No place like home: Sierra Timberline expands to bedroom and office furniture | News

Erin Zajac is an interior designer who has partnered with Sierra Timberline for the last four years, and has been key in the additions to the store’s selections.

“For years we have been looking and attending shows and listening to customers coming in,” said Zajac, “and every time that we all meet together and are anticipating the new year and what introductions we want to bring in, we sit down and really try and pay attention to what customers are bringing to us … in different styles and different types of pieces that they want.”

Zajac said price point is most definitely a consideration when purchasing their merchandise, as is the country of origin. Sierra Timberline leans heavily toward items made in the United States, a prerequisite just barely following behind their pursuit of things made with care and quality.

“We have been scouring all across the United States for companies that are really going to offer us all of those things,” Zajac said. “I won’t say we’re picky, but we’re particular about what we bring in because we really want this showroom to be a curated space that our customers know to come here for quality. Companies that we stand behind—not just in how they make it and how it looks—but also after you get it home you want the warranty, and you want the company to be good to work with if something happens. All of those things are very important.”

Zajac said that as an interior designer, her taste doesn’t just depend on the appearance of an item. She wants to be able to touch and feel the texture of each piece and have a tactile experience.

“I remember putting my hand on one of the pieces and I just wanted to keep (feeling),” she said. “It was so incredibly smooth. Nothing like what I had ever felt before, or at least very rare to find. So we explored further and long story short we found what we were looking for. We felt like it was a hand-crafted, made in America company that had offerings in so many different styles.”

Zajac continue: “Made in America is really important to us. I can’t say that it’s 100 percent achievable but we really pride ourselves on trying to find that. This company, one of the main one that fills that furniture void for dining and bedroom, that has phenomenal woodworking is made in India.”

The company is called Fusion Design and is featured heavily in the Sierra Timberline showroom.

“They are a family-owned business that all the furniture is still bench made, which means it’s one skilled craftsman working on (a piece) from start to finish,” said Zajac. “It’s not sent out of the factory to be assembled somewhere else. It’s one skilled craftsman.”

Zajac said the addition to Sierra Timberline’s furniture offerings came about because customers were responding well to what they already had in stock and basically cried for more.

“A lot of people, once they find something they love, they want the rest of their house to feel cohesive and the pieces to feel the certain level of comfort they can stand behind in every room,” said Zajac.

Zajac said that at this point, Sierra Timberline is pretty comfortable with their selection but will always look to uphold their dedication to quality furnishings at every price point. She added that shopping online may be convenient, but robs customers the chance to have the in-person experience she fins so valuable.

“I find that no matter what you spend, the shopping experience when you go into a place where you’re not only being greeted warmly, you’re being helped, by a knowledgable salesperson that it’s an experience you go through when you purchase something,” she said. “And then when you get it home, you’ve completed that journey of the whole experience. It feels more rewarding, like you were part of that process.”

Sierra Timberline is at 324 Idaho-Maryland Road in Grass Valley. For more information visit www.sierratimberline.com or call 530-273-4822.