Decorist raises $4.5M seed for home-design services

Want a simple way to get ideas for your home? You can get an interior makeover from Decorist

When I was a teenager, one of my first entrepreneurial ideas was to design golf skirts. My second idea was to design furniture. So it comes as little surprise that Decorist, which brings interior-design advice to the masses, is a service I really like. In fact, if I were to have started another company, this idea would rank high on the list. 

If I were to back a company, this one would rank high on the list too, at least from the idea standpoint.

But clearly, the idea has legs, meaning the execution in the last year has been successful. Since being founded in January 2014, Decorist has served thousands of customers and has 40 pre-screened and vetted designers.

Given its success, Decorist has landed a $4.5 million seed round, led by Lowe's Companies, the operator of a chain of home improvement and appliance stores in the US, and the Women's Venture Capital Fund. 

The way it works is consumers set up their profile, based on a quick style quiz. I took one and apparently, my style is "Eclectic." I "prefer to mix and match styles... include pieces with a classic look, such as antiques or items with a sense of history."

Not bad. I'd say that's close to my style (though it's a bit like Fortune cookies, in that most fortunes are one-size-fits all).

Nonetheless, it's good. And ultimately, it just gives the designers some sense of my tastes.

Once in, I can select a design or makeover package. There's three tiers: $199, $399 and $799.

The pricing isn't based on how many designs you can see, but the skill level of the designer. In fact, a consumer can spend as much time as she'd like with the designer, as there are no time limits. But typically, a consumer will be happy with three design choices, said Gretchen Hansen, Founder and CEO of Decorist.

The design process is all done virtually. The designers don't have to visit the home, a consumer can just provide photos and floor layouts and room dimensions. The designer and the consumer can then work off of a virtual design board. 

Hansen wouldn't say how much the designer makes from the packages, only to say that designers make more money than the average interior designer in the country makes, which is around $25 an hour. For both the designer and Decorist, however, the upside comes from selling the furniture and items that go into the room. Hence the partnership with Lowe's. But Decorist works with 100-plus retailers, so designers can select items from across all of these retailers. Consumers can then select which items they want to buy from the design board, and the designers get a commission for any purchases. 

Hansen said that since Decorist gets a discount from the retailers, some of that discount is also passed to the consumers.