The Interior Designer’s Guide to Participating In a Designer Show House
Participating in a designer show house is an exciting opportunity for interior designers to showcase their talent, creativity, and design prowess. In this article, I’ll dive into the experiences of seasoned interior designers who have participated in show houses, sharing valuable insights into their motivations, challenges, collaborations, and lessons learned. If you have considered participating in a show house and wonder if it is a worthwhile endeavor, read on.
But first, let’s define what a designer show house is.
Designer show houses are limited-term showcases of interior design expertise, where designers create stunning and innovative spaces within a designated property. The public is then invited to purchase tickets to tour the showhouse during open exhibit hours to both see the outstanding designs and to meet with participating designers. These events serve as platforms for designers to display their creativity, talent, and knowledge while inspiring and educating both industry professionals and the general public.
Show house events are typically sponsored by local non-profits as a fundraising event, with the proceeds supporting that charitable organization’s programs and activities. In some cities, they may also be co-sponsored by the local chapter of ASID. Often a local or national home-design focused magazine is also involved in the sponsorship.
In some cases, there is a client — the homeowner or homeowners — who allows their home to be toured throughout the exhibit period in exchange for the benefit of obtaining free design services from the participating designers. Designers work with the homeowner to execute (or greatly exceed!) their vision, and the homeowner may purchase some, or all, of the chosen furnishings. But, this isn’t always true, and designers may need to remove items they installed, source from their own inventory or invest in pieces for their room, or take items on loan from vendors.
In other instances, the home may be builder-owned or may be a house-museum. In these cases, designers find vendors to lend furnishings for the duration of the tour, or use items from their own inventory. This also may mean that after the exhibit period, designers need to remove all furnishings from the home, even down to stripping wall covering, or filling and painting nail holes. In other cases, all items (furniture, artwork, rugs, accessories) are marked for sale during the tour, and can be purchased by attendees who can collect their purchased items at the end of the touring period. And, often designers spend considerable amounts of their own money to purchase items and furnishings to be used.
In all cases, the houses are usually quite grand, with a sufficient number of rooms to allow many different designers to contribute their work, each designer working on one, or a cluster of rooms. Often a local home-and-design focused publication features the showhouse and the designers in an issue of their magazine — so designers can benefit from great free press coverage.
One of the most well-known recurring showhouses is the Kips Bay Showhouse. It is sponsored by the Boys and Girls Club of Kips Bay, New York. This showhouse event has been occurring for 47 years, each year showcasing the transformation of a Manhattan home into an elegant exhibition of top-notch residential design. More recently, this event has expanded to include show houses in both Palm Beach, Florida, and Dallas,Texas.
Aside from the free press, and the interaction with people touring the home (who themselves may be great potential clients), designers are not paid for their time. However, participation in a showhouse can be a great way to gain local recognition, meet new clients, establish yourself as a design authority, and get to know other designers. On the flipside, this experience can also be very time consuming, expensive, and stressful, even if you know what you’re getting yourself into.
We opened up this series to our audience and had seven interior designers share their experience on participating in show houses. This article is a culmination of their responses. Some were reporting on their first and only experience being involved in such an event, and others were show house veterans, having participated in several events. If you have done a room in a show house and would like to share your insights, please email gloria@dakotadesigncompany.com and we’ll include your experience and tips in the post.
Let’s jump into the questions!
What motivated you to participate in a show house, and what were your expectations?
Show houses provide a unique platform for designers to demonstrate their skills to a wider audience. Motivations to participate ranged from exposure and networking opportunities to contributing to a charitable cause. Designers’ expectations revolved around gaining recognition, connecting with potential clients, and exploring creative freedom.
Designers shared they could volunteer to staff the home during open touring hours, not only to answer questions, but also to meet-and-greet those people who are touring through, who may themselves be looking for design services. Designers can hand out business cards and promotional flyers. One designer reported that over 5000 people came through the show house she was involved in. One person we interviewed suggested thinking about a show house as a “temporary showroom” for your business.
Designers we interviewed varied in their perceived levels of return on investment for their efforts in participating. One said she did not feel she got sufficient ROI, but attributed that to the fact that the event was not publicized in a local magazine. At the other extreme, another designer reported receiving eight new build projects from the exposure from one event. Another felt the benefit was mainly in getting photographs of the unique space for their website. Another said that the ultimate ROI was that it was a fun experience and allowed the ability to create a space without the limitations of client input. ← that could be worth it right there!
How did you apply and get selected for the show house?
In some cases, designers were invited to participate in the show house, in other cases, designers applied to participate. Applying often involved submitting a proposal and design concept, and meeting specific criteria outlined by the event organizers (and homeowners, if involved). Designers are often required to carry business liability insurance in order to be involved in a show house.
Often there is an open house day for designers to tour the home in its original state. Then they can submit a first, second, and third choice for the room that they want to be assigned. Preference for rooms is more often granted to designers who have successfully (completed on time, no issues) participated in past homes sponsored by the same organization. First-time participants may often not get their first choice room assignment.
The designers we interviewed emphasized the importance of aligning your concept with the overall theme established for the home, as well as the preferences within that geographic area.
What were the main challenges you faced while preparing for the show house, and how did you overcome them?
Preparing for a show house is no small feat. The designers discussed challenges such as tight timelines, limited budgets, and managing logistics. To overcome these obstacles, they emphasized meticulous planning, resourcefulness in sourcing materials, leveraging industry relationships for loaned or donated items, and assembling a reliable team for support.
A few designers mentioned the stress that comes with having your work be on full display in the community — the need to impress potential clients as well as other top designers in the area. So they felt a lot of pressure to create something truly amazing.
The timing issue was present both during design and during installation. One designer mentioned making all the selections in an expedited time frame — much more quickly than would be normal for a client project.
Delivery and staging are also a challenge — often needing to be completed in just one day. In one case, a designer described that each designer was given a 1.5-hour time frame for utilizing the driveway for ALL needed deliveries and that there was no air conditioning — but ample dirt and dust — on install day.
One designer related having barstools arrive in chrome the night before opening day and having to cover the legs in gold duct tape.
So, being flexible, creative, and having a plan “B” in your back pocket serves show house designers well!
How did you approach the design concept for your show house space?
Designers emphasized the need to consider the design tastes of the local community at large and to also consider what might appeal to potential clients touring the home. One designer who had participated in several show homes noted that if the home is builder-owned, there can be significant budgetary constraints, but that there can be free rein with design. On the flip side, if there is a homeowner, there will be restrictions on design latitude to appease their tastes.
A designer who regularly participates in show houses said that their design team collected their favorite fabrics and custom pieces throughout the preceding year to build the concept around, and another designer liked to feature a hot new furniture piece recently seen at Market.
Another designer advised that for first-time participants, it may be best to pick a small room that you can make fabulous without a large outlay of money. He related that the first show house he was involved in was almost 20,000 square feet, and all the participating designers were fighting over the larger spaces. He chose the laundry room. He related, “My thought process was I KNOW I can make this laundry room better than the laundry room of anyone that walks through the doors. And it worked! The man that was driving the shuttle that transported people to and from the house came in on the last day and said ‘I have got to see this laundry room that everyone has been raving about!’” So, bigger may not always be better when volunteering for spaces.
Can you share insights into budgeting and sourcing for the show house project?
Budgeting and sourcing play pivotal roles in show house projects. Several designers spoke of working with vendors, artisans, or fabricators to get items on loan or at a significant price discount in exchange for mentions in press coverage of the show house event. And sometimes, vendors or showrooms were willing to provide materials free of charge, such as one designer’s experience where Brunswig & Fils donated yards of fabric for draperies, and their workroom donated the labor to make them.
Even when designers were able to get furnishings on loan, there was often still an out-of-pocket cost for the participating designer. Loaned items may not mean zero cost, as the designer may still have to pay for freight, crating, and delivery to get items to the show house then back to the showroom. Several designers spoke of paying tradespeople out-of-pocket for labor, as the trades are generally not able to reap the same marketing benefit from press exposure.
Timing was also mentioned as an limiting issue with sourcing, as there is not the luxury of waiting six-to-eight months for a custom piece. So often designers had to work with what was available for the timing of the event.
What considerations did you have while designing for a show house?
Designer responses depended on whether there was a homeowner attached — in which case things were to remain — or whether the design was to be a temporary installation. There is often an organizing committee as well — also volunteers — who have approval and veto power over design details, to make sure that there is cohesion throughout the overall house design.
Designing for a homeowner meant a bit less latitude, as the homeowner/client needed to approve both the design and the cost. Working on a builder-owned or temporary installation allowed more creativity, but also meant there were other considerations, such as transportability, ease of installation or removal, and risk for damages. In other cases, there were existing items or materials which were intended to remain, so had to be accommodated. One designer spoke of needing to design around blue damask wallcovering in a bedroom of a historic home.
Homeowner or not, one designer suggested that creating a design that is very unique is really key to having you and your design be remembered above the others in the home: “OMG you guys had the laundry room with the white peacock!!!”
How did you engage with visitors and potential clients during the show house event?
Engaging with visitors and potential clients is crucial for designers to leverage the experience toward business growth. The participants spoke of the importance of being present during touring hours, sharing their design inspirations and thought processes, and offering insights into their work as a way of engaging the touring public, some of whom may be shopping for a designer and design services.
While staffing the showhouse tour, designers used creative tactics to encourage people to come to their rooms and to engage with people coming through. One designer preferred to talk to people about the items, rather than engage in a sales pitch. One designer raffled off a high-end accessory item and was able to collect a lot of email addresses to build her mailing list. Several designers mentioned using interesting novelty or noteworthy items in the room as a conversation starter. In another case, there were ballots for viewers to vote for the “People’s Choice” awards, and that provided opportunities for chatting.
One tip that was shared: If your room is at the end of a hallway there will likely be a bottleneck to get to it, which could in turn result in fewer people seeing your room. If this is your case, you’ll want to focus on promoting something fun and exciting so people are encouraged to come to your room.
What was your investment of time and money?
Designers reported spending both a great deal of time AND money. Between $8,000 and $20,000 seemed common, although one designer reported spending much more. In some cases, some of that money was recouped if items could be sold during the touring period, or sold to other clients later.
One designer said that she hadn’t tracked either hours spent or money spent, but felt that if she knew the actual amount, she would probably feel discouraged from participating again. Another said that her company considered the cost of doing an annual show house to be a part of their marketing budget, as they considered their donation of time for the event to be a key means of attracting future business.
Even designers who worked on a show house that had a homeowner ended up spending significant money out-of-pocket, when the homeowner didn’t agree to purchase items that the designer felt were critical to make the room exhibit-worthy. And in builder-owned homes, sometimes there was a budget reimbursement for rooms such as bathrooms or kitchens, or other built-in pieces, as those items stay with the house.
As far as selling the furnishings and items used in the space to touring guests (if there was not a homeowner who would be purchasing), one designer reported offering everything at net cost to ensure that most items sold and wouldn’t have to be transported back to showrooms. But another designer was adamant about not discounting prices from retail levels, to ensure there was some revenue regained.
One designer reported utilizing items that she could use in her own home after the tour, even using custom draperies that puddled on the floor in the showhouse but were the perfect length for her own windows afterward.
What valuable lessons or insights did you gain from participating in a show house, and what advice would you give to other designers considering participating in such an event?
Participating in showhouses proved to be a rich learning experience for the designers. They gained insights into project management, marketing strategies, client preferences, and industry trends.
Generally, the designers agreed that the press and exposure for one’s business was very valuable and that there is a strong allure to being able to showcase your talents to such a wide audience. But several designers warned that participation can be more expensive and time-consuming than you may initially estimate.
One designer specifically warned that — if the show house is NOT to be prominently featured in a homestyle magazine — the exposure and publicity may be too limited to make it a worthwhile experience. Others stressed the benefits of getting to know other designers in the area through their participation.
Several designers had some specific warnings: to be wary of using very fragile items that may easily break while so many people are touring through, and also, to be careful about utilizing small, high-end items that might go missing during the tour period. Another designer spoke of using an expensive, light-colored Stark rug and having anxiety all during the exhibit that it would get soiled and would have to be replaced at her expense.
All-in-all, the designers we interviewed seemed to feel that participating in a show house can be a very enriching experience. It was an opportunity to unleash their creativity, showcase their talent, and forge valuable connections within the industry. However, the negative aspects of stress, time commitment, and monetary cost were mentioned several times as well. These insights offer a glimpse into the intricate world of show house participation and hopefully provide inspiration to aspiring designers looking to make their mark in the industry.
One designer we interviewed summed up the potential motivation well:
“It is a challenge, and designers LOVE a challenge!”
Thank you so much to the designers who shared their show house experiences with us for this blog: Maria Barcelona, Angela Carroll, Gail Diehl, Evan Millard, Adrienne Morgan, and Gloria Stafford. If you have insights to share, please email gloria@dakotadesigncompany.com so we can incorporate them into this article.
Looking for more? Keep reading:
