#DoItFor, the Decorative Furnishings Association’s website and ad campaign encouraging consumers to hire interior designers (as opposed to DIY), has officially gone live. The site launches following the DFA’s online crowdfunding campaign, which was launched in fall 2016 and raised upwards of $100,000 in contributions from more than 100 interior designers, design centers, and other members of the community. The money was used toward two of the DFA’s goals, says the organization: first, developing an ad campaign, and second, developing an online portal that connects consumers with interior designers via an online quiz and matchmaking tool.
Chad Stark, former president of the DFA, spearheaded the initiative last year. He explains, “With #DoItFor, we are highlighting the reason you design your home in the first place: It is where special moments happen. When it comes to decorating our homes, it’s too important to do it yourself. So we say work with professionals. Don’t do it yourself, do it for yourself: ‘DoItFor: Your Loved Ones,’ ‘DoItFor: Her First Steps,’ and for all the special moments that happen at home. We are confident that consumers will get better results if they hire a professional interior designer once they understand that there are options available to them in different budget ranges.”
Newly installed DFA president Eric Chang says, “As an industry, we are now united to start communicating direct-to-consumer the true value of choosing independent design firms over DIY and free ‘design services’ at retail stores and online.”
Stark says, “DFA is leading this charge to gather key players around a unified nonprofit effort—by the industry, for the industry—with a simple goal in mind: Establish a connection with consumers and help them navigate the complexity of the interior design process, which will increase the demand for interior design services and help to grow our to-the-trade category, while embracing all parts of the new design economy. While there are other matchmaking tools out there, #DoItFor is the only one created and endorsed by the leaders of the design trade—from furniture and fabric lines to showrooms and entire design centers—eventually offering unparalleled access to the top trends and resources of our industry.”
