Luxury is alive! There have never been more people with more means to acquire fine design. They want the best, are used to getting it, and will spend accordingly. And it’s my belief that designers deserve a far greater share of the robust market for luxury in interior design.

Luxury is different today. Beyond merely price and prestige, the new definition of luxury for design at home is “an intimate and exclusive experience with time, quality and imagination”—a compelling definition for interior design and architecture in the luxury market. Through my recent book, Aiming at Affluence and my public presentations—such as the one set for Thursday, April 10th at 12:30 p.m. in the Green Wing on the 11th floor of the International Home Furnishings Center (IHFC)—I attempt to help interior designers use this definition to take their business to the next level. I call it “better business by design.”

Marketing is basically telling the right story to the right audience. The story always begins with value—why someone is willing to pay more to get more. And value is where the luxury marketing of design begins.

According to most designer’s best clients, they value the designer’s work because they trust their designer’s creative judgment, and enjoy their relationship and the delightful level of service while the project is being completed. So, in the end, they “love to come home.” As I write in the book, value is worth paying for, as a luxury service, because it is full of intimacy, exclusivity, time-sensitivity and imagination, and worth a commensurate price. Designers can market their businesses, accordingly.

Looking ahead toward attracting the next best client, a designer’s value should always be marketed and promoted in terms just like those above. Designers also know that their best clients will say and do good things for their business. They will tell friends and family that they are often made to feel like they’ve completely participated in the process, and therefore they can really own the design. They often return for other projects in the future, to design other rooms or other residences. The best clients are also happy to recommend real professionals to others, thus helping to build a designer’s reputation as a luxury brand.

Aiming at Affluence asks designers: “What’s your brand?” What’s the word about your design business? Out of whose mouths is that word being circulated? Can you afford to let it be circulated randomly? Can you do more than react to what others are saying about your brand? Should you be more proactive in nurturing your brand, even in limited, but tightly focused ways? For some prospective clients who might ask around to find you, the value of your brand is working on its own, so it needs to be healthy. Most designers simply need to discipline themselves enough to market their brands as efficiently and effectively as they design, and that’s what my book attempts to guide you toward.

Good designers are continuously learning about innovative and effective ways to market the interior design business. Of course, there’s always more to learn. Marketing is an innovative science, as well as a nuanced art. Knowing what to do is a good place to start, but doing what you know should be done is often the difference between success and ordinary results.

I absolutely believe that the market for professional interior design is there, especially with luxury-minded consumers. It’s simply up to each designer to get their share and approach that “better business by design!”

About Stephen Nobel:
Stephen Nobel is a member of the Luxury Marketing Council in New York and co-founder of the Luxury Home Alliance, established in New York as a ‘green-house’ for innovative marketing collaborations. He is also the founder and principal of NOBELINKS, a consulting firm specializing in the markets for home furnishings, decorative fabrics and interior design, worldwide. As noted, Stephen is also the author of Aiming at Affluence: Marketing Interior Design to Luxury Clients, in which he presents key insights into the opportunity interiors can seize in the luxury market. To hear more, be sure to catch his Market seminar in the High Point Room at IHFC, April 10 at 12:30. Reservations are not required and a box lunch will be served. For more information, please visit www.nobelinks.com.