ONLINE DESIGN
Virtual service fills gap
Design quizzes, smartphone selfies, inspiration boards and apps are the modern trappings of online interior designers who are renovating the process of how style comes home. The concept: a virtual service that democratizes home decorating and beautifies the world, one middle-class living room at a time.
“Most people have had to be their own interior designer because they couldn’t afford to hire one,” says Gretchen Hansen, founder and chief executive of Decorist, a San Francisco- based online design company.
Not anymore.
Here’s how it works: Choose a package of services from one of several cyber-savvy design companies. Average prices range from US$200 to US$700. Next, take an online quiz designed to reveal your style personality. Then upload digital im- ages and measurements of your space to the website.
You’re then matched with a designer or short list of designers who suit your style. Communication is done through email, Pinterest, phone calls, Skype or direct messaging. Designers never step foot in the room. Virtual concept or mood boards are delivered for review and revision. For the finale, you receive a final room design and layout along with a personalized shopping list. Who does the ordering and shipping depends on the company and the package, but for the most part, you’re on your own when it comes to installation.
Leura Fine, an interior designer and founder of Laurel & Wolf in Los Angeles, credits the online design shift to the massive amounts of home decor imagery available on the web and the introduction of such web-based retailers as One Kings Lane, Wayfair and Gilt. “You went from only being able to shop at local brick-and-mortar stores ... to millions and millions of SKUs (stock-keeping numbers for inventory) available at the touch of your fingertips. The problem was people couldn’t pull it all together.”
The answer, according to online design services, begins with a quiz. Fine says Laurel & Wolf’s quiz is based on an algorithm and designed to communicate preferences that can be difficult to express — especially when words such as “modern,” “traditional” and “contemporary” are relative.
Jennifer Weissman, a Havenly client seeking assistance for her new condo in Washington, D.C., was matched with Los Angelesbased designer Clare McCormick. “She called me, and we set a time to speak over the phone,” Weissman says. “We talked about my ideas, and she had me set up a Pinterest page.” McCormick and Weissman both pinned images to the board, creating a visual and virtual discussion.
After McCormick had pinned down Weissman’s personal style, her client received two virtual mood boards showing furniture, artwork and accessories the designer envisioned for living area.
“I was able to give feedback of what I liked and what I didn’t,” as well as clarify the budget, Weissman says.
Weissman’s final product was a detailed rendering of the room’s new layout and a list of items to be ordered.
Lizzie Lipman, owner of e-decorating service Homegrown Interiors in Los Angeles, says clients don’t mind a little legwork. “Clients who sign up for e-decorating are totally OK with placing the orders and accepting deliveries and putting everything together themselves. They just don’t know what to order or how to create a space plan,” she said.
The process, says Megan Shannon, owner of Megan Blake Design in Alexandria, Va., is fun, flexible and doesn’t need to fit into a busy daytime schedule — for the consumer or the designer.
To prove this point, Hansen and her team at Decorist partnered with Seattle-based Porch, an online directory of home maintenance and repair specialists, to create a virtual showcase house in January. “It was 100 per cent virtually designed,” Hansen says. “We did the design, ATGStores.com provided the furniture, and Porch.com provided the installation. It was a cool way of saying, ‘Here’s the new world of design and furnishings.’ ”
Does this mean curtains for the traditional process? Emily Motayed, co-founder and chief revenue officer of Havenly, says no. “I think what we’re doing is targeting a different demographic of people a lot earlier than what has been normal. So, if anything, what we’re doing with the virtual-design model is expanding the group who appreciate interior design at an earlier age, when they have less money,” Motayed says. “I think we’re just lowering that entry-price point rather than taking business away from traditional design models.”