Valyōu Furniture has been going through a major shift in 2021. Their new YouTube content series is keeping us on our toes when it comes to knowing what to expect from the company. After a sleek facelift and the introduction of a new high-end industrial brand (Foundry) this summer, Valyōu is surprising us once more. Recently, the company has taken a new approach that speaks volumes without ever saying a word.
The channel’s refresh kicks off with a selection of ASMR (autonomous sensory meridian response) videos with artist Laura Odermatt. ASMR is a pleasant tingling feeling some people experience when they hear certain sounds. Many ASMR artists, like RaffyTaphy, Tingting,and Gibi, produce popular videos made to induce these pleasant feelings in viewers and listeners. In Valyōu’s take on this genre, the triggering sounds are created while unboxing Valyōu’s products.
Valyōu keeps the artistic content coming with Designers, a series that takes a look at individual art makers to explore their inspiration, their process, and their work. The first episode features Ruby DeSimone, an artist focusing on illustration. The episode follows Ruby as she discusses her journey as an artist and her connection to her work.
Where design, craftsmanship, and decor meet we find Furniture Flippers. This series will document the start to finish process of transforming garage sale finds into gorgeous pieces with new life. The series begins with an MCM recreation by Todd Avendaño and is available here.
Valyōu Furniture’s newest edition, Cristian Mercado, a seasoned video producer, describes these new series as an exploration of authenticity; a deep dive into the heart of the company. The new artistic focus reflects the values and driving forces behind the company. When asked why YouTube became the chosen channel for a real and personified look at the brand Mercado responded, “YouTube is great to connect creators to their audience authentically. We want to find that in the videos we create.”
Mercado has been making short films since he was 14. After directing music videos, commercials for the fashion industry, and developing YouTube channels he is now writing and developing a feature length documentary and a feature film.
“As an individual creator, this is a bit easier to do, to create that content that resonates,” said Mercado, “But the challenge here is how do you do it with a furniture company?”
Valyou Furniture’s passion for art and contribution to design led to the introductory series that explore artistic processes. The brand seeks to support customers in living their best life with beautiful, accessible furniture. Helping to elevate artistic voices and expose customers to more art and design content serves to enrich their experience and inspire their decor choices. Mercado explains that the process of creating authentic art as a commercial company is all about finding a connection to people.
“How to find the beating heart of a furniture company? You can think of it two ways, the type of content the audience connects with will determine the type of content we move forward with, but I think what will really end up happening is that what we, as a company, connect with will end up also connecting with our audience. The idea for ASMR is that as a company we enjoy those types of videos, we are excited by them, and that’s a good indicator that others will be too and what we create will be more authentic. We aren’t trying to read the analytics too hard, imagining an assemblage of data points that will be watching our videos, but we are creating videos that we, and other people will find entertaining and informative.”
When asked where Mercado sees himself in this process he describes his ongoing journey through filmmaking. “My approach to making YouTube videos is informed and warped by my approach to making and working on films. You can only find quality within, you have to make what you know and do it every day to refine your craft, the delivery system of what you know.” Mercado has worked in many parts of the film industry from directing music videos, short films, screenwriting, to fashion films, to product videos, and assisting on feature films. For now, Mercado sees YouTube as a way to find more freedom. “It’s clearly the next step, and I’m excited to see how this channel grows and changes and the type of community that gets excited about this content. I’ll do my best to make what I and the company know, and look forward to building something interesting for the YouTube community.”
See Valyōu’s new series and more here.
