Digital has created a new design democracy with clicks, pins and virtual shopping carts redefining the landscape. For our cover story we delve into the lessons being learned and how make the trade great again.
Not so long ago, the to-the-trade world operated in a mysterious realm of off-limits showrooms, secret pricing structures, and little to no transparency. Furniture simply showed up. Over time, the market has become less covert, with Instagram and Pinterest paving a way for even the most casual viewer to grab a virtual glimpse into projects undertaken by interior designers both big league and small. While plenty of retailers now excel at drop-shipping patio chairs and bathroom vanities, the high-end design world has only recently begun to crack the digital code. “The thing is, furniture is always the last to the game,” said David Alhadeff, founder of seminal design store The Future Perfect, which represents the work of designers and manufacturers like Arflex, Lindsey Adelman, Callidus Guild, Ilse Crawford Studio for De La Espada, and Dimore Studio—exclusive, high-design works that aren’t typical impulse buys. “It took fashion a while to figure out the Internet and furniture is still being figured out.”
Shopping habits, for one, have changed. “The Internet has become the new showroom,” said Alhadeff. “What we don’t have anymore, and this is something that has totally changed, is that people used to walk down the street and into the store in an effort to be inspired. They came in thinking, ‘I’m buying a new apartment. I wanted to see what you have; this is really exciting.’ Let’s call it ‘bullshit browsing.’ It’s the weekend thing: ‘I’ve got my kid, I’ve got my husband. We’re just going to go look.’ Who does that anymore? No one does that! No one has time for that. We do all of our bullshit browsing online, between 9 p.m. and 12 a.m., sitting in our bed watching TV.”
BOH subscribers and BOH Insiders.