SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- Decorist, the interior design platform that connects users to affordable, accessible and personalized home design services, today announced $4.5 million in funding from a group of investors, including Lowe’s Companies, Inc., the Women’s Venture Capital Fund and angel investors.

Decorist will use the funding to expand its concierge design service offerings, which range from free “Ask a Designer” advice to paid customized room makeovers for a low flat rate fee starting at $199. “Decorist provides design help to women throughout the country who want help furnishing their family homes but cannot afford traditional interior design services. We are excited to invest in Decorist which addresses a huge market with a scalable design solution. Its strong, experienced team has built a robust platform.” said Monica Dodi, Co-Founder and Managing Director, Women’s Venture Capital Fund.

With a $55 billion addressable market in the U.S. and the power of Internet technology to connect people in new ways, the interior design industry is ripe for digital transformation. Launched in 2014, Decorist has more than 50,000 members and is the country’s leading online design service platform targeting the more than 40 million people who want personalized assistance with their decorating decisions. Decorist offers a unique business channel for high-quality, vetted designers to find and counsel new clients, addressing the highly fragmented traditional interior design industry through its easy to use and affordable platform.

“Too many people believe that access to interior design expertise is beyond their reach, and we want to change that perception,” said Gretchen Hansen, founder and CEO of Decorist. “By bringing together customers—55 percent of whom would hire a designer if they felt it was affordable—with designers who are seeking new clients, and offering them insider trade discounts for furnishings through exclusive partnerships, Decorist makes it simple for customers to realize their personal vision with every design decision in their homes—big or small.”

How it works

Customers simply visit the site and take the five minute style profile quiz, and Decorist’s patent-pending algorithms and unique scalable platform then match customers with a real-life, experienced designer who can leverage this knowledge to tailor a design solution to meet the unique tastes of each customer. Customers can interact with Decorist’s designers in several ways, including Ask a Designer, where users ask a design question and receive professional advice and a clickable shopping list with their answer to full-scale interior design services for a flat fee at three levels: Classic Makeover from the Decorist Design team ($199), Elite Makeover from established Elite Designers ($399), and Celebrity Makeover from nationally recognized Celebrity Designers ($799). Rounding out the solution, Decorist offers one-stop shopping and exclusive discounts through their Decorist Discount Program, bringing customers the ability to have an entire room ordered and shipped to their front door, from a multitude of national and boutique retailers, while saving time and money.

About Decorist

Point, Click, Decorate. Decorist makes interior design personal, affordable & easy. What’s your design style? Take the fun + scary accurate style quiz. Have a quick decorating question? Ask a designer for free. Need a more help? Get a Decorist Makeover for a flat fee, available at 3 levels: Classic ($199), Elite ($399) and Celebrity ($799). Save time and money-let Decorist order for you. Get one-stop shopping & $50 furniture credit with your makeover. Your entire room delivered to your front door…how easy is that? For more information, please visit http://www.decorist.com and follow us on Twitter at @decorist.

Source: Decorist