How to Shop Online for Your Clients
By Jay Johnson
There's nothing like being in a showroom to feel how a sofa sits, survey the heft of bed linens, or look closer at the drawer construction of a storage piece. But sometimes today's busy interior designer has to skip the brick-and-mortar trip and do some virtual window shopping for a client project. Here's what we like to keep in mind when we shop online:
- Be discerning...and patient. Not everything online is going to meet your high standards. Let your taste and eye guide you, and only look further into something that meets your needs and quality guidelines. It may be that 20 items go before you feel your fancy tickled.
- Judge the scale. If an item doesn't look good in a website photo, it probably won't look any better in real life. Pass it by. Also look for home goods and furnishings that show the object in situ. You need more than a view of the object on a white background. For example, a room photo will give you an idea of the scale of a sofa and how it relates to an end table, coffee table, and club chair.
- Be able to defend your choices. This is crucial. Know what you like, why it's good, and how it fits into your client's project. Focus on the beauty of the design, the style fit with your client’s decor, the utility of the piece, the level of quality in the details, and its overall value.
So armed with these guidelines, I took my design partner Irwin—arguably one of pickiest shoppers on the planet—to the Pottery Barn website. The assignment: find items that you're attracted to or would choose for yourself or a client...and justify the choices. (Note: Irwin didn’t go into every single category. He randomly selected a few and started to scroll through the "View All" pages.)
Windsor Grand Sofa – Irwin felt that the Windsor's updated feel would be attractive to his clients. It looks comfortable—perfect for families. Said Irwin, "I like the 'California' look of the piece. It would go with a large-scale modern interior but also blend in well with more traditional decorating schemes. I’m particularly drawn to the piece’s rounded, sensual silhouette. It's soft and classic and avoids the hard-edged geometric design whose style days have definitely peaked. All in all, it’s a lovely sofa."
Manchester Chair – Says our picky shopper, “I’m immediately drawn to the curved seat and the tapering legs. This chair will go with contemporary and traditional homes." The stretchers at the bottom will help the chair keep its stability—durability is important, and we look for this strengthening feature in chairs we recommend to our larger or more active clients. "The nail head trim is wonderful on the piece, and my favorite style is the brushed oak finish with oatmeal linen. Very stylish."
Geneva Tray Table – Raved Irwin, "This is an elegant country piece of furniture with very charming lines. I admire the mix of iron and wood in the table, and the very appealing gray-washed finish of the tray. Collapsible campaign-type furniture always calls out to me, and my clients will love its impromptu celebratory feel."
Eagan Multipanel Large Mirror – We admired the large scale of this mirror, and the detail of the beveled panes.
Other picky pro favorites: the great scale of the Painted Bird Pillow Covers, the appealing colors of the Plaza 400-Thread-Count Sheet Set, and the "sheer fun" of the Amaryllis Organic Bath Towels where you can pick up solid colors in other companion towels.
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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.
