Split-level strategy is solution

To give visitors to Horizon Plaza the widest possible choice of styles, colour and price points, Tequila Kola came up with a split-level strategy.

As a result, their first-floor store stocks the latest and bestselling furniture, fabrics, lighting and home accessories. The shop on the 17th floor acts as a sales outlet, providing special offers on discontinued lines.

"We are a fashion business really, so every six months we are introducing new things and increasing the range," says managing director Geoff Fuller. "But the 'older' items still offer great quality and value."

It's important, he adds, to give customers sufficient choice, reflect changing trends, and to cater to Asian and Western tastes. For that reason, the extensive main showroom has about 40 styles of sofas, all of which can be tested for comfort or overlain with large swatches of fabric to get a feel for preferred colours and contrasts.

"It is never true that one size fits all," Fuller says. "So if you like the look and feel of a sofa, we can have it made up in any fabric or in leather and deliver in just a few days."

These days, many of the more jazzy patterned fabrics come from Italy and Belgium. Manufacturers there have a reputation for innovation and excellence, and the relative value of the euro makes prices competitive. The plainer options - whether for curtains, cushions, sheets or furniture covers - are more likely to come from suppliers in Asia, where the general quality is just as good.

"When choosing fabrics, customers tend to mix and match," Fuller says. "People want to make their homes unique and this is one of the best ways."

Tequila Kola is always ready to make suggestions or offer tips on interior design. This can also be a process, taking months or even years, as customers experiment or redo different rooms.

"You can have a base fabric and then build other colours around that to offset or complement," Fuller says.