You don`t have to hire an interior designer to get professional design help. Unbeknownst to many shoppers, a good number of local furniture and department stores have interior designers on their staffs whose job it is to help customers decorate their homes. And the good news is that it often costs little or no money to use this service.
Generally, design assistance is available at stores that carry mid- to high-priced lines of furniture. The nature of the service varies from store to store and may include the option of a ”house call” in which a store designer would actually go out to a customer`s home to take measurements or have a firsthand look at a problem room or rooms. Some stores and their designers will get even more involved than that and will work with a customer`s architect to help in the layout and design of a home as it`s being built or remodeled. At the very least, shoppers can expect in-store designers to help with floor plans and give advice on color schemes and fabric coordination.
At most stores that offer it, this service is free to serious shoppers. They key word here, though, is ”serious.” Obviously, retailers are in business to sell furniture, and it`s safe to assume they`re self-made experts on spotting customers who have no intention of buying but every intention of squeezing out all the free advice they can.
To discourage the nonserious shoppers from taking up their designers`
time, most stores put a retainer fee and a minimum purchase requirement on the design service, but in most instances the fee is deducted from a purchase. Retainer fees generally run from $150 to $500 with minimum purchases of $1,000 to $5,000. Many stores require that purchases be made within a certain amount of time.
Generally, the retainer fee/minimum purchase arrangement comes into play only if the designer makes a house call and/or if the amount of work involved in the project is sizable. If that`s the case, the customer can expect in return a comprehensive design plan from the designer. This would include at least one suggested floor plan on any given room (some designers like to offer more than one option); color schemes; fabric coordination; and recommendations for window, wall and floor treatments. The plan is generally presented to the customer at a formal conference in the store, where the designer can actually point out the furniture and fabrics he or she has recommended and possibly even set up a sample vignette.
If no house call is made, design assistance is generally free with no retainer fee charged. Most of the owners whose stores appear in our list say their designers are happy to assist customers with specific questions in the store-as their schedules allow. Some of these stores encourage customers to bring in blueprints, dimensions, photographs of the room and of existing furniture, arm caps, drapery panels, carpet scraps, wallpaper swatches and whatever else is necessary to help a designer get a feel for the room or rooms in question. Using this information, the designer can make a rough floor plan, make recommendations and help solve specific dilemmas the customer may have. Weekdays are the best time to seek this kind of in-store help because weekends are often the busiest times in furniture stores. Once again, though, designers are just as good as their managers at detecting freeloaders and, no doubt, will allot these customers a minimal amount of their time.
Shoppers who are serious about making a purchase, though, and who need some serious design assistance should shop around for the ”right” store to do business with. The ”right” store will have a good selection of appealing merchandise-because this is the merchandise the designer will draw from in working out a comprehensive design plan-and at prices that are affordable. It also will be an attractive store visually. Often, staff designers assemble the vignettes on the sales floor; so the appearance of the store is a good gauge of its designers` expertise.
Shoppers who want to use the service should ask to see or make an appointment with a designer. (Not everyone on the sales floor is a designer necessarily.) Store managers often are happy to make recommendations if a customer has specific requirements or is looking for a designer with a particular expertise.
Most in-store designers have either a college degree in interior design or a two-year degree from a school offering a curriculum in design. A smaller number are not degreed but have taken some courses in design and have enough talent and experience that the store owner is confident in their abilities and is willing to stand behind them.
There are limitations to using a store designer instead of hiring an independent designer, though.
”When you are working with a designer in the store, chances are you are buying the merchandise the store is selling,” said Leila Lee, an independent Chicago designer who runs her own firm, Leila Lee Design. ”An independent designer has contacts not just at the Merchandise Mart but all over the country and all over the world. The scope is far wider.” And, she said, when you buy through a store, you`re paying retail prices; when you buy through an independent designer, you get a discount.
Lee also noted that an independent designer is generally at a client`s disposal and can accommodate a client`s particular schedule, whereas a store designer may not be so flexible.
On the other hand, Rachel Honquest, of Richard Honquest Fine Furnishings, Barrington, noted that a store designer`s work is backed by the retailer. An independent designer does not have that fallback.
The following is a list of stores in the Chicago area that offer design assistance to their customers. This is by no means a complete list-just a good start:
ETHAN ALLEN CARRIAGE HOUSE, Arlington Heights and four other suburban locations. Both in-store assistance and house calls are free, with no retainer fee involved. According to Norty Hiton, sales manager, interior designers do complete room plans-from furniture to wall, window and floor coverings-but also will make house calls just to ”fit” the perfect lamp or accessories. The store specializes in American traditional furnishings.
MICHAEL ANGELO INTERIORS, Arlington Heights. Designers will help customers in the store at no charge and with no retainer fee involved. A house call requires a retainer fee, which is generally determined on an individual basis. The fee is deductible from a minimum purchase of between $2,000 and $3,000 made within three months. Customers get a comprehensive design plan for a room. If a customer wants a store designer to do a plan for an entire home-which would include working with the customer`s architect in doing room and space planning and helping select everything from floor coverings to plumbing fixtures to cabinetry, appliances and furnishings-there is a $1,500 fee, which is not deductible from a purchase. The store specializes in transitional and eclectic looks.
BLOOMINGDALE`S, Chicago. The store operates a Custom Shop At Home department in which decorators will bring fabric samples and idea books to a customer`s home to help create and select custom window treatments, including draperies, blinds, shades and verticals. Fabrics for slipcovers, reupholstery, bedspreads and even lamp shades and cannister covers can be selected at home. The shop-at-home service also includes custom mirrors, and by fall closet remodeling will be offered. There is no retainer fee for this service, nor is there an obligation to buy. Appointments are taken over the phone.
COLBY`S HOME FURNISHINGS, Lincolnwood and Oak Brook. Both designers and senior designers are on staff. Designers perform the complimentary service of assisting customers in the store with specific design-related questions. Senior designers make house calls and offer complete design plans. This service requires a $300 retainer fee, which is deductible from a minimum purchase of $3,000 made within six months. Stores carry a full range of furniture styles.
DESIGN STUDIO, Skokie. In-store design consultations are free and encouraged on weekdays. With a $300 retainer fee, deductible from a minimum purchase of $3,000 made within three months, designers will travel to a customer`s home and do floor plans, color and fabric schemes. The store specializes in contemporary furnishings.
D. EDMUNDS INTERIORS FINE FURNITURE, Burr Ridge. Designers will make house calls and in addition to creating plans for a single room will work with architects and builders in the planning stage of an entire home. In most cases this service is complimentary, and no retainer fee is involved. A $500 retainer fee, which is deductible from a purchase made within six months, is assessed if the shopper does not commit to a purchase. The store carries a complete range of styles.
EUROSTYLE, Niles and two other suburban locations. Design assistance at the store is free. In-home help requires a $100 retainer fee, which is applied toward a purchase of $1,000 or more. In addition to the basics-floor plans, color and fabric coordination-designers will custom-design floral arrangements and area rugs and arrange custom color paintings to match a client`s decor. The store specializes in contemporary furniture that can be customized with a broad selection of faux and color finishes.
EXPRESSIONS, Chicago and Naperville. Design assistance is a complimentary in-store service. No house calls are made that involve furniture. There is a custom window treatment and bedspread program, though, in which designers will take fabric samples to a customer`s home. This service requires a $75 retainer fee, which is applied toward a purchase. The store specializes in custom upholstery in which the customer chooses from a broad selection of fabrics and frames.
FRADELL, Palatine. For $200, which is applied toward a minimum purchase of $2,000 made within six months, a designer will visit a customer`s home and put together a comprehensive design plan for a room or rooms. In-store assistance is free and encouraged. The store specializes in 18th Century American traditional furniture.
RICHARD HONQUEST FINE FURNISHINGS, Barrington. In-store assistance and house calls are complimentary, with no retainer fee charged in most cases. A $2,000 retainer fee, which is deductible from a purchase, is assessed, though, on big projects such as a design plan for an entire home. Store designers will work with customers` architects and, in addition to rooms and entire homes, will do design plans for offices in the workplace. The store carries a range of furniture styles.
HUFFORD FURNITURE, Chicago. The store encourages in-store consultations where customers can see the selection of furniture and fabric. House calls are a possibility, provided a purchase is made. The store specializes in traditional styles but also shows a mix of contemporary and transitional furniture.
MARSHALL FIELD`S, Chicago and suburban locations. State Street, Woodfield, Old Orchard and Oakbrook stores operate Interior Design Studios that are staffed with senior designers who will make house calls and render comprehensive design plans for clients. There is no fee for this service
”provided the customer purchases the merchandise through the designer at Marshall Field`s,” said Robert Wetterer, director of the Interior Design Studio. If they use the service and don`t buy, a fee will be charged, although it`s not predetermined, nor is the time period for making the purchase. Senior designers have assistants who will help customers with specific design questions that can be readily answered within the store. Other suburban stores that carry furniture don`t have full-fledged studios but do have at least one designer on staff to assist customers at home or in the store. Stores carry a full range of furniture styles.
NEW TOWN INTERIORS, Chicago. In-store help is complimentary. House calls are available in conjunction with a purchase. Along with interior planning, designers can create custom wall units that the store will build. Contemporary furniture is this store`s specialty.
O`REILLY`S FINE FURNITURE, Libertyville. Design assistance is free both in-store and at-home, with no retainer fee charged. Designers do floor plans and color and fabric schemes. The store carries a complete range of style categories and has a gallery of American traditional furniture.
J.C. PENNEY, Chicago and suburbs. Custom Decorating is an in-home service in which decorators will travel to a customer`s home-carrying a huge selection of fabric samples and idea books-to help select custom window treatments, including draperies, blinds and shades. Carpeting and framed artwork also can be selected through this in-home service, which requires no retainer fee and does not carry any obligation to make a purchase.
Appointments are taken over the phone through any Chicago-area store.
PETERSEN INTERIORS, Arlington Heights and Downers Grove. In-store assistance is free. With a $150 retainer fee, designers will make house calls and offer complete design plans. The fee is deductible from a minimum purchase of $1,500 made within six months. (Customers who live quite a distance from either store are charged $250, and minimum purchase is $2,500.) In addition to interior design assistance, the store has the facilities and staff to custom design and build solid wood cabinetry and tables. The store specializes in contemporary furnishings.
PLUNKETT FURNITURE, Lombard and seven other suburban locations. A $200 retainer fee is required for a house call but is deducted from a purchase of $2,000 or more made within three months. Designers provide customers with a complete design plan for the room or rooms in question. In-store assistance is free and encouraged. The store carries a range of furniture styles and is known for its Drexel-Heritage brand name galleries and showcase stores.
PORTERS OF RACINE, Racine, Wis. Design assistance, both in-store and at- home, is free with no retainer fee involved. Designers will do comprehensive design plans for a single room or an entire house and will work with builders and architects in the blueprint stage. The store carries a complete range of furniture styles.
ROCHE-BOBOIS, Chicago and Winnetka. In-store design assistance is free. House calls require a $500 retainer fee, which is applied to a $5,000 purchase made within six months. Customers get a comprehensive design plan for the room or rooms in question. The store specializes in contemporary furniture from France, Italy and Germany.
ROSSI, Broadview and two Chicago locations. In-store design assistance is free and encouraged with no retainer fee involved. With a $250 retainer fee, which is deductible from a purchase, designers will go to a customer`s home and prepare a design plan for a room or rooms. The minimum purchase is not set, nor is the time frame for making that purchase. Designers also will work with artists to help create custom artwork to complement a client`s decor. The store is a contemporary specialist.
SCANDINAVIAN DESIGN, Chicago and three suburbs. One interior designer is stationed at the Evanston store. With a $250 retainer fee, deductible from a purchase of $1,000 or more, the designer will make a house call and provide the customer with layouts and color schemes. The store specializes in contemporary Scandinavian furniture.
SEARS, Chicago and suburbs. Customers can shop for window treatments and fabric for reupholstery and bedspreads at home by making an appointment with the Custom Decorating department in all but three of the Chicago-area stores. Decorators will bring samples and idea books to the home. There is no obligation to buy and no retainer fee. Appointments are taken over the phone. WALTER E. SMITHE, Park Ridge and four other suburbs. Free in-store design assistance-including help with floor plans, color and fabric coordination-is available and encouraged. House calls are offered in conjunction with a purchase. The store specializes in custom upholstery in which the customer chooses from a selection of fabrics and frames.
TOMS-PRICE, Wheaton. A $150 retainer fee, deductible from a purchase of $1,000 or more, is assessed on house calls, for which the customer gets a comprehensive design plan for a room or rooms. In-store assistance is complimentary. The store specializes in 18th Century period looks and other traditional American styles. A Colonial Williamsburg gallery recently opened in the store.
WORKBENCH, Chicago and four suburbs. At least one interior designer is on staff at each of the six locations. In-store design assistance is free and includes help with floor plans and color schemes. No house calls are available. The store sells contemporary furniture.
ZIERK`S, Naperville and two other suburban locations. In-store assistance is free. House calls require a $100 retainer fee, which is deducted from a purchase. There is no minimum purchase or time frame for making that purchase. Designers provide assistance in floor planning, fabric and color coordination. The store carries a full range of style categories. –
