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Smarts

Faux Flowers, Fresh Designs

When designer and IBB Design Fine Furnishings owner Shay Geyer needs a custom floral arrangement, she calls Shane Friesenhahn of The Botanical Mix. When Friesenhahn needed a designer for a new…
Steve Elton Larry Smith ICFA
Steve Elton (left) and Larry Smith

ICFA Announces 2018 Lifetime Achievement Recipients

Steve Elton, Chief Brand Curator for Brown Jordan, and Larry Smith, owner of Village Green Home and Garden in Rockford, IL, are recipients of the 2018 Lifetime Achievement Award presented by the…
Sandman wearing Santa hat and sunglasses on beach
Photo: EMrpize - stock.adobe.com

4 Design-centric Charities to Support this Upcoming Holiday Season

Based on the Showroom of the Year entries we receive every year, we know our readers are a charitable bunch. Each year, we hear stories from showrooms working to make their local communities better,…
Exterior of the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C.
Photo by Michael Judkins from Pexels

This Isn't Going Well: An Industry Guide to Tariffs and Trade Wars

International trade can best be described as the most convoluted game of Monopoly ever played: Everyone has a few good properties and a few okay properties and they're all just trying to make it…
Woman reading magazine
Photo by Kaboompics .com from Pexels

How to Think Critically About Style Reports

The major markets in Atlanta, Dallas, High Point and Las Vegas make style reporting a focal point of their programming and literature. Market goers can always expect to find some type of style-…
Five chandeliers and one blue velvet chair in a room
Photo: Classic Home

4 Factors that Drive In-store Purchases, According to New Study

Ever since the retail apocalypse/renaissance (depending on your optimism) hit, the retail industry has whispered about the demise of the brick-and-mortar store and whether or not it will survive into…

Color Your Clients Happy

On the surface, color psychology paints a pretty picture: Yellow makes us feel happy. Orange makes us feel energized. Green makes us feel calm. Sigh. If only life were that simple. We may roll our…
Desk with computer, folders and women holding coffee mug and mobile phone
Phone: Pexels

Website and E-Newsletter V. Social Media: Which Should You Prioritize?

We asked Leslie Carothers, CEO of The Kaleidoscope Partnership, speaker and expert on strategic planning and social media, for insight on how retailers and designers can balance their website and…

Charm School

Last month, the Lighting & Decor team attended the second annual ART + IDS Conference in Savannah, GA, where we basked in southern allure (and Spanish moss!), networked and learned, and donated…
Google Home speaker with copper base sitting on desk
Photo: Google

Okay Google, Why Should I Have a Smart Speaker in My Showroom?

Are you Team Google or Team Amazon? New research out last week found these two companies heavily competing in the smart home speaker race. As Canalys reports, Google beat Amazon for the first time…
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