Hardwood Floors June/July 2019

DESIGNER INSIGHTS INDUSTRY INSIGHTS

This has become the billion-dollar (yes, billion!) question. What Do Designers Want?

It’s also important to note that most interior designers are closer to interior architects than decorators. A professional interior designer is required to have training and experience in drafting plans, and most have several years in the field working with a variety of projects that require understanding building codes. Enter the designer's newest best friends, which is almost every major manufacturer of home goods. Walk one day during Market Week at High Point Market and you'll see that many of the furniture brands cater literally, and figuratively, to designers, offering them "to the trade" discounts, financing, brunch with mimosas, catered lunches, swag bags, VIP access to exclusive designer-only lounges, and much more. During the 2019 DOMOTEX USA inaugural exhibition in Atlanta at the Georgia World Congress Center, I hosted a design panel lunch and learn. The goal of the panel was to better understand the pain points of the design community and how the wood flooring industry can better connect with them. As it turns out, this was a hot topic. The event sold out weeks in advance, and we had a line of people wanting to sit in. Panelists were hand-selected from various colleagues across the design industry and included the CEO of a globally recognized lighting and accessory company, a design marketing consultant, the former president of Color Marketing Group (CMG), and a residential interior designer who catered to higher-end clients in the southeastern region.

What is it, exactly, that makes designers so special, and what does it mean for the wood flooring industry? For starters, designers are influencing a large and wealthy target audience of consumers, homeowners, and commercial entities alike. In fact, according to the 2018 ASID State of the Industry Report , "A staggering $77 billion worth of product is specified by interior designers each year."

Photos courtesy of Emily Morrow Finkell.

24 hardwood floors www.hardwoodfloorsmag.com