Bringing Ideas to Life By Tim Smith
Design Du Jour clients include Staffords, Aretha
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inding the perfect décor and interior design for clients as diverse as the late, great soul singer Aretha Franklin and former Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford is what consumes Design Du Jour owner Sam Sobh virtually every waking moment. “When it comes to interior design, we all have our own tastes,” said Sobh, a 15-year veteran of the field and Troy resident who last August opened his downtown Northville store at 184 East Main Street. “We have our own style, whether it’s in-style or not. I feel like my job is to give everyone the home they want. “Everyone has a vision. The number one thing I get when people come in here is ‘I have an idea what I want, I just can’t bring it to life.’”
Although Sobh has a strong and sophisticated social media presence, he still depends on classic, walk-in customers. Fortunately, thanks to downtown Northville’s Social District, Design Du Jour draws in plenty of pedestrian traffic. “To me, a wife and her husband are driving (through downtown),” Sobh said. “The husband’s not going to park just to come in and see a design store. But if they’re walking to dinner, that’s when I get them.”
INSTANT FIT
In fact, the district was a catalyst for Sobh’s decision to relocate his business (which was in Grosse Pointe from 2017-2020) to Northville’s Main Street. He had been considering Birmingham or Rochester. “I came to Northville for lunch one day and I saw the space,” Sobh recalled. “It was May (2021) when I walked through here. And it was still pretty busy, people were out and about. The The Design Du Jour showroom includes plenty of products used in restaurants their interior design projects. were all in the
40 The ‘Ville
Design Du Jour owner Sam Sobh in his downtown Northville showroom.
streets. I loved the idea that the roads were closed and people were just having fun, walking around. I was like, ‘Oh my god, I can see myself here.’” Although only about 40 percent of Design Du Jour revenue is from retail sales at his showroom, he never knows when a random store visit might turn into a multi-milliondollar job. Most of his jobs are residential projects. Sobh said he can work on up to 10 projects at a time, although he plans well in advance. “Each client is in a different stage, I do lots of emails and texts.” Even though Northville is his new business home, he has a far-reaching reputation which precedes his arrival in town. Clients include local residents who have second homes elsewhere. He has clients in Naples, Fla., San Francisco and Traverse City -- to name just a few. The inside of Sobh’s showroom looks like an interior design catalog sprung to life, filled with unexpected visual treats and plenty of opportunity to – at the very least – peruse the luxury home furnishings and accessories on display.
Even better would be having time to chat with Sobh about a potential residential project, to plant seeds for what could be a fruitful collaboration. The discussion could lead to a first-hour consultation fee of $150, and from there let the ideas breathe, grow and become reality. Sobh – owner of a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the International Academy of Design & Technology in Detroit as well as a career jump-started by seven years (2008-15) decorating gilded mansions for the reigning royal family in Dubai – said the trick is to not be overly pushy with budding clients. “I’m never going to push,” Sobh said. “Because I know we’re never going to make a decision in one hour. Some people are good. They’ll sit down and go ‘What do you think?’ I’ll be like ‘put the gray sectional here, boom, boom, boom, done.’ Those are very rare clients. Some just can’t make up their mind.”
STAR CLIENTS
Sobh’s honest approach won over Matthew Stafford,
