Where to Source Products for E-Design Projects

Where do you source client products for E-Design projects?​​​​​​​​​

With a fully online interior design business, you most likely won't be able to drive over to your local furniture store to find your clients furniture and decor, especially if your client is in a different state or country as you!

So how do you know where to source items from? There may not be a perfect answer for this, but I'll tell you what works for me with Larkin Living Spaces...

First, you want to stick with larger brands that ship to a wide range of locations. This will make it easier for you to find items that can be shipped to your clients. I'm all about supporting small businesses, but with E-Design, it's tough to find small businesses that can ship furniture long-distance. So, unless you have an e-design client that is somewhat local, I do recommend sticking with the mall-brands that many are familiar with. Most of your E-Design clients are not going to have extremely high-budget projects (these clients are more likely to hire a traditional designer), so you probably won't be shopping at luxury brands.

The other positive with sourcing from larger brands is that they typically have damage and return policies , where they can accept returns for merchandise that is damaged or not as pictured (and they'll take it back for free). I hesitate a lot with places like Wayfair (for lower-budget projects), because the items do not always show up as described; however, Wayfair ALWAYS takes items back for free and replaces them (many times, they will tell you to just keep the original item and send you a second). As long as you familiarize yourself with how to pick the good items at this place, then you can feel better about sourcing items for them for your clients with lower-budget projects.

Another HUGE plus to shopping at larger brands is that they typically have a lot of photos and information online for you to get a really good feel for the items you are selecting. You want to choose items with customer reviews and images. This will really help for you to understand the quality, color, and if the item is as-described on the website.

In order to familiarize yourself with the inventory at these brands, I suggest going on a little research trip a couple of times a year to each store (if there is one in-person that is available to you), and seeing their products in person. Touch and feel the furniture, test it out and sit on it! It will give you a better idea as the quality, comfort, and textures that they offer. When you are working with E-Design clients, you can be confident and tell them that you have seen the store's items and touched them yourself. This will build a lot of trust with your clients and confidence in your designs!

Things happen.

There are going to be times where items show up to your client's home and they are not as described - this happens with full-service design too! Don't fret - just be as helpful to your client as you can with assisting in the return (if possible) and helping them to find a replacement. Going above and beyond to help them will help to build trust with your business and have them referring you to others!

If you're curious about learning how to start and grow your E-Design your business, be sure to join The E-Design Academy, where you will learn how to, not only start your business from scratch, but learn how to bring in real, paying clients and grow your business into your dream career.

To create an awesome client experience and get started with professional deliverables, check out the new E-Design Project Templates at The E-Design Desk!

I hope you've found this post helpful! I'd love to connect with you on Instagram - be sure to follow me @the_edesign_desk for more tips on growing your E-Design business. You can also say "hi" at my E-Design business Instagram @larkinlivingspaces.

Thanks for stopping by! 

Tierney