Since announcing its expansion plans in late May, online marketplace Dering Hall has launched an initiative that allows design centers to showcase products through its global digital platform. Until now, design centers' efforts have been limited to posting product on their own sites.

Participating design centers include Atlanta Decorative Arts Center (ADAC), New York Design Center (NYDC), the Boston Design Center (BDC), the San Francisco Design Center (SFDC), and the Design Center at the Merchandise Mart in Chicago.

"The idea is to enable designers from around the world to be able to filter their searches by location and pre-shop design centers in advance of their travels," said Peter Sallick, Dering Hall's co-founder. "This is particularly beneficial as many projects are not in the designer's own state and his or her clients often need local access to see products before purchase. Designers need to efficiently find products for their projects and showrooms need to create visibility to their products—this is a great, incremental way for this to happen."

The Dering Hall team is committed to providing a curated online experience for very high end companies and the designers who buy from them. "Many sites have in the past said they are high end, but ultimately have moved downmarket in the interest of building ecommerce revenue," said Sallick.

Product from brands currently featured on Dering Hall can be linked with one or more design centers. In addition, design centers will have the ability to feature product from brands that are not on the site. By partnering with the design centers and helping to market the center and their respective showrooms, Dering Hall hopes to further encourage the brands to come onto the site.

Dering Hall has also formed alliances with two industry associations: the Institute of Classical Architecture and Art (ICAA) and the Decorative Furnishings Association (DFA), each of which will have prominent exposure on member pages throughout the site and through individual profile pages.

"Dering Hall benefits by building relationships across the industry and as a result, by building visibility to what we are doing.  We have a big job to build awareness for our brand and for our mission of promoting design and the design marketplace," said Sallick.