homeowners purchasing direct via the e-commerce site (kimsalmela.com), and hospitality companies commissioning custom commercial pieces. Revenue is generated through one-time unit sales of furniture, fabric by the yard, and accessory pieces, with prices ranging from $1 fabric swatches to $7,695 for premium sectionals. Custom furniture orders are quote-based and require direct contact for pricing.

Distribution combines direct-to-consumer e-commerce shipping to the 48 contiguous US states, trade show and showroom presence at High Point Market and Las Vegas Market via a partnership with Norwalk Furniture, and select retail distribution through One Kings Lane. Marketing relies on organic social (Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn), editorial coverage in publications such as Veranda, Elle Decor, Business of Home, and House Beautiful, and a dedicated trade program for designers and wholesalers. The business is bootstrapped with no disclosed external funding, and founder Kim Salmela retains full ownership. A flagship 2024 partnership with Crypton Home Fabrics produced the Kim Salmela for Crypton performance textile collection, the first designer textile collection Crypton has launched, with GREENGUARD Gold certification.

Name

Kim Salmela Atelier

Legal name

Kim Salmela Atelier

Website

https://kimsalmela.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Kim Salmela Atelier is a privately held, founder-owned custom furniture manufacturer based in Los Angeles that designs and produces made-to-order upholstered furniture and proprietary textiles for interior designers, residential customers, and hospitality clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Custom Furniture Sales: Direct sale of made-to-order upholstered furniture including sofas, chairs, beds, and accent pieces. Products are manufactured to order with extensive customization options across 150+ fabric choices.
2. Textile/Fabric Sales: Sale of proprietary fabric patterns including performance fabrics developed in partnership with Crypton. Fabrics sold by the yard and as swatches.
3. Pillow and Accent Sales: Sale of upholstered pillows, benches, ottomans, and stools as part of the home furnishings product line.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Kim Salmela Atelier is a boutique custom furniture manufacturer and textile designer that designs, manufactures, and sells made-to-order upholstered furniture including sofas, sectionals, chairs, beds, benches, ottomans, stools, and pillows, all produced in its Los Angeles factory with 150+ fabric options per piece. The company also develops and sells proprietary textile collections, including the Kim Salmela for Crypton performance fabric line, and serves individual consumers, interior designers, and select hospitality companies.

Product overview

Kim Salmela Atelier is a custom furniture manufacturer and textile designer offering a unified portfolio of upholstered furniture and proprietary fabric collections. The core offering includes sofas, sectionals, settees, chairs, beds, benches, ottomans, stools, and pillows—all made to order in their Los Angeles factory with over 150 fabric options per piece. The company also offers the Kim Salmela for Crypton textile collection, a performance fabric line launched in partnership with Crypton Home Fabrics featuring patterns like Queens Gambit, North Oaks, and Pom. Products can be customized in any fabric from their collection, and the company provides white glove delivery and custom order capabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sofas and Loveseats Custom upholstered sofas and loveseats available in 150+ fabric options, made to order in the Los Angeles factory. Range includes pieces such as Dexter, Birger, Joplin, Smythe, Glenn, Clark, Waverly, Palermo, Skylar, Victoria, and Remington Modular sofas.
• Sectionals Custom sectional sofas including the Remington Modular Sectional and Somerset Sectional, made to order with various fabric and configuration options.
• Settees Compact upholstered seating including the Alexander Settee and Isabel Settee, made to order in the Los Angeles factory.
• Chairs Upholstered chairs in accent, swivel, desk/vanity, and slipper categories. Includes the Sonja Chair, Calhoun Chair, Gracie Channel Chair in leather, and additional swivel chair styles priced from approximately $1,819 to $3,199.
• Beds and Headboards Upholstered beds and headboards including the Lexi Headboard and Norwalk's Twilight bed series, made to order with customizable fabric options.
• Benches Upholstered benches including the Brittany Bench, Bleeker Bench, Carly Bench, and others, offered in a range of fabrics priced from approximately $979 to $1,699.
• Ottomans Upholstered ottomans including the Baldwin Ottoman, Sophia Ottoman, Berkley Ottoman, and Avalon Ottoman, ranging from approximately $700 to $2,359.
• Stools Upholstered stools including the Piper Stool, Maxine Stool, and Hicks Stool, priced starting from approximately $700.
• Pillows Decorative upholstered pillows with feather/down inserts, available in solid, print, outdoor, and KSAP series options, ranging from approximately $129 to $349.
• Fabric Collection Upholstery fabrics sold by the yard and as swatches, including velvets, linens, performance fabrics, outdoor fabrics, patterns, stripes, and solids. Proprietary collections include Marlon velvets, Champlain velvets, and Hayden Chambray; swatches priced from $1.00.
• Kim Salmela for Crypton Textile Collection Performance fabric line co-developed with Crypton Home Fabrics featuring proprietary patterns such as Queens Gambit, North Oaks, Pom, and Kanha, available by the yard and as upholstery across the furniture collection.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Crypton Home FabricsflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Kim Salmela partnered with Crypton Home Fabrics to launch her inaugural textile collection - the first time Crypton has partnered with a designer on a textile collection. Performance fabrics are inspired by textured imperfections of vintage rugs and textiles from her travels. The partnership has expanded to a second collection featuring patterns like Queen's Gambit, North Oaks, and Kanha. Crypton is committed to fabric innovation and is the benchmark for indoor performance upholstery, with products sustainably made and GREENGUARD Gold certified.
• Norwalk FurniturecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNorwalk Furniture features Kim Salmela's custom furniture collections in their showrooms at High Point and Las Vegas Markets. The partnership includes exclusive previews of new Crypton fabric collections, showroom events, and design talks. Norwalk's hospitality-focused approach has been a key channel for reaching designers and trade professionals.
• One Kings LaneminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorKim Salmela's North Oaks pattern developed for Crypton Fabrics is available on many items at One Kings Lane, providing additional retail distribution for her textile designs.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Norwalk Furniture: Established upholstered furniture manufacturer that hosts Kim Salmela's collections in its showrooms. Comparable custom upholstery manufacturing capabilities and trade-channel focus, but operates at significantly larger scale across broader customer segments.
• Restoration Hardware (RH): Large premium home furnishings retailer and brand offering sofas, sectionals, beds, and home decor across a broad portfolio. Competes in the same high-end residential segment but at much larger scale with broader product catalog and gallery showroom model.

Direct peers

• Room & Board: Modern home furnishings retailer offering upholstered sofas, chairs, beds, and case goods designed for residential use. Comparable made-in-America positioning, designer-friendly aesthetic, and customization capabilities for the same premium homeowner segment.
• Apt2B: DTC custom sofa and furniture brand offering made-to-order upholstery with various fabric options at accessible price points. Comparable online-led customization model serving residential customers seeking personalized furniture.
• Article: DTC modern furniture brand offering sofas, sectionals, chairs, and accent furniture directly to consumers. Comparable e-commerce-led distribution model and target customer of design-conscious homeowners, though with broader (non-custom) catalog.
• Maiden Home: Premium DTC custom upholstery brand offering made-to-order sofas, sectionals, and chairs with extensive fabric customization. Closely comparable business model targeting high-end residential customers and designers with made-in-USA manufacturing.
• Interior Define: DTC custom furniture brand offering made-to-order upholstered sofas, chairs, and sectionals with extensive fabric and configuration options. Competes directly for the same interior designer and high-end homeowner customer segments.
• Joybird: Custom furniture DTC brand specializing in upholstered sofas, sectionals, and chairs with multiple fabric options. Comparable mid-premium positioning, made-to-order model, and direct competition for designer and consumer furniture buyers.

Others

• One Kings Lane: Online home furnishings retailer and marketplace where Kim Salmela's North Oaks pattern is distributed. Adjacent channel partner offering comparable home furnishings assortment; relevant as a comparable premium home decor distribution platform.
• Crypton Home Fabrics: Performance fabric manufacturer that is Kim Salmela Atelier's flagship textile partner. Comparable performance/upholstery fabric category expertise, but operates as a supplier rather than direct competitor; relevant for understanding the textile IP value and partnership economics.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kim-salmela
• Instagraminstagram.com/kimsalmela
• Pinterestpinterest.com/kimsalmela

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kim Salmela Atelier