Tobi’s Top 10 Tips for a Successful Showhouse Space
By Tobi Fairley
Participating in a Designer Showhouse can be good for business, but it can also be expensive. Here are my Top Ten Tips for getting the most “bang for your buck” without breaking the bank…
1. Go with what you know—Treat a showhouse like it were your best client when it comes to planning and organizing. This is not a time to fly by the seat of your pants since everyone will be watching.
2. Not all showhouses are created equal—do your homework and find out how many visitors the house gets each year and whether or not they are the types of clients you are looking for. After all, the goal is to get new clients, right?
3. Show your stuff—This is your chance to do your best work. You are your own client here and so the person you have to please is you. Now go ahead, show everyone what you’ve got!
4. Get value from vendors—Don’t be afraid to ask vendors to work with you on pricing. The worst they can do is say no, but if you are a great customer already, they might just say yes! Besides, it’s great exposure for them too.
5. Share with a showroom—If you live near a Design Center or have a great relationship with a local trade showroom or retail store, see if they are willing to loan you some merchandise. They could even make a sale or get new customers in the process.
6. Be mindful of the miscellaneous—It’s the little things and hidden costs that really add up. If you are doing an out of town showhouse, the freight and delivery charges can be high. And there is often a lot of labor for painting, wallpaper, and drapery that you need to budget for. Don’t let these incidentals blow your budget.
7. Take a photograph, it will last longer—Showhouses only last for a few weeks, so be sure to get great photography. This way you can benefit from your participation, long after the house has closed.
8. Make sure it’s magazine material—Showhouses are great opportunities to get published, especially since you are often showcasing your best work. Be sure to contact local, regional, and national magazines and let them know about the masterpiece you have created.
9. Give credit where credit is due—If any of your vendors, showrooms, or subs loan you items or give you great discounts, be sure to give them proper billing in showhouse journals and magazines. You can also take this opportunity to give them extra credit on your websites, facebook pages, and blog by including a feature or an advertisement. This gesture will make them more willing to help you again in the future.
10. Be prepared for plan B—While you are designing your space, you should already be thinking of where all the items might go when the showhouse is over. Not every showhouse allows the items to be sold to the visitors, so you probably want to have plan B in mind so you can recoup your costs. Think of favorite clients or friends who might want to purchase your “gently used” items for a good price. It will be a win-win for you both!
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Tobi Fairley is a nationally-acclaimed interior designer based in Little Rock, Arkansas. Named by Traditional Home Magazine as one of the Top 20 Young designers in America in 2009, Tobi’s work has graced the cover of House Beautiful and been published in Traditional Home, Southern Living, and At Home in Arkansas numerous times. Tobi recently launched her own fabric line and will release several other products lines in 2012. Her DIY design service InBox Interiors and her Design Camps have been wildly successful. Tobi recently launched Tobi Fairley and Associates, a consulting group dedicated to helping firms with the business of design. She also blogs at Tobi's Blog.
Photo credit: © 2011 Tobi Fairley Interior Design
