Great Shopping Resources for Designers
By Jay Johnson
Today’s homeowners have access to the same shopping resources once controlled by the interior design industry. Very rarely are resources solely “to the trade only.” You’ll bump into your client Mrs. Doe doing a bit of clandestine window shopping on the 14th floor of the D&D building, you’ll have Mr. Doe send over links to online furniture he wants your split-second opinion about, and sometimes you’ll find that the Does have purchased something on their own based on items you’ve already shopped for and proposed.
Every designer has their favorite shopping resources, but the truth is that your clients also have access to them. My design partner Irwin Weiner and I often consider this quandary. We prefer working with empowered clients; it’s easier to design for folks who know their tastes and personalities, versus the ones who can never make up their minds.
So what do we do about the lack of trade resource exclusivity? We tell our clients that we’re trained to hold the overall project vision, bulldog all the details, and provide the best value and end results. We stress that this is a collaborative effort; what they find and what we find all goes into the same pool for consideration. But now comes the difficult part. We also tell them in no uncertain terms that we’ll leave the job if we ever feel we’re competing against each other to see who finds or buys the resources first. That firm line has to be drawn in order for the project to take on a friendlier, more cooperative vibe.
So, with good boundaries, what are our favorite shopping resources?
Thank heavens for1stDibs.com. It’s a convenient, quick way to search for whole categories of what you’re looking for. We like to send links to clients so they can see the same range of items we’re thinking about for their project, and we strategize on negotiation and price points together. A shared resource on the Internet reinforces the team element that’s such a key in today’s design projects. Your younger clients are constantly online, and if you’re not there too, you’re out of the loop. And while you’re online, RegisRoyant.com is another favorite online shopping resource.
Don’t overlook the antique stores. In Manhattan we like East 60th Street and the surrounding neighborhood. The dealers’ selections are very stylishly put together with a focus on the interior design market.
Our clients love shopping at the Paris flea market. Irwin always handles the overseas junkets. He knows that the prices are good, the selection is enormous, and you can combine shopping with food and culture for an excellent bonding experience. He likes the Saint Ouen Flea Markets, including the Marche Serpette and Marche Paul-Bert.
We shop Williams-Sonoma and Pottery Barn for off-the-shelf bed linens. We mix their ready-mades with Donna Karan coverlets and then go to Casa del Bianco in Manhattan for custom linens to dramatize the look. Shop this boutique mom-and-pop shop; Lupe and Fabrizio Biasiola know the fine linens business, and the end results are glamorous.
High marks go to old-world workrooms. La Maison Fey in Paris does amazing gilding and upholstering; their leather work is superior. And go to Penn & Fletcher here in New York for amazing embroidery and hand stitching. We’re using one client’s love of crowns to add embroidered velvet crown appliqués on the inside satin backs of 1940s Parisian club chairs. Magnificent!
Whatever resources you give high marks to, know that your clients aren’t very far behind. Nip competition in the bud and turn your little shopping secrets into shared delights.
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In November 2006, Manhattan-based blogger Jay Johnson and his partner Irwin Weiner ASID applied the popularity of watching videos on the Internet to the house-and-garden arena. The idea for Design2Share was born. On D2S, they share their insight, tips, and strong opinions about how people design and decorate their homes, entertaining over 300,000 visitors a year; their syndicated original videos had over 22 million video views in 2010.
