Our Designers

American Leather Furniture Shows How Customer Service Is Done I just got back from High Point, N. Carolina. It is the major furniture show in the US (and the largest in the world). Laura and I always go, and this year Drea came with us. It is always so fun to order and see what is [...]

Don’t compromise when you can have it all! When most people think of a sleeper sofa, they think of that old sofa their grandparents had. It was uncomfortable to sleep on and a pain to get out and put away. Well I have good news! We have come a long way from the old fashioned [...]

Thank you Laura and Don. Thank you for your business.  And thank you for letting me be a part of creating this beautiful room. The beautiful Horizon leather sofa was a great way to begin this room. Then we added in these two Sally swivel chairs in an interesting buy understated print. The large Del [...]

This Room Sets the Tone of the Whole House Jessica came into by Design one afternoon looking to furnish the formal living area in the front of her house. It was her first time in our store, and when she found out about our interior design service she was excited to get started! The room is mostly [...]

This design is for a couple (one is a contractor) that lives on the top floor of a loft in downtown Des Moines. They renovated the loft – and needed new bedroom furniture and living room furniture. The space features concrete floors and walls and wonderful views of the city. It certainly isn’t a view that many [...]

Clean Lines and Refined Design Taste Sandy and Gaylord live in a beautiful home. Only their dog lives with them, but they have frequent visits from kids and grand-kids.  They had renovated their kitchen — and needed their living room to reflect the new modern/traditional mix. They have very refined taste and like clean lines. They [...]

Empathy – the most under-rated (but most important) aspect of interior design. We had just met.  And, my soon-to-be customer and friend Ginny’s first words were: “I’m just looking and I take a long time to decide.”  Fine with me!  So we sat down and I listened.  I tried to understand what she was really looking [...]

The Zen Buffet by Saloom Furniture, from the Peter Frances collection. The hand-selected woods used to craft the Zen Buffet are rich and expressive.  They’re chosen specifically for grain character and color to work with the Zen’s combination of door and drawer compartments.  This bit of craftsmanship honors the design of the piece. I selected [...]

Challenges Chuck and Ruth were building a custom home in Urbandale.  They weren’t newbies, they had built several before.  But they knew they wanted an interior designer to help them pull everything together.  The goal: a custom, one-of-a-kind look for their beautiful new home. I met with them and their daughter Katie at By Design. [...]

When Natasha came into by Design in Des Moines, she instantly fell in love with the Colton sectional.  What’s more, she knew she wanted leather.  What a great way to start.  The Colton’s combination of contemporary horizontal lines combined with rich turfted seating cushions and metal legs is a winner.  Adding leather to this design [...]

Please don’t wait until the last minute to start thinking about furniture for your new house!  Many people feel like they need to wait to start thinking about furniture because it can be overwhelming to do everything at once. And I agree, it can be very overwhelming, but that is what we are here for. [...]

Don’t sacrifice your dream room. Can I afford to go to by Design and let interior designers help me with my room? Absolutely, you can!  I always am horrified that people think we are over-priced and snobby because we are all designers here.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  All of the designers here [...]

Would you like to make a big change in your room with a small investment? Here’s how: ADD A RUG! Dollar-for-dollar, there is probably no higher impact way to enhance or complement the interior design goals that you’re trying to achieve. With that said, it’s the size of the rug – not only it’s appearance [...]

Summer is here!  Finally!  Summer is a great time to freshen up our homes and lives.  It is a good time to think about how you want your life to be and how you want your home to look.  This is important stuff and is deserving of some thought.  Here are a few questions to [...]

while saving a busy client time! My client is a young busy Gen X’er busy with his career and no time to shop multiple stores.  by Design’s wide array of styles and prices met his needs and matched his time constraints perfectly.  After we met, I had a good idea of his interior design style [...]

A designer is sometimes her own toughest customer. Designing or choosing for someone else can be freeing.  But, when you choose for yourself, all sorts of issues emerge.  How will people judge me when they see my room?  Eventually, you get over it and just choose things you love.  Here is the sofa I chose: [...]

There is a perfect area rug size… but it depends on what you are trying to accomplish.  Do you want to: Add a pop of color or focal point? Bring the furniture & accents together? Define a space? Finish a room? Soften a traffic pattern? I’m not trying to waffle here.  You need to think [...]

Accessories add personality to a great home. Brigid came into by Design one afternoon with her fabric samples in her hand and an unsure look on her face. She knew she was in need of some accessories for her Urbandale house but wasn’t sure what exactly she needed. After walking through our showroom Brigid found [...]

Elegant lines, comfortable fabrics, a great room and great customers. (I guess it’s no surprise this room turned out so well) Our client, Suzanne, was inspired by the Rustic Chic room on by Design’s showroom floor.   This style can be exemplified by the elegant style of the sofa and chairs upholstered in a kid [...]

Always Hire A Professional. Years ago Kevin and Joel decided to spray-texture a ceiling themselves. Rent the equipment — mix up the gunk — spray it on.  How tough can this be?  Predictably, the results were mixed.  The ceiling certainly got textured… but so did the floor, the walls and Kevin and Joel.  What.  A. [...]

[nggallery id=153] Conversation is critical to interior design. Kay recently came into by Design for the first time — and I was lucky enough to get to know her.  We hit it off immediately. Kay and her husband had been in their home for about a year and a half.  They were comfortably settled and [...]

Phyllis and Jack came into our store, and I was lucky enough to get to work with them. At some point our conversation turned to the Downton Abbey series on television.  They had enjoyed the shows, and were intrigued by the Ralph Lauren sponsorship videos.  Lauren was using design to illustrate a lifestyle.  We used [...]

Here is a great way to find inspiration.  My clients Lori and Brad have collected Maxfield Parrish artwork for years.  He uses shades of blues and greens.  Everything in the room can be inspired by and anchored in the wonderful Parrish prints that they own. Maybe this tactic will help you Maxfield Parrish was an American [...]