Case Study: Collaboration with "Nordic Living" – A Scandinavian Home Decor Wholesaler
Buyer Profile
“Nordic Living” is a well-established home decor wholesaler based in Copenhagen, Denmark, supplying minimalist and functional lifestyle products to over 150 retailers across Scandinavia and Germany. Founded in 2008, they’re known for curating durable, stylish items that embody the Nordic design principles of simplicity, quality, and sustainability.
Product Purchased
32,500 units of woven placemats (cotton-linen blend, rectangular, 48 cm x 34 cm, in muted gray and off-white) and 31,800 units of PVC placemats (matte finish, oval, 42 cm x 30 cm, in charcoal and taupe).
Collaboration Details
In October 2024, we received an email from Lukas Jensen, the product sourcing manager at “Nordic Living,” who had come across our woven placemat range at a trade fair in Stockholm earlier that year. Lukas was preparing their 2025 catalog and wanted to introduce a fresh line of placemats that could appeal to both residential and small commercial clients, like cafes and boutique hotels. He was particularly interested in our ability to produce large volumes while maintaining consistent quality and offering customizable designs.
We scheduled a call on October 15, 2024, where Lukas outlined their needs: placemats that were easy to clean, visually understated, and versatile enough to fit various table settings. He shared a design brief specifying neutral tones and requested samples of our woven and PVC options. On October 18, we sent 10 samples via FedEx to their Copenhagen office—five woven placemats in a cotton-linen blend (three gray, two off-white) and five PVC placemats (three charcoal, two taupe)—along with a care guide and material composition details. Shipping took 8 days, and Lukas confirmed receipt on October 28.
Their team spent 5 days evaluating the samples. Lukas emailed us on November 3 with feedback: they loved the soft texture and tight weave of the cotton-linen mats, which held up well after being wiped with a damp cloth, but asked if we could add a subtle herringbone pattern to enhance the design. For the PVC mats, they appreciated the matte finish and stain resistance (tested with coffee and red wine), but requested a slightly thicker profile—moving from 2 mm to 3 mm—for a more premium feel. We mocked up digital renderings of the herringbone weave and adjusted the PVC thickness in our production line, sending revised samples by November 15. Lukas approved them on November 28, praising the “elevated yet practical” look.
The order was finalized on November 29: 32,500 woven placemats (16,500 gray, 16,000 off-white) and 31,800 PVC placemats (16,000 charcoal, 15,800 taupe). They requested a split delivery—half by mid-January 2025 for their spring catalog launch, and half by March for restocking. Production kicked off on December 5. For the woven mats, we used two looms running 8-hour shifts, with a team of 3 weavers the herringbone edges to ensure uniformity. The PVC mats were extruded and cut at our automated facility, with the new 3 mm thickness requiring a recalibration of our heat presses—a process that took an extra day but ensured a flawless finish.
We completed the first batch by December 20, 2024. Before shipping, we sent Lukas a video walkthrough of the packed goods, showing the neatly stacked woven mats in protective sleeves and the PVC mats shrink-wrapped in sets. The shipment left via sea freight from our port to Hamburg, Germany, on December 23, arriving at “Nordic Living’s” warehouse on January 10, 2025. Our logistics team coordinated with their freight forwarder to clear customs, providing a detailed packing list and EU-compliant material safety data. Lukas confirmed the delivery met their timeline, and their quality team found no defects after a spot check of 100 units.
The second batch was produced by March 15, 2025, and shipped on March 18, arriving in Copenhagen on April 5. Lukas noted that the first batch had already been distributed to 80 retailers, with strong pre-orders for the PVC mats from cafe owners due to their durability. The woven mats, meanwhile, were a hit in home decor stores, with customers appreciating the herringbone detail.
Outcome
“Nordic Living” featured our placemats in their 2025 spring catalog, dedicating a full page to the collection with photos of them styled on oak tables. They’ve since approached us about co-developing a summer line with pastel-toned woven placemats, hinting at a long-term collaboration. This project also earned us inquiries from two other European wholesalers who saw the catalog.
