|
Franchise
News: Home Decor franchises
Did
You Know?
The
Home Décor industry is heating
up!
Get
Real in the World of Re-Do
"Nail-gunning
5,000 flowers to bathroom walls, arguments
over painting a bedroom carpet bright
orange, constructing particle-board storage
systems and moving an actual chopped-up
car into a child's bedroom..."
If you're anything like 9 million other
cable viewers in North America, you'll
recognize every one of those episodes
from The Learning Channel's "Trading
Spaces" program.
The
premise is simple. Two sets of couples
exchange homes for two days and, with
the help of two designers and a carpenter,
redecorate one room for less than $1,000.
In the first week of October 2003, the
"Trading Spaces $100 Grand"
two-hour special pulled in 9.1 million
people, a record number of viewers for
TLC.
We're
becoming a community of homebodies, constantly
redecorating, rearranging and reconstructing
the spaces we currently occupy. The rising
popularity of shows like Trading Spaces,
While You Were Out (also on TLC) and nearly
every program on Home and Garden Television
(HGTV), underscores our need to experiment
with our surroundings and (hopefully)
avoid any designer catastrophes. Even
with "Do-It-Yourself" home-improvement
warehouses at virtually every turn, the
average homeowner could use some one-on-one
help wading through paint chips, fabric
swatches and crown moldings, not to mention
flooring choices and window treatments.
"Homeowners
have always desired beautiful surroundings,"
said James S. Bugg, Jr., president and
CEO of INTERIORS by Decorating Den.
"But, in the last two years, many
of our clients have expressed an increased
interest in designing their homes to reflect
their own style and personality. Comfort
is key."
That's
where home-improvement franchises comes
in. By their very nature, smaller home-improvement
chains can provide customers with more
focused, one-on-one assistance than can
the more mammoth options. Several franchise
systems specialize in one particular facet
of home remodeling and decorating.
Franchisees
in the DreamMaker Bath & Kitchen
system, for example, offer clients
a variety of bathroom and kitchen remodeling
services including cabinet refinishing,
tub reglazing, tile, flooring and fixture
replacement and painting.
V2K
Window Fashions aims to remove some
of the mystery and potentially painful
mistakes incurred when a significant investment
is made in window treatments. V2K Window
Fashions' franchisees use the technology
of virtual imaging to help their clients
select window treatments and visualize
the finished product using the latest
offerings in graphic software.
The
mobile franchisees of Carpet
Network bring flooring and
carpet samples right into the homeowner's
living room (or kitchen, bathroom or den),
allowing clients to match their new flooring
options to their current furnishings.
Carpet Network
covers (and cleans and installs) window
treatments as well.
There
are also franchise systems that offer
full-service decor consultation thus helping
clients revamp their entire space without
running "hither & yon".
INTERIORS
by Decorating Den (IDD), headquartered
in Montgomery, Maryland, is a franchise
company of end-to-end in-home decor consultation
and installation services. The company's
franchisee-owned ColorVans are equipped
with color samples, fabric swatches and
a company-trained and certified interior
designer.
Décor
& You trains its franchisees to
help their clients create living spaces
that are personal, functional and comfortable.
Décor & You's franchisees
maintain the same degree of professional
service regardless of whether they are
helping clients select accent pillows
or helping them recreate an entire room.
From
installing blinds, to matching hardwood
flooring with existing furniture, to working
one-on-one with a designer on a refreshing
look for an entire room, home décor
franchises provide clients with an easily
accessible and affordable decorating option.
The desire for value, quality and service
are not temporary fads, but long-term
trends. If you have a passion for interior
decorating and a desire to start your
own business, 2004 is a great time to
explore franchising options in the home
decor industry. Today's home improvement
market is an expansive venue in which
many budding designers can carve their
niche and find success. Home décor
franchising provides an excellent opportunity
for people with a flair for design and
a desire to run their own design business.
|
