We talk a lot about home improvement on the Gutter Helmet® blog, but when it comes time to hire an interior designer, how do you find a great one? A new website, DesignShuffle.com, brings together interior designers from around the world and lets them share designs, ideas, and advice. We sat down with the DesignShuffle.com team to find out a little more about this innovative website.
What was the impetus behind DesignShuffle.com?
We saw a need for a social media website for interior designers and decided to go with it. At the time, there really was no platform for designers to get exposure for themselves. Our goal was to provide a way for designers to connect with end clients.
What are some of the best features about DesignShuffle.com?
The ability to upload your work for free and gain instant exposure. Another great feature is our active blog. When designers are featured on our blog, their work will get published for our 70,000+ fans/followers to see. Our “Faves” feature is another great focus. A “Fave” is an album/post where our members can display their favorite photographs for others to see or even to gain exposure. They can share with their friends or their clients to communicate inspirations with them. We also have a really great map directory feature which visually lists and displays the designers in each region and city of the U.S. so they can be found easily with just a simple Google search.
Where are the members of DesignShuffle.com located?
The Design Shuffle team is based out of Los Angeles, CA, but we reach designers and fans all over the world.
Based on the photos being submitted to your website, what are some of the design trends that are popular right now in today’s homes?
We are seeing a lot of people want to go eco-friendly — from LED lights to items that are environmentally-friendly using sustainable materials and designs.
What are some of the current topics being discussed on the website’s forum?
How to take stunning portfolio photos is one of the topics that is quite popular. Designers understand that it’s really important to market oneself through quality photographs, with everyone being so visual on the Web these days. Designers want to find out how to take better pictures so they can reach their audience better.
In addition to the “basic” rooms (bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchens, and family rooms), what other areas of the home are highlighted on DesignShuffle.com?
We have dining rooms, living rooms, home offices and outdoor spa areas as well. We have every area of the home to be inspired by.
What are some of the changes taking place in the interior design industry today?
The design industry has seen continued positive growth for the last 10 consecutive months, and continues to influence product sales of over $49 billion/year. A recent trend we’ve seen is that more designers are going towards “e-designing” solutions now that our society has become more Internet-based. As this happens, many designers have also grown their business branding by offering “online shops” on their websites as well.
Have you gotten any feedback from the designers on DesignShuffle.com regarding whether they are getting blog readers or referrals?
Yes, lots of positive response from other bloggers who are also designers. Though we have no way to measure referrals at this time, we constantly are getting positive responses from other bloggers who receive multiple comments of praise on their blog posts whenever we cross-promote them in conjunction with our blog.
How do designers go about getting a membership on DesignShuffle.com?
It’s free. They can sign up on our homepage at designshuffle.com to start getting inspired today!
Image credits: nwdesigninc.com, platemark.com
