"Inner Circle" by Yates Desygn. Photo: Stephen Karlisch. From Kips Bay Dallas 2021

For most people, a new year brings new goals. For many designers, one of those new goals may be to participate in a show house.

There are many reasons why a designer would do a show house – among the reasons: to attract new clients, to garner press, to meet colleagues, to promote their own product lines or unique value, and to simply be creative in a way they rarely are with clients.

Interior designer and former makeover TV personality Libby Langdon said she has never gotten a job – “not one job” – from a show house. Her belief is that people come to a show house for inspiration. “They want ideas and to see something that’s really cool,” she says. For her, show houses have become marketing tools for her various product licenses. “Make sure you’re doing it for the right reasons – make sure it’s going to be worth it.”

Libby Langdon’s living room features her licensed collections with Fairfield, KAS, Paragon and Crystorama at Hamptons Designer Showhouse. Photo: Marco Ricca Studio

Meredith Hite is the managing director of PR and communications at The Dove Agency, the Dallas-based company that offers interior designers a variety of services from financial and procurement to public relations and more. The Dove Agency has represented seven clients in Kips Bay Show Houses across the country thus far, recently shepherding three designers – Yates Desygn, Mary Beth Wagner Interiors and Acorn & Oak by Shelly Rosenberg – through the Kips Bay Dallas 2021 showhouse.

The designers agree that Kips Bay afforded a national stage and that it opened doors. Shelly Rosenberg was most excited for a highly visible platform to flex her approach to design which is tied to a specific mission – empower people living with disability.  “Participating would not only allow me to complete a project with an almost unlimited wish list,” she explains, “but it would propel inclusive design principles from a national stage.”

The designers also agree that hiring an outside team can be beneficial. “We feel like the Doves are an extension of our team – we firmly believe that a rising tide lifts all boats, and having the right individuals in place to support our work is essential to our success,” share Bryan and Mike Yates who say that peace of mind lets them do what they do best.

Shelly Rosenberg with Virginia in “Virginia’s Sanctuary,” a room designed to empower her. Photo: Dan Piassick

Rosenberg is more than happy to let an outside team handle the logistics. “Support behind the scenes allows me to show up where it truly matters in my business – as the face, founder, and leader of Acorn & Oak,” she says.

Hite stresses that a show house, especially Kips Bay, or as she puts it, “the Superbowl of interior design,” is not for everyone.

“A client needs to have several things in place before applying to a show house of Kips Bay’s caliber, including outstanding project photography, a carefully curated Instagram presence, and a clean, professional website,” notes Hite. “In addition, they need to have the ability to make the financial and time commitment required to participate.”

From all of the construction and install costs, to the breakdown and time away from one’s office and the cost of an ad in the show house journal, Langdon says there is a huge price tag attached to show houses. A self-confessed “shameless self promoter” Langdon says. “I milk it for everything that it’s worth,” and invests in photography and videography that she and her various partners can use for social media, other collateral, and publicity for the next two years.

Langdon says one way to offset some of the costs is to secure good press. Most show houses have a media partner who commits to publishing it and that can be a useful tool in securing product donations.

For Kips Bay, the Dove team works in tandem with Magrino, the Show House’s PR agency, as well as on their own to ensure clients are presented in the best possible light to all media outlets. Leading up to the show house, they assist with appropriate sharing – “teasing” – on social media, careful to not violate any of the guidelines laid out by the Kips Bay team.

“Once coverage begins to run, we leverage each mention on social media and plan a roll out of imagery on our clients’ social media accounts to officially reveal their spaces,” she says. “While Kips Bay designs aren’t necessarily evergreen, there are many opportunities to submit them for awards and pitch our clients for speaking engagements surrounding Show House participation.”

A detail from Wagner’s Chambre des Motifs featuring Calacatta Oro marble from Stone Boutique. Photo: Nathan Schroder

Under the Dove’s wing, Mary Beth Wagner, who designed a hallway and powder bath, says she received outstanding press. As a result of her visibility around the Kips Bay showhouse, Mary Beth Wagner grew her Instagram following to more than 10,000. She also received client inquiries that were the result of media coverage.

Rosenberg was also impressed with the quantity and quality of press. “The collective editorial features of the Show House were incredibly exciting,” she says, “but the individual coverage and interest I continue to receive are validating the fact that I’ve found my life’s work. I have a story to tell, and this visibility is priceless.”

Langdon says that with all the supply chain challenges there is one consideration designers may want to think about before committing to a show house – that a client may ask you how come you can get product for a show house when they’ve been waiting nine months for a sofa. “Your clients are watching ,” she says.

Jane Dagmi is Editor in Chief of Designers Today.

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