FAQs – Frequently Asked Questions

Contract grade furniture is commercial furniture engineered to withstand heavy, continuous use in public spaces such as restaurants, hotels, and healthcare facilities. It uses reinforced frames, commercial rated upholstery, and stronger joinery than residential furniture, so it holds up in high traffic settings where ordinary furniture would quickly wear out. Harmony Contract Furniture designs and manufactures contract grade seating, tables, and casegoods for hospitality, healthcare, corporate, education, country club, and casino interiors across the United States. Choosing contract grade from the start protects your investment and lowers replacement costs over the life of the space. Explore our contract grade chairs built for commercial durability.

FF&E stands for furniture, fixtures, and equipment. It refers to the movable furnishings in a hospitality or commercial space that are not permanently attached to the building, including seating, tables, casegoods, lighting, and decor. FF&E is a core budget and procurement category on hotel and restaurant projects. During an FF&E procurement process, designers and purchasing agents specify, source, and install these items against a project timeline and budget. As a manufacturer, Harmony supplies the furniture portion of FF&E for hotels, restaurants, bars, healthcare, senior living, country clubs, casinos, universities, and corporate interiors, working directly with designers and purchasing teams. Learn more about our hospitality furniture.

The core difference is durability and construction. Contract furniture is built to commercial standards for continuous public use, with reinforced joinery, commercial rated upholstery, and compliance with commercial fire and safety codes. Residential furniture is made for lighter home use and typically will not survive the wear of a high traffic commercial setting. Contract pieces are tested and warrantied for heavy traffic, while residential pieces are not, which is why specifying residential furniture in a commercial space usually leads to premature failure and costly replacement. Harmony manufactures contract grade furniture engineered specifically for hospitality and commercial environments. See our commercial seating options.

Furniture is considered commercial grade when it is built and tested to meet commercial performance standards, not simply made from sturdy looking materials. That generally means passing recognized durability testing, meeting commercial fire codes for upholstery, and carrying the weight ratings and warranties suited to continuous public use in high traffic environments. These standards are what separate true commercial grade furniture from residential pieces that only look durable. When you specify commercial grade, you are buying tested performance rather than appearance. Harmony builds commercial grade furniture for restaurants, hotels, country clubs, healthcare, senior living, universities, and casino clients across the United States. Explore the contract furniture we build.

Hospitality furniture is commercial grade furniture designed for guest facing spaces such as hotels, restaurants, bars, resorts, and country clubs. It combines the durability of contract construction with the style and comfort guests expect, spanning seating, booths and banquettes, tables, barstools, and lounge and outdoor furniture. Because these spaces see constant use, hospitality furniture has to balance design, comfort, and commercial durability at the same time. Harmony Contract Furniture is a woman owned, WBENC certified manufacturer based in Braintree, Massachusetts, designing and producing hospitality furniture for clients nationwide. Browse our booths and banquettes built for high traffic hospitality settings.

Contract grade furniture, a.k.a. commercial furniture, are terms used interchangeably. Furniture is considered commercial grade when it is built and tested to meet commercial performance standards, not simply made from sturdy looking materials. That generally means passing recognized durability testing, meeting commercial fire codes for upholstery, and carrying the weight ratings and warranties suited to continuous public use in high traffic environments, such as restaurants, hotels, and healthcare facilities. These standards are what separate true commercial grade furniture from residential pieces that only look durable. Harmony Contract Furniture designs and manufactures contract grade seating, tables, and casegoods for hospitality, healthcare, corporate, education, country club, and casino interiors across the United States. Explore our contract grade chairs built for commercial durability.

FF&E procurement is the process of specifying, sourcing, purchasing, and installing a project’s furniture, fixtures, and equipment against a set budget and timeline. On hotel and restaurant projects it is typically led by a designer, purchasing agent, or procurement firm who coordinates specifications, quantities, lead times, and delivery. The furniture is usually one of the largest line items, so involving a manufacturer early helps control both cost and schedule. Harmony supplies the furniture portion of FF&E and coordinates specs and lead times directly with designers and purchasing teams. Learn how we work as a contract furniture manufacturer.

Lead times for custom contract furniture depend on the product, materials, upholstery selection, order quantity, and the current production schedule. As a general guide:

• Quick ship items: approximately 2 weeks
• Majority of products: 6 to 8 weeks
• Intricate or highly detailed designs, such as serpentine banquettes or pieces with integrated lighting: 8 to 12 weeks or more

The best way to protect a project timeline is to confirm lead times at the specification stage, before the FF&E schedule is finalized. Harmony provides project specific lead times at quoting so trade partners can plan delivery around the install date. Browse our contract seating options.

Start by defining your concept, capacity, and budget, then use a floor plan to set seating counts and furniture types for each area. From there, specify contract grade pieces for the dining, bar, lounge, and outdoor zones, confirm finishes and upholstery, and align lead times with your opening date. Working with a manufacturer early helps you balance durability, style, and budget across the whole space rather than piece by piece. Harmony helps operators and designers furnish complete restaurant and hotel interiors from a single source. Explore our booths and banquettes.

A manufacturer builds the furniture directly, so you order from the source, while a dealer or reseller buys from manufacturers and sells it to you as a middle party. Buying direct from a manufacturer usually means better control over customization, materials, quality, and pricing, because there is no added reseller margin. Dealers can be convenient for multi brand sourcing, but direct manufacturer relationships tend to serve custom and large hospitality orders better. Harmony is the manufacturer, so clients specify custom dimensions, finishes, and C.O.M./C.O.L. with the team that actually builds the furniture. See what sets our contract furniture apart.

Yes. Harmony regularly works with interior designers, architects, purchasing agents, and FF&E procurement firms on hospitality and commercial projects. The team supports specification with product details, finish and upholstery options, C.O.M./C.O.L. capabilities, quantity pricing, and project specific lead times, so trade partners can specify with confidence. You get direct access to a US headquartered manufacturer that builds to spec rather than a fixed catalog, which makes custom and large volume orders easier to manage. To request specifications or pricing for a project, contact the Harmony team.

Harmony makes contract grade furniture for hotels across every guest facing space: lobbies and lounges, restaurants and bars, guest rooms, meeting and event spaces, and outdoor and pool areas. Each piece is built to commercial standards so it withstands constant guest use while matching the property’s design. Because hotels furnish many zones at once, sourcing from a single manufacturer keeps finishes, quality, and lead times consistent across the property. Harmony works with hotel designers and purchasing teams nationwide to furnish complete properties. Explore our booths and banquettes for hotel dining and bar areas.

For senior living and assisted living, the best furniture combines commercial durability with a comfortable, homelike look and features suited to older residents, such as supportive seat heights, sturdy frames, and cleanable upholstery. It has to hold up to daily communal use while still feeling residential rather than institutional. This balance of comfort, safety, and durability is what separates furniture built for senior living from standard commercial pieces. Harmony manufactures dining and lounge seating for senior living and assisted living communities across the country. See our contract chairs suited to senior living spaces.

Country clubs need furniture for many settings at once: dining and grill rooms, bars and lounges, event and banquet spaces, and outdoor patios and poolside areas. Because club furniture spans indoor and exterior use and sees heavy member traffic, it has to be built to commercial standards throughout. Clubs also want indoor and outdoor pieces that coordinate in style, so working with one manufacturer keeps the look consistent from the dining room to the terrace. Harmony builds indoor and outdoor contract furniture for country clubs nationwide. Browse our outdoor seating for club patios and poolside areas.

Harmony provides contract grade furniture for healthcare facilities, including waiting and reception areas, patient and exam rooms, and staff and common areas. The furniture is built to commercial standards for the heavy, continuous use these environments demand. Healthcare settings prioritize durable, easy to clean surfaces and upholstery alongside comfort for patients and visitors, so material selection matters as much as construction. Harmony manufactures seating and tables for healthcare and medical facilities across the United States. Learn more about the contract furniture we build.

The right seating for restaurants and bars depends on the concept and layout, and usually combines dining chairs, booths and banquettes, and bar and counter stools, paired with commercial table tops and bases. All of it should be contract grade to withstand the constant turnover of a busy service. Restaurants and bars are among the highest traffic hospitality environments, so seating has to be both durable and on concept. Harmony supplies complete restaurant and bar interiors from a single manufacturer headquartered in the United States. Explore our bar and counter stools for restaurants and bars.

Commercial settings need contract grade upholstery rated for heavy use, such as commercial vinyls, genuine leather hides, high performance polyurethanes, and treated or high abrasion fabrics. These materials resist wear, staining, and repeated cleaning far better than residential fabrics, and they are chosen for their durability and ease of maintenance rather than a single performance number, since fabric performance varies widely by fiber content and construction. In high traffic hospitality and healthcare spaces, upholstery is usually the first thing to fail, so material choice drives how long the furniture lasts. Genuine leather offers the highest durability of any upholstery option, though at a significantly higher cost than vinyl or fabric. Harmony offers a range of commercial rated upholstery options and supports C.O.M. and C.O.L. (customer’s own material and customer’s own leather) for custom projects. Explore our upholstery options.

Common commercial table top options include high pressure laminate, solid wood, wood veneer, butcher block, and natural stone such as granite and marble. Each balances durability, appearance, and cost differently, and the right choice depends on the setting, indoor or outdoor use, and the look you want to achieve. Laminate is a versatile, cost effective workhorse, solid wood and wood veneer bring warmth and a more upscale look, and granite and marble deliver a premium finish for high end interiors. Harmony manufactures commercial table tops including laminate, solid wood, wood veneer, and natural stone for hospitality and commercial spaces. See our commercial table tops.

The right table base depends on the table size, the weight of the top, and how the space is used. Common commercial options include pedestal bases (single or double column), cantilever bases, bolt down bases for fixed layouts, and flip top bases for rooms that reconfigure or store tables. Base choice affects stability, legroom, and how easily a room can be rearranged, so it should be matched to both the top and the setting. Harmony supplies commercial table bases sized to their tops. Browse our table bases.

Commercial outdoor furniture is engineered to withstand sun, rain, and temperature swings without fading, rusting, or breaking down. Materials such as commercial grade resin, powder coated aluminum, and all weather wicker resist UV and moisture far better than residential outdoor pieces, so they hold up season after season in demanding settings. For patios, poolsides, and rooftop venues, weather resistance and stability matter as much as style. Harmony builds contract grade outdoor furniture for hospitality and country club settings. Explore our outdoor seating.

Cleaning depends on the material. In general, clean commercial upholstery and surfaces regularly using the method approved for that specific material, address spills promptly, and avoid harsh or abrasive products that can damage finishes. Following the material’s recommended care guidance is the safest way to protect both the furniture and its warranty. Commercial vinyls and laminates are generally easy to wipe down, while natural stone tops need gentler, material specific care to preserve the finish. Learn about our marble and granite tops.

A booth is a self contained seating unit with a bench and back on each side of a table, while a banquette is a single upholstered bench, usually placed against a wall and paired with freestanding tables and chairs on the open side. Booths define their own space and offer privacy, while banquettes maximize seating along walls and let a room be reconfigured more easily. Many restaurants use both to balance capacity and comfort. Harmony manufactures both booths and banquettes for hospitality interiors.

These terms refer to standard furniture heights. Standard or dining height tables are about 28 to 30 inches and pair with 18 inch seat chairs. Counter height tables are about 34 to 36 inches with 24 to 26 inch stools. Bar height tables are about 40 to 42 inches with 28 to 30 inch stools. The right height sets the atmosphere: dining height suits full service restaurants, counter height fits casual and communal settings, and bar height works for lounges and bars. Matching stool height to table height is essential for comfort. Harmony offers dining chairs plus bar and counter stools in all three heights.

Choose stacking or banquet chairs when a space needs to be stored, cleared, or reconfigured often, such as event rooms, ballrooms, conference facilities, and multipurpose venues. Stacking chairs stack vertically to save space, and banquet chairs are stackable event chairs designed for that repeated setup and teardown. Fixed dining chairs are the better choice for permanent restaurant layouts, while stacking and banquet chairs give flexible venues the ability to change room configurations quickly. Harmony manufactures a full stacking and banquet line, including chairs, tables, and transport carts for moving furniture in and out of a room. Browse our stacking and banquet chairs.

A wing chair, or wingback chair, is an upholstered armchair with a tall back and side panels, or wings, that extend from the backrest toward the arms. Originally designed to block drafts, today it is used as a comfortable accent and lounge seat. In commercial settings, contract grade wing chairs appear in hotel lobbies, club lounges, reading nooks, and senior living common areas, where they add a traditional, comfortable look built to commercial durability. Harmony manufactures wing chairs for hospitality and lounge spaces.

Harmony Contract Furniture is based in Braintree, Massachusetts, and serves clients across the United States. The company works with restaurants, bars, hotels, healthcare facilities, senior living communities, country clubs, casinos, universities, and corporate spaces nationwide. Because Harmony works directly with designers, architects, and purchasing agents, projects can be specified and coordinated from anywhere in the country, not just the Northeast. Whether a project is local or national, the team supports it from specification through delivery. Contact the Harmony team to discuss a project in your area.

Yes. Harmony Contract Furniture is a woman owned business and is certified by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC). WBENC certification is a nationally recognized credential that verifies a business is majority owned, controlled, and operated by women. This matters for many hospitality and corporate buyers, because purchasing from a certified woman owned business helps them meet supplier diversity goals on their projects. Choosing Harmony lets designers and purchasing teams support those goals without compromising on contract grade quality. Learn more about Harmony Contract Furniture.

Harmony Contract Furniture is a woman-owned American manufacturer headquartered in Braintree, Massachusetts, and the large majority of our furniture is made in the USA. For certain chair and seating styles that our customers request from Europe, such as Spain or Italy, we can import those specific pieces to match a project’s design intent. Whether a piece is domestically manufactured or imported to specification, the Harmony team can speak to how each product is built. Explore the contract furniture Harmony builds.

Yes. Harmony builds custom contract furniture and works to specification, including custom dimensions, finishes, and upholstery, as well as C.O.M. (customer’s own material) on many products. This lets designers and purchasing agents match furniture precisely to a project’s concept rather than settle for a fixed catalog. Our standard order minimum is 12 units, though this can vary by product and project, so the best step is to confirm exact minimums at quoting alongside pricing and lead times. Contact the Harmony team to discuss custom requirements for your project.