Window Fashion VISION January + February 2019 by Window Fashion Vision Magazine

32 years of window treatment inspiration

THE

SUSTAINABILITY ISSUE

How GOING GREEN can EARN YOU

MORE GREEN GORGEOUS SHADES Made from GRASSES and Other RENEWABLE RESOURCES

VOLUME 40, ISSUE 1 JAN + FEB 2019

An Interview with KARI WHITMAN, GREEN DESIGNER to the STARS

POP QUIZ!

How Much Do You Know About Marketing Your Window Coverings Business Online?

PLUS: Advice for Using Social Media More Effectively

GETTING TO KNOW

GENEVIEVE:

Q&A with

IWCE Speaker

GENEVIEVE GORDER

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contents

CONTENTS volume 40, issue 1

INSIGHT 14 | Pop Quiz: How Much Do You Know About Marketing Your Window Coverings Business Online?

Take this fun quiz to see how much you know about the current internet marketing landscape. by Welton Hong

16 | 7 Keys to a More Profitable Interior Design Business

Having a clear vision and well-defined processes and procedures will help you make more money. by Gail Doby

18 | Get Friendly with Social Media

10 tips to make platforms like Facebook your BFFs. by Kathy Wall

20 | Protecting Your Biggest Asset

Make a New Year’s resolution to take better care of your business’s most important asset. by Roger Magalhaes

22 | My Big Fat Business Lesson

Once you learn this key idea, there are several steps you can take to apply it in your own life. by LuAnn Nigara

24 | On Customer Service

Providing good customer service and spreading kindness are key in any person-centered business, including interior design. by Beth Hodges

26 | Looking for Growth in 2019?

Step 1: Train Yourself and Your Team for Success

Learn five easy and inexpensive ways to sharpen you and your employees’ skills. by Scot Dietz

30 | Your Sales Breakpoint Tells You How to Grow

Understanding your breakpoint will help you learn which tasks and skills you need to master to grow your company. by Steven C. Bursten

IWCE PREVIEW 32 | Getting to Know Genevieve

Learn how Genevieve Gorder’s childhood in Minneapolis influenced her future career, why she almost said no to “Trading Spaces” and what she sees as the hot trends in window coverings and fixtures.

36 | Product Preview

Learn about the hot products you’ll find at the 2019 International Window Coverings Expo in Nashville.

Window Fashion Vision | 3

B E

I N S P I R E D

For more information and sample cards

COULISSE.COM CREATED IN THE NETHERLANDS

CONTENTS volume 40, issue 1

contents INDUSTRY 42 | Kari Whitman: Eco-Friendly Designer to the Stars

This Colorado-based designer creates beautiful homes for bigname clients while helping them keep their carbon footprint low. by Sophia Bennett

50 | The Business of Sustainability Going green is good for the planet, but it can also be good for your business. by Sophia Bennett

62 | Business Triumphs and Tribulations: Online Trolling In our first installment in a series on overcoming business challenges, a small business owner and an attorney address what to do when your business is the victim of online trolling. by Sophia Bennett

INSPIRATION 58 | Hartmann&Forbes: A Corporate Culture of Going Green At Portland-based Hartmann&Forbes, company culture dictates that its handmade products are manufactured in an environmentally sound manner. by Gail Gutsche

64 | Senior Living Communities: Window Treatments for

the Ages

As more retirement communities pop up around the United States, there are opportunities to create a new profit center by working with them. by Gail Gutsche

FIXTURES 10 | Grace Note | A word from our publisher 12 | Letter from the Editor | Looking forward to IWCE 2019 in Nashville

72 | Focus | Product showcase

64 6 | wf-vision.com | Jan + Feb 2019

74 | Coming Up | We pull back the curtain on our next issue

Setting the Stage for Success MARCH 8-10, 2019

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE

IWCE-VISION.com

See you in Nashville!

32 years of window treatment inspiration

WINDOW FASHION VISION MAGAZINE President + CEO | Grace McNamara grace@wf-vision.com Editor -in-Chief | Sophia Bennett sophia@wf-vision.com Creative Director | Nichole Day nichole@wf-vision.com Copy Editor | Maude Campbell maudedotycampbell@gmail.com Circulation + Marketing Director/WFCP Director | Anne Bild anneb@wf-vision.com Logistics Coordinator | Samantha Banker samantha@wf-vision.com

Go to Facebook.com/wfviwce for magazine & show updates.

Keep up with all the IWCE news @IWCEVISION.

Controller | Heather Bradley heather@wf-vision.com Competition Coordinator competition@wf-vision.com

SALES AND MARKETING Vice President, Sales + Marketing | Susanne Young susanne@wf-vision.com

32 years of windo w treatment inspir ation

THE

Digital Marketing Manager | Ania McNamara ania@mcnamaramarketing.com

SUSTAINABILITY ISSUE

CONTRIBUTORS IN THIS ISSUE

How GOING GR

Sophia Bennett, Steven C. Bursten, Scot Dietz, Gail Doby, Gail Gutsche, Beth Hodges, Welton Hong, Roger Magalhaes, LuAnn Nigara, Kathy Wall

SUBSCRIPTIONS

EEN can EARN YOU

1 JAN + FEB 2019

SSES and Other REN EWABLE RESOURCES An Interview with KAR I WH ITMAN, GREEN DESIGNER to the STARS

VOLUME 40, ISSUE

DESIGNERS FEATURED IN THIS ISSUE

Meg Hosler, Sandy Kuhns, Tina Ingrim, Nikki MacCallum, Karen Totino, Kari Whitman

MORE GREEN

GORGEOUS SHADE S Made From GRA

POP QUIZ!

How Much Do You Know About Marketing Your Wind ow Coverings Business Online?

PLUS: Advice for More Effectively Using Social Media

GETTING TO KN

GENEVIEVE: Q&A

with IWCE Speaker

GENEVIEVE GORD ER

877-344-7406 • WFVision@pubservice.com

Window Fashion Vision magazine makes every attempt to credit each person involved in the process of creating a window covering and will not be responsible for crediting any person whose name, company or participation did not surface during the information-gathering process. Crediting disputes between parties other than Vision magazine are solved at the discretion of those involved. Window Fashion Vision (ISSN 08869669) (USPS 708930) published bi-monthly by AIM Communications LLC, 4756 Banning Ave, Suite #206, White Bear Lake, MN 55110-3206.; Tel 651/330-0574; Fax 651/756-8141. Visit our website at www.wf-vision.com. Periodicals postage paid at St Paul, MN and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to Window Fashion Vision, PO Box 15698, North Hollywood, CA 916155698. Allow 60 days for address change. Subscription rates: $22/yr. U.S. and possessions; $29/yr. Canada; $90/yr. Foreign (includes airmail postage). Single copies/back issues $6 each, except for special issues, which are individually priced. (Payment must accompany order.) Copyright © 2018 by AIM Communications, LLC. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission prohibited. Canadian Publications Agreement Number: #40036514. Canadian Return Address: Station A, PO Box 54, Windsor, ONT N9A 6J5. May+ June 2018, Volume 39, Issue 3.

8 | wf-vision.com | Jan + Feb 2019

JANUARY + FEBRUARY 2019 VOLUME 40, ISSUE 1 On the cover: Kari Whitman with Kari Whitman Interiors designed this gorgeous living room for a Dallas estate. The inside-mounted drapes have metal stitching for a glamorous appearance.

WELCOME grace note

Grace Note WORK ON YOUR BUCKET LIST Peru and Machu Picchu have been on my bucket list for years. Last November, I had the good fortune to participate on a tour with former event manager Suzanne Worthley—it was fabulous and gave me the opportunity to visit this ancient culture and reflect on what’s really important. As you can see, I love traveling to new places, so I’m especially excited to add Nashville to my list of fabulous cities to explore. By now, I hope you’ve taken a close look at all of the exciting things to learn, see and do at the International Window Coverings Expo on March 8 to 10 at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center. We want to make this an extra-special year, so we’re adding some new elements to the program. We’re starting the conference part of the program a day early (Friday) so that you have plenty of time to explore the exhibit hall (Saturday and Sunday), where you are certain to find new products and suppliers. Be ready for a jam-packed day of learning on Friday, culminating in a fun panel of Nashville designers.

It’s happening at the end of the day to set the stage for our Grand Opening party on Friday evening from 6 to 8:30 p.m. in the exhibit hall. We’ll kick off the party with some great Nashville music, appetizers and beverages. I decided to add a cowboy boot contest because, well, it’s Nashville, and I happen to have some pretty cool ones. Be sure to stay through Sunday because we’re ending the event with a fastpaced idea exchange session featuring most of our fabulous speakers. They’ll help you summarize your experience and give you some immediate goals to work on during your journey home. I guarantee this is going to be one of our best shows and conferences in years. Put Nashville on your bucket list! Hope to see y’all soon. Warm wishes,

Grace McNamera Publisher grace@wf-vision.com. 10 | wf-vision.com | Jan + Feb 2019

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WELCOME letter from the editor

’ve always placed a high priority of living my life in an environmentally sustainable manner. If you look

at these two cuties in the picture with me, it’s probably not hard to see why. I want my children to have access to the same clean air and water, healthy food, beautiful natural environments and safe communities that nurtured me as a child. Our planet is in real peril right now. It faces threats from climate change, deforestation, pollution and a number of other problems. Sometimes it’s hard not to feel overwhelmed in the face of everything that needs to be done. But I can tell you that the most important thing is to do something, even if it’s something small.

That’s why I’m so excited to present you with our inaugural sustainability issue. Our super-smart designers are full of ideas for how you can make a difference. You can source green products from sustainable companies like those featured on page 58; encourage clients to creatively reuse, recycle and upcycle products, as celebrity interior designer Kari Whitman suggests on page 42; or educate yourself and your customers on the many benefits of going green (including creating healthier homes and saving money) with the article on page 50. One small step toward a greener lifestyle often leads to another. Before you know it, all of those small things add up to something big. This is technically the sustainability issue, but it also feels a little like the celebrity issue. In addition to our interview with Kari Whitman, who has designed homes for movie stars such as Jessica Alba and Virginia Madsen, we have a Q&A with Genevieve Gorder, who will be the keynote speaker at the International Window Coverings Expo from March 8 to 10 in Nashville. Read it on page 32, then flip to the next page to get a preview of some of the great new products and companies you’ll see at this year’s expo. For the many people who took our reader survey (thank you!) and requested more advice on digital marketing and social media, we have great columns from Kathy Wall and Welton Hong in this issue. I also thought I’d share my three golden rules of social media management, which I developed for students who take my marketing communications class at the Lundquist College of Business. Treat social media as a way to interact and build community with customers. Companies often think their social media pages are just another way to advertise. As a result, they use their Facebook page and Instagram account to push products and sell, sell, sell. But consumers don’t follow businesses because they want to see ads (although the companies that 12 | wf-vision.com | Jan + Feb 2019

run these platforms are happy to take your money and run ads for you). Consumers use social media to stay in touch with people and companies they like. They use them to build and nurture relationships, get an inside look at what’s happening with people and issues they care about, gather ideas, and communicate their dreams and frustrations. Remember that when you write your posts. You can sell sometimes, but don’t do it all of the time or you’ll lose followers. Make your social media pages a resource for people. If you can’t use your social media pages to advertise, what should you use them for? Think of your social media pages as a way to educate consumers on things they need to know—preferably things that may eventually guide them to your business. Post articles about color and decorating trends, the benefits of custom window treatments or how to keep their family safe if they have corded blinds. Share tips for making their home more comfortable and livable (especially tips that demonstrate your expertise in certain key areas). Give them access to exclusive deals and sales. In other words, post things that will keep consumers turning to your pages because they’re a good resource. If you help them create a better home now, they’ll be much more likely to think of you when they need the products and services you offer. Listen as much as you talk. Have you ever wished you could find out what people were saying about you or your competition? Would you like a window into the values, needs and trends in your community? Social media can be a great way to gather all of this information. Make time to read your competitor’s pages to see what they’re doing and what comments people are making about them. Read the comments people make about you and reply politely. Use hashtags to track what’s happening in your town or industry and respond to posts that are pertinent to you. For better or worse, social media makes a lot of information public. Use that to your advantage and learn as much from social media as you can. I hope to meet many of you in March at the International Window Coverings Expo! Until then, be well and stay warm. Sincerely,

Sophia Bennett Editor-in-Chief sophia@wf-vision.com

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Window Fashion Vision | 13

INSIGHT business coaching

POP QUIZ! How Much Do You Know About

Marketing Your Window Coverings Business Online? Take this fun quiz to see how much you know about the current internet marketing landscape BY WELTON HONG

ew things are more dynamic than online marketing—so much changes from year to year, quarter to quarter, sometimes even month to month. To take full advantage of online marketing opportunities before your local window covering competitors, it’s smart to stay current on the latest trends.

Try this quiz and see how you do. It’s not easy, so if you can correctly answer 16 of the 20 questions, consider that an A. Great job! If you get 12 of the 20, we’ll call that a B. If your final score is under 12, I’d recommend you study up, because understanding these facts can greatly help your business in this digital age. You’ll also find more information about each of these questions in the answer key. Good luck! 1. What percentage of mobile search traffic is driven specifically by Google (as opposed to Yahoo, Bing or other search engines)? A) 50 percent B) 28 percent C) 77 percent D) 96 percent 2. Which was the first social media website to reach over 1 billion unique accounts? A) Facebook B) Twitter C) Instagram D) Google Plus 14 | wf-vision.com | Jan + Feb 2019

3. What percentage of American consumers now say they trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations? A) 10 percent B) 45 percent C) 80 percent 4. By 2021, according to comprehensive surveys, how much of an overall marketing budget will be dedicated specifically to digital marketing as opposed to traditional channels? A) 30 percent B) 90 percent C) 50 percent D) 75 percent 5. Which of these is not a good way to respond to a negative (but generally fair) review of your window coverings business? A) Leave a public comment thoughtfully addressing the reviewer’s concerns B) Publicly criticize the reviewer for being nitpicky C) Reach out privately to the reviewer, asking if there’s anything you can do to address the issue D) Sincerely apologize to the reviewer 6. The number of voice queries—searches on mobile devices created specifically by speaking the search—increased how much from 2008 to 2017? A) 250 percent B) 80 percent

C) 1,500 percent D) 3,600 percent 7. You now see 15 percent fewer _________ on a Google search results page than you did just a couple of years ago. A) Paid ads B) Organic (unpaid) search results C) Display ads D) Cat videos 8. What percentage of total clicks do the top five results on a Google search results page receive? A) 10 percent B) 35 percent C) 75 percent 9. How quickly do users now expect a webpage to load? A) Less than two seconds B) Less than five seconds C) Less than seven seconds D) Sometime in the next 15 minutes or so 10. The first page of Google search results typically displays 10 organic listings. If you clicked a listing to go to its landing page, how many words of content (on average) would you find when you got there? A) About 425 words B) About 1,500 words C) About 200 words D) About 1,250 words

11. How many Americans check their smartphone before getting out of bed? A) About 20 percent B) About 50 percent C) About 90 percent 12. Google says the accuracy of its _________ is now over 92 percent. A) Local search relevance B) Online review quality C) Voice recognition D) Answers for online trivia 13. How many American consumers said they wouldn’t recommend a business with a poorly designed mobile site? A) 36 percent B) 14 percent C) 88 percent D) 57 percent 14. About half of all consumers start mobile research of business services by ___________. A) Using a search engine B) Going straight to a recommended business’s website C) Checking social media D) Calling a friend for advice 15. When considering all clicks on mobile paid search ads, how many are driven by Google? A) 95 percent B) 50 percent C) 35 percent D) 100 percent 16. Of every 100 people who follow your business on Facebook, how many typically see your organic posts (not paid/not boosted)? A) More than 80 B) More than 40 C) Fewer than 25 D) Fewer than 10 17. Using ________ on landing pages will increase conversions by 86 percent. A) Your business logo B) Videos C) Spanish translations D) Pictures of puppies 18. How many Yelp reviews are either four stars or five stars? A) Almost 15 percent B) Almost 40 percent C) Almost 70 percent

19. Videos of your facility and staff that are as short as _______ can massively increase conversions on your business’s website. A) Thirty seconds B) One minute C) Five minutes D) Ten minutes 20. In a comprehensive survey, 42 percent of consumers said they wouldn’t contract with a business that had an overall review rating of less than: A) Five stars B) Four stars C) Three stars D) Two stars

ANSWER KEY

12. C: Google keeps improving its ability to understand voice queries. 13. D: It’s critical today to ensure you have a well-designed mobile site because modern consumers expect a smooth experience on mobile devices. 14. A: Ranking well in your local market is also a huge help on mobile, which is how many people are now searching. 15. A: As with the answer to question 1, it’s not quite 100 percent, but it’s awfully close: Google crushes everyone else when it comes to mobile paid ads. 16. D: The latest studies indicate that as few as 2 to 3 percent of organic posts are seen by your followers. To reach your audience on Facebook, you need to boost posts or look into paid advertising.

1. D: Google drives a whopping 96 percent of mobile search traffic. Yahoo’s share is just 2 percent. Bing has just 1 percent.

17. B: Video is rapidly becoming a massive conversion generator.

2. A: Facebook was the first social media platform to 1 billion users and now has over 2.2 billion users worldwide.

18. C: It might seem like a lot of Yelp reviews are negative, but in reality, 68 percent are positive. In fact, almost half (48 percent) are five stars.

3. B: Four out of five surveyed consumers say they trust online reviews just as much as personal recommendations. 4. D: Digital marketing rapidly continues to increase its share of overall marketing budgets and likely will eclipse 75 percent in a few years. 5. B: Never take a review personally. Be understanding and never critical, especially on publicly viewable areas of the platform. 6. D: Voice queries increased 3,600 percent from 2008 to 2017. Voice is now one of the most popular ways to do searches.

19. B: Videos only need to be one minute to greatly increase conversions. In fact, you don’t want them to be too long, because people are used to short videos these days. Better to have several short videos than only one or two long ones. 20. C: If your business has a lower overall rating than three stars, you’re losing out on more than 40 percent of potential clients. z Welton Hong is the founder of Ring Ring Marketing and a leading expert in creating case generation from online to the phone line.

7. B: The search results page has fewer organic listings now, which is why ranking highly is even more important—along with adding some pay-per-click ads for better exposure. 8. C: The top five results get 75 percent of the clicks. That’s why it’s so important to be ranked highly against your local competitors. 9. A: If a webpage takes longer than two seconds to load, the visitor might “bounce out” and go elsewhere. We live in an instant gratification world, especially when it comes to tech. 10. B: It’s about 1,500 words. Google rewards rich, detailed content, so if you want to be ranked on the first page, don’t be afraid to get into the nitty-gritty. 11. B: It was just under 50 percent according to a 2017 analysis. Given rising trends in mobile device use, it’s likely a little over half by now.

Hear Welton speak on digital marketing at the INTERNATIONAL WINDOW COVERINGS EXPO on March 8 to 10 with the workshops “Five Online Basics You Need to Know,” “It’s a Mobile World” and “A Website is Not Enough.” RingRingMarketing.com Facebook: RingRingMarketing

Window Fashion Vision | 15

INSIGHT business coaching

7 Keys to a More Profitable Interior Design Business Having a clear vision, good understanding of your profit model and well-defined processes and procedures will help your business succeed

BY GAIL DOBY, ASID ou put a lot of time and effort into your interior design business. Why not get more out of it? Having a more profitable business does not come from working harder. It comes from working smarter and adhering to proven principles for business success.

From my own experience running a successful interior design business and helping other designers to grow their businesses, I’ve identified seven critical factors that can turn a revenue-generating business into a profit-generating business. It all starts with choosing to focus on the areas of your business that matter most.

CLARITY OF VISION

Once you’ve established your vision of your business, you can create a branded experience that embodies that vision. A well-defined brand experience permeates every aspect of your business, from your graphic and marketing identity to the types of projects you do, your interaction with clients and suppliers, and your firm’s culture, values and business operations. Your brand is your reputation. Your brand experience is delivering on that reputation time and again in order to provide excellent customer service, instill confidence and build trust—the foundations of a successful business.

A well-defined brand experience permeates every aspect of your business.

You can’t achieve success if you don’t know what it looks like. There are lots of different interior design firms out there. What kind do you want your firm to be? Who are you serving and why? What makes your firm different? What does success mean to you? How will you know when you’ve achieved it? A well-defined vision gives you direction and allows you to measure your progress in concrete, meaningful ways.

16 | wf-vision.com | Jan + Feb 2019

WELL-DEFINED BRAND EXPERIENCE

IDEAL CLIENT PROFILE

An ideal client is one you want to work with, who appreciates the value you bring and who can offer the types of projects you want and need to do to make your work satisfying and your firm profitable. Knowing the characteristics of your ideal client will help you to identify who they are and how to attract them. In addition, it

will help you to stay focused and say “no” to those prospects and projects that are not a good fit.

PROFIT MODEL

How much profit are you hoping to gain annually? To reach that goal, you need to calculate how much revenue you will have to earn to cover your operating costs and other expenses, plus the surplus that is true profit. From that number, you can determine how many projects of a certain size you will need to bill and at what rate. While you can’t control everything that may impact profit, a profit model is the best way to set a target and achieve it.

PROCESSES & PROCEDURES

Unless your business model also includes retail sales or some other additional revenue stream, you only earn money when you bill for services rendered. When it comes to profit, then, time is your enemy. Any time you spend on your business that you can’t bill is money lost, and that eats into your profit. By the same token, whatever saves you time potentially enhances your profit. Having established processes and procedures for your design work and business operations will save you a lot of time spent on administrative matters, freeing you up to do more billable work.

DO YOU WANT TO OFFER MORE OF THE SAME?

DARE TO BE

MARKETING PLAN & CONSISTENT EXECUTION

To reach your revenue goals and maintain a manageable cash flow, you need a steady stream of projects throughout the year. That requires constant and consistent marketing, networking and outreach. Start with a marketing plan designed to attract your ideal client. Implement parts of the plan every week. I recommend you schedule a minimum of 10 hours per week on marketing activities.

NETWORK OF REFERRERS

Satisfied customers are your best branding and marketing tool. Next are suppliers, vendors, contractors, builders, real estate agents and others in the community who can refer clients to you. Develop and maintain a network of people who are willing to give a referral. It’s like having a PR agent promoting your business while you’re busy working. Running a profitable business results from planning and execution, not luck. By directing your energies toward creating the business you want to have, you set yourself on the path to making it come true. z Gail Doby, ASID is the co-founder of Gail Doby Coaching & Consulting. GailDoby.com

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Window Fashion Vision | 17

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Get Friendly with Social Media 10 tips to make platforms like Facebook your BFFs BY KATHY WALL

or a small decorative arts business, social media promises an outsize effect. Platforms like Facebook and Instagram allow you to define (and refine) who you are, expand your visibility (your presence is only a post away) and ultimately reap the profits with new clients who like what they see. If you’re intimidated by social media or aren’t sure how to use it for the benefit of your business, here are some tips to help you get started.

YOU’RE A VISUAL BUSINESS, SO SHOW IT AND SHARE IT

If there’s a single business ideally suited to social media, it’s the decorative arts. Interior design is visual, social media is visual and thus the two shall entwine to mutual benefit. Get in the habit of snapping pictures daily or documenting the progression of projects. Followers will anticipate the next installment of your stories. Don’t forget to put the faces with the fabrics. While you’re showcasing products, you’re building personal relationships.

EMBRACE THE SMALL

As a small business, you have an edge—a smaller staff is easier to get to know on social media. You can introduce

18 | wf-vision.com | Jan + Feb 2019

your entire team. Allow a different staff member to take center stage in different posts. Show how each one contributes. Your communications will feel intimate, and followers will soon feel like friends. Get posting and let the friendships bloom.

LEAVE NO PLATFORM UNPOSTED

Be proactive. Create accounts in as many social media forums as possible, even if you don’t plan to use them all at first. Get started on Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook, YouTube and Snapchat, then increase your list as new channels are added and your expertise as a user grows.

PRESERVE YOUR GOOD NAME

It’s like your mother said—nothing can replace a good name. With social media, the trick is trying to use your business’s name as your social media handle whenever possible so clients and new followers can find you. Hopefully the name in your website URL and your email address can be repeated for your social media accounts. Character limitations can be an issue, so it’s OK to abbreviate, but not so much that your name becomes unrecognizable. Consistency is an essential component in successfully marketing your brand.

START PERSONAL, GROW BUSINESS

Maybe you’ve been a social media user for years but you haven’t made the switch to business. Use your personal Facebook to introduce your new business Facebook account. Invite your personal friends, many of whom no doubt are also business friends, to now follow your Facebook business page. Also, create a business account in Instagram. It allows you to incorporate clickable “email” or “call now” features for instant communication with people interested in doing business with you.

PERFECT, THEN POST

We’re design folks. The upside of that is we’re appreciative of gorgeous images. The downside is some of us can be snarky when we see something that doesn’t meet our expectations. So before you get overzealous to communicate, make sure your images are exactly the ones you want the world to see. Do they present you and your products in your best light? Do they show attention to quality of lighting and framing, homing in on precisely what you want to showcase? Your attention to quality in all areas reflects on your image. Nail it before you post it.

LEAVE NO MISSING LINKS

SPEAK FIRST-PERSON FRIENDLY

You’re posting about your business, but write your post as though you are the brand. Use the first-person plural “we” or “our.”

MAKE CONTENT COUNT

No matter which sites you choose, content is key to building your online presence. Think of your posts as coffee chats with friends. Use a conversational tone. Avoid blatant hype that sounds like an advertisement, but, hey, do toot your own horn. This is your opportunity to share what your business means to you, what’s most important about it that you want others to know and appreciate. Create an online tone for your voice that is authentically you, whether it’s quirky, sophisticated, bubbly or humorous.

CHECK YOURSELF

Nearly all social platforms include a free mechanism that allows you to measure and evaluate your initiatives, so check your analytics at least once each week. For a price, paid options are available that assimilate your analytics into a single tool. z

Link your accounts to each other in the settings for each. This allows you to post once and have a message appear across all platforms. Use the platform’s tutorials to correctly set up linking of accounts and then use the auto-tweet option for posts from Facebook and Instagram to minimize the need to create unique content on Twitter, thus saving time. Be aware of character limitations and correct tagging when creating content. Using a social media manager like Hootsuite will allow you to post across sites at one time but with content edited to fit each site’s requirements.

Kathy Wall is president and ringleader of The Media Matters, an agency in the Triad area of North Carolina offering marketing, advertising and brand strategy to a roster of international clients. Kathy has shared her talents with the home furnishings industry for over three decades and formed her own business 18 years ago. Her motto? “We don’t work with jerks.” TheMediaMatters.com Facebook: TheMediaMatters Twitter: TheMediaMatters Instagram: Tmm.Agency

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Window Fashion Vision | 19 Window Fashion Vision | 19

INSIGHT business coaching

Protecting Your Biggest Asset Spoiler alert: Your company’s biggest asset is you! Make a New Year’s resolution to take better care of your health, which will help you take better care of your business over the long term BY ROGER MAGALHAES

sitting in traffic), working long hours, not resting enough and hat would you consider the most important asnot eating properly. set for your business? The client base you have earned over the years? The location of your When I started as an installer 12 years ago (I showroom or workroom? Perwas 32 back then), I thought I was Superman. haps the brand-new company vehicle you I worked 15- to 18-hour days, had little sleep just bought? To me, the most invaluable asset Recent studies show and ate anything (aka fast/junk food). The next for your business is you. humans are living longer day I was refreshed and ready to do it again. due to enhancements in Perhaps you are a small operation like me and do almost everything, from answering quality of life, sanitation Eventually the price for such abuse caught up with me. My body started to feel the years of the phone to selling and installing (or fabriand medicine. Therefore, negligence and low maintenance. I started to cating), yourself. Maybe you have a team of it is wise to enhance your perform poorly and was not able to keep the people who work for you. body to keep up with the same speed or even do the same amount of work as I did in my first few years. I had back Regardless of the size of your company, we can agree that our industry demands a lot of extra years ahead of you. pain, neck pain, sleep deprivation and was getting distracted very easily. work from our bodies. If you are in a workroom, you’re sewing heavy pieces of fabrics. A few years ago, I decided to buy a package of 10 one-hour If you are a designer, you’re carrying bulky sample books into deep-tissue massage sessions. They were scheduled for Saturpeople’s homes and condos. If you’re an installer, you’re lugging days at 8 a.m. Those sessions were great at alleviating some tools and products. You may also be driving for long periods (or 20 | wf-vision.com | Jan + Feb 2019

CHIROPRACTOR:

While the massage sessions relax your muscles and tissues, a chiropractor adjusts and realigns your bones and spine. Think about it: Whether we are sewing or installing treatments, we are always in awkward positions, which puts pressure on the spine and hips. Every other week I see my chiropractor so he can “realign the machine.”

PERSONAL TRAINER:

I am not a big fan of exercise. I have tried gym memberships, but they don’t last for more than a month with me. I always find an excuse not to go. About three months ago someone recommended I try a personal trainer. So far it has been working out great (no pun intended). Because there is someone awaiting me at the gym, I feel obligated to go, which I am doing twice a week. Also, because of my line of work, the instructor has a big focus on working to strengthen my core. The core is the part of the body that holds everything together, so a weak core can cause back and neck pain. It can even cause your legs and hips to ache as the body tries to overcompensate for your poor balance. Here are other things I do to help my comfort and well-being, and, therefore, make me perform at a premium at work:

of the muscle tension that accumulated during the week. But they were not cheap; it was about $60 per session. So after the 10 sessions expired, I did not buy another package. I thought it would be enough to give me back all of the strength and power I felt in my first years. But I was wrong. After a couple months I was feeling all of the back and neck pain again. All of the sudden, I realized that my “machine” was screaming for help and nearing collapse. If the machine suddenly stopped, so would the money coming in. That was when I realized how important my body was for the business. If it was not functioning at a premium, I would not be able to generate the most income possible. I would increase my expenses by paying more for medical care and perhaps even extend the number of years I would need to work to make up for the shortage of income. When I finally discovered that taking care of my body was a constant process, just like eating and sleeping, I developed some weekly routines that have helped me immensely with productivity and well-being.

EATING BETTER: I am way more selective about what I eat now. It definitely costs more to eat organic and healthy foods. But since I started being mindful about what I take in, I have lost over 12 pounds. Feeling lighter has helped me be more agile during my installs. DEEP-TISSUE MASSAGE: This is now part of my Saturday ritual. I buy blocks of 10 sessions for a better price. As soon as I do the last session, I automatically renew for 10 more. The deep-tissue technique allows for a more in-depth relaxation of the muscles that have been overworked through the week.

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Buy comfortable shoes since you are going to be on your feet for a great part of the day.

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Invest in a great mattress. Nothing replenishes your body better than a great night of sleep.

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Drink plenty of water to help keep your organs functioning properly.

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Have a hobby that does not relate to your work. The ability to disconnect from day-to-day activities is very important to making us see the rewards of our work.

Recent studies show that humans are living longer due to enhancements in quality of life, sanitation and medicine. Therefore, it is wise to enhance your body to keep up with the extra years ahead of you, which will hopefully be full of health and wealth. z Roger Magalhaes is certified as a Professional Installer by The Custom Home Furnishing Academy, Lutron, Hunter Douglas, Somfy and Norman Shutters. He is also an active member of WCAA, founder of the Facebook group Free Speech Window Covering Pros, and founder and owner of Shades IN Place, Inc., Franklin, MA, established in 2006. Hear Roger speak at the INTERNATIONAL WINDOW COVERINGS EXPO on March 8 to 10 with the workshops “The A Team—Why Paying a Professional Installer Makes You Money” and “Installation—Tricks of the Trade.” ShadesInPlace.com

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INSIGHT business coaching

My Big Fat Business Lesson Once you learn this key idea, get some ideas about steps you can take to apply it in your own life BY LUANN NIGARA 2018 was a big year for me as a business owner. I think had more “a-ha” moments last year than I have had in the last five years combined. And for someone who is always looking for ways to improve how we do things, this was significant and pretty fantastic too. If you follow me and have either read my book, “The Making of a Well-Designed Business,” or listened to my podcast, “A Well-Designed Business,” you know that I have been in business with my husband Vince and our cousin Bill since the early 1980s. That’s a good, long time to have seen and heard almost everything about running a successful business. At least you’d think that. But 2018 was different. It was eye-opening and amazing. And you know what? You can get some of it for yourself. Are you ready for the big fat business lesson? Hang out with people smarter and more successful than you. Sounds fairly obvious, doesn’t it? Except if you too have a mature business like ours, you know that’s not always so easy to do. And what if you too are like me and you love, love, love talking with, teaching and mentoring newer entrepreneurs? I spend many hours enjoying conversations and interactions with business owners in growth mode. Entrepreneurs growing their business acumen as they grow their business, just as I 22 | wf-vision.com | Jan + Feb 2019

once did. Make no mistake, these are very smart people who, in their own way, teach me and inspire something that I can take away with each conversation. But it is different, wouldn’t you agree? So, what happened in 2018?

LEARNING BY TEACHING To begin with, I was invited by Grace McNamara to lead a seminar at the 2018 International Window Coverings Expo (IWCE) in Tampa: “Master the Art of the High-Ticket Sale.” This was a game-changing opportunity for two reasons. FIRST, being asked to lead this three-hour super session forced me to get clear on exactly why and precisely how I have been a successful salesperson for nearly four decades. I took the time to reflect, to look at exactly what I do every day, week after week, year after year. Doing this helped me redirect and refocus our staff on the key principles for attracting, selling and servicing the luxury market. This, combined with other initiatives, created a 33 percent growth in our gross revenues over 2017. And since I am leading this seminar again in Nashville, I will be looking at my process again and perfecting the presentation. SECOND, simply being at IWCE and deepening the connection with Grace, her team and the extended team of co-speakers and presenters proved to be a surefire way to up my business game. In addition to attending several of the sessions, the conversations between sessions with some of my

co-presenters were eye-opening and energizing. Conversations with Madeleine MacRae about setting and tracking sales goals; with Michele Williams about analyzing expenses and strategies to plan for profitability; and the industry leaders who represent their companies on the vendor floor influenced me and made me think about our practices in a new light. To say that I am looking forward to March and being in Nashville for IWCE is a huge understatement!

The other annual Exciting Windows! conference which is open to your entire team always takes place in the same city in the days preceding IWCE. When we heard this, Vin and I looked at each other like—jackpot! So yes, we are bringing our entire team to both the Exciting Windows! conference as well as IWCE. Without a doubt, we want our team to experience the same opportunity to grow, share and feel the excitement that comes from this environment of learning and networking.

COACHING AND SUCCESSION PLANNING

GET WITH PEOPLE WHO LIGHT A FIRE UNDER YOU

The next big change in 2018 was that we hired a business coach who specializes in team building and succession planning. Talk about impressive! Her name is Eileen Hahn. She is the principal of OEC Strategic Solutions and she has taught us the importance of hiring people with intention. With her guidance, we have created a thorough, detailed job description for each role in our firm. We have identified the precise skill set and personality strengths required to perform each job with excellence. Eileen has taught us how this informed method for hiring is then transferred to our long-range goals for putting a team in place that can and will perform at the same level that the three of us as partners have for these many years. This is not only a gift to us as owner-partners, but it is also a gift to our current employees. Because we are actively taking steps to implement a succession plan, they know that their job is not just a job—it truly is a career. Just like you plan for your chil-

dren to be provided for in your absence, we are planning for our company to continue successfully even as the partners begin to slow down for semiretirement and full retirement. This is big.

THE VALUE OF PEER SUPPORT The last big a-ha came when we were invited to join Exciting Windows! Exciting Windows! is an organization dedicated to mentoring, guiding, supporting and inspiring window treatment professionals. They offer a slew of all-year benefits to business owners, from marketing support to sales training to help with business development. They also hold two conferences annually. One is open to the business owner and their staff. The other, called the CEO Conference, is exclusively for the business owner. Vin and I attended the CEO Conference last September in Philadelphia. Blown away does not begin to describe our reaction to this conference. We spent four days with peers who own window treatment companies with annual gross sales from $450,000 all the way up to $10 million. To spend concentrated time with a group of less than 30 entrepreneurs for discussions, presentations and networking was, quite frankly, exhilarating. We met peers who lead teams of 10, 15 and 30 window treatment professionals. The conversations on hiring, training, leading and, yes, paying these team members were insightful and thought-provoking. It was an incredibly valuable opportunity to have this time to learn, to ask questions and to exchange ideas with business owners who are committed, knowledgeable and already accomplishing things we strive to achieve.

Here’s my takeaway and the lesson I want to impart to you. Look up from your desk, look outside your box, look around you at what is available to you. Where are the people who are accomplishing the things you want to accomplish? Being self-employed can be isolating whether you are a window treatment specialist, an interior designer or a candlestick maker. If you’re like me, most of your closest friends are not business owners. And we love our friends and family, but how many times have you heard, “You’re an interior designer? That must be so fun!” Or how about this one: “Oh, you’re so lucky, you are your own boss so you can work whenever you want!” Umm, yes, I can work all day Saturday and Sunday and don’t forget, I can work straight through vacations too. Am I right? I ask you: What are your financial goals for 2019? Have you written your sales goals down? Whether you want your gross sales to go from $60,000 to $100,000 or from $2 million to $2.5 million this year, to get to the next level you must hang out with people who are smarter and more successful than you. Hire a business coach. Find a Mastermind group or other online community made up of professional peers. Go to a conference. Get yourself with people who can light that fire in you, who can show you the way and encourage you to take the risks to reach your goals. Take the action required to create the change you want to see in your business. Make it happen. Don’t wait for it. Decide to be excellent. z LuAnn Nigara is an award-winning window treatment specialist and co-owner of Window Works in Livingston, NJ. Her highly successful podcast “A Well-Designed Business” debuted in February 2016. She has since recorded more than 200 episodes. Hear LuAnn’s presentation “Art of the High-Ticket Sales” at the International Window Coverings Expo on March 8 to 10. She will also speak at the workshop “What Do You Do When They Say No—Closing the Sale” and the show’s closing session, “Influencer Marketing.” WindowWorks-NJ.com/podcasts Facebook: WindowWorksNJ Twitter: WindowWorks_NJ Instagram: WindowWorks Houzz: Window-Works

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INSIGHT business coaching

On Customer Service Providing good customer service and spreading kindness are key in any person-centered business, including window fashion workrooms and interior design companies BY BETH HODGES, CWP, CWTC, WFCP

y first work experience was as a teenage operator at Southern Bell Telephone and Telegraph Company in Augusta, Georgia, in the 1960s. I started out while I was in high school, and as soon as I graduated I started “bidding” on jobs “upstairs.” And upstairs I went. I held all sorts of positions: dispatching clerk, repair clerk, administrative clerk, assignment clerk, service order clerk… you name it, I tried it. My thought was that if I was trained in many, many jobs When all I would be more valuable to the company.

lete, but the Standard Operating Practices are still here rooted in my brain and being. As an entrepreneur, I now own my own business and I can regulate my own SOP. These have developed over time to cope with both small and large difficulties that pop up in my drapery business. To keep the money flowing, I must require down payments or deposits, and we must demand payment upon installation. Simple rules to live by.

else fails, I have found that it is best to ask what the customer wants to be done.

As it turns out, I learned a lot working for Ma Bell. I learned how a business worked. One of my most important lessons was in customer service. Time was of the utmost importance: being on time for work as well as the ability to say exactly the right phrase within the allotted time was crucial. They trained each employee on exactly what to say and how and when. There was no ambiguity in these phrases. You either knew what to do or you would be looking for another job soon. It had to be done exactly as written in the SOP (that’s Standard Operating Practices). Period. Of course, many of the jobs that I did at Ma Bell are now obso24 | wf-vision.com | Jan + Feb 2019

But what happens when things start to go wrong? And they inevitably do go wrong every now and then. Since we work directly with people, sometimes we have to deal with behavior that is less than becoming. And since what we do is bespoke—custom things made to order— sometimes we must make hard decisions about who, why and how much.

I try to live my life and run my business on the basis of kindness as well as high quality. I try to be understanding with my employees as well as my clients. At times this is harder than others. I was on a job recently where a client poked me in the chest and cursed at me. It didn’t go well. His anger was not at me particularly, but I was in the line of fire. I simply said, “Please do not curse at me,” and the air went out of his balloon. When both parties lose their tempers, anger

seems to accelerate way too quickly. If I am on the phone, I wait until the call is over to scream… and yes, I do scream. So, what do you do when things go south? It depends. If something goes wrong with the job and it is my fault, I do everything within my power to fix it as quickly as possible. And as soon as possible is key here. Not next week: tomorrow. But what do you do when it is a misunderstanding with the product? Recently, I had a client who was not happy with the way the roman shades that I had made for him looked from the outside of the house. I didn’t feel responsible because he was the person who requested the roman shades. I did not “sell” him these shades. I assumed that he knew what they looked like from the outside since they had already done research. I told them that I could add a liner onto the back to make a double-sided shade but would have to charge them for adding it. They thought about it over the weekend and called Monday to let me know they would keep things like they were. I am convinced that my conciliatory manner helped to diffuse the situation.

FastTrack your CAREER

get cERtIfieD at IWCE in Nashville

in ONE COMPREHENSIVE DAY!

DESIGN • MOTORIZATION • WORKROOM

I have a thought process that I go through when difficulties arise: 1. What is the worst thing that could happen? 2. What would be the best outcome in my view? 3. What negotiation is available and exactly what can I accept? When all else fails, I have found that it is best to ask what the customer wants to be done. Most of the time it is less than I would have been willing to do. If they ask more than I am willing to do, I offer them what I am willing to do. Remember that your reputation is priceless and keeping it as clean as it can be will benefit you in the long run. Only you can negotiate what is best in your situation. Taking all of this into consideration, some people just can’t be made happy. After years in business, you get a feel for those customers when they come along. Often there is nothing to be done to get them to pay you. Your case can always be heard in small claims court, or a lien may be placed against their property, but before you head down that path you must consider the costs that will be incurred if you do. It is always best to retain a lawyer in these cases, and that may not be financially beneficial. It might be best to do as one Disney princess says and “let it go.” z Beth Hodges is the owner of Soft Furnishings, a retail/wholesale workroom located in Elberton, GA. Now in business for more than thirty years, Soft Furnishings provides wholesale workroom services to higher-end designers both locally and around the country. Hodges joined the board of directors of the WCAA in 1994 and has since held the positions of treasurer, vice president and two terms as president. Hodges became the director of education for Döfix USA in 2013 and offers seminars and private training across the country. BethHodges.com Facebook: Beth.B.Hodges

wf-vision.com/seminars Window Fashion Vision | 25

INSIGHT business coaching

Looking for Growth in 2019?

Step 1: Train Yourself and Your Team for Success Learn five easy and inexpensive ways to sharpen you and your employees’ skills in sales and other key areas BY SCOT DIETZ

ell, here we are again: another new year and another set of resolutions. According to U.S. News and World Report, 80 percent of resolutions fail by the second week of February. The odds are against you if you let them be—or you can go into this year with intention and crush those odds. People often ask me, “What are you doing to achieve success in business?” Faith is first and foremost. After that, it’s having great people that you treat with respect, knowing your numbers and being confident selling to customers. That last point is one of the biggest roadblocks that window fashion professionals and designers have to overcome in order to be successful. The bottom line is many in-home salespeople are getting in their own way. Now is the time to stop and challenge yourself so you can break out of the bad habits that are keeping you from growing your business. The fastest way to do this is regular and frequent training since 75 percent of learned information is forgotten within days and just 10 percent of what was learned gets retained. Many small business owners don’t make the time to train themselves or their employees. That’s a shame because research from the American Society for Training and Development shows that continuous training yields 50 percent higher sales per employee. One of the barriers owners face is that they don’t think

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they have time for activities that work “on” their business and not “in” their business. But think of training as an investment in your retirement. The smarter you are, the more confident you will be, which allows you to demand higher prices, which fuels your retirement. Another barrier is that many people don’t know where to get good training that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. To help you overcome that hurdle, I will give you five awesome and inexpensive resources you can tap into on a regular basis.

TURN YOUR CAR INTO A CLASSROOM

Most of us who are going from appointment to appointment are not spending that time wisely. Instead of making phone calls or turning on the radio, listen to sales training audio. One of our top performers listens to it every day. Sales champions do these activities consistently. Remember: Training must be done regularly and frequently in order to be the most effective. The best way to get sales training on the go is with Audible.com. For $15 per month, you can turn your car into a classroom. One of my best practices is speaking notes into the app when something strikes a chord with me. Again, we only retain 10 percent of what we learn, so this allows me to go back to the CliffsNotes version I created to double or triple that retention. (See a list of Dietz’s favorite sales books in the online version of this article at wf-vision.com.)

Scot (second from left) and his team at 3 Blind Mice Window Coverings, Inc.

UTILIZE VENDORS’ TRAINING PROGRAMS

Many vendors have dedicated training programs. For example, Graber has Graber University, where you can gain product knowledge and skills to run your business better. Another best practice it to have regular coffee-shop trainings with your vendor sales rep. We have a standing monthly training with our territory sales manager in the Sacramento market. It is the same time each month and the sales team looks forward to it. If you don’t have a team, take the initiative and set something up anyway. Most vendor sales reps enjoy training because it makes them sharper while making you sharper.

TURN ON YOUTUBE

This is the most inexpensive way to learn about the industry. You can pretty much get any answer you are looking for on YouTube. Want to sharpen your skills to sell motorization? Take one hour per week and peruse YouTube for motorized window covering videos. In a matter of a month you will be more confident selling motorized window coverings. The knowledge will give you the confidence to present motorized shades at your next sale.

WINDOW FASHIONS CERTIFIED PROFESSIONALS PROGRAM (WFCP)

WFCP is the longest-running training program in the industry and is now available on demand. Check out the intensive courses available now and look for a new lineup of individual one-hour sessions coming later this year. More information is available at wf-vision.com.

PLUG INTO WINDOW COVERING WORLD

At 3 Blind Mice Window Coverings, we have been training weekly for 15 years. Yes, every week for 15 years (with the exception of holidays, of course). Each week we cover topics related to our five-step selling process or take a deeper dive into the products we sell. We have decided to share what we are learning with the industry each week through an online service called Window Covering World, which will be offered at a very low price. More information about this service is coming soon; watch for details in Window Fashion VISION. At the end of our trainings, we go around the room and share one takeaway from the session. What is your takeaway from this article? Remember: You just need to take those one or two gold nuggets and try them today. Don’t wait! While things are fresh in your mind, go to YouTube and create a playlist; sign up for Audible.com and start listening to some of the recommended books; get with your local vendor and set up a coffee-shop training; or learn more about Window Covering World. Whatever you do, just do something. It is that extra 10 percent effort that will yield you a 50 percent better result. z Scot Dietz is the “head cheese” of 3 Blind Mice Window Coverings, Inc., which has locations in Sacramento, San Diego and Orange County. He started his current eight-figure business from the ground up by knocking on doors, becoming a student of the industry and tapping into many great mentors along the journey. 3BlindMiceUSA.com Facebook: 3BlindMiceUSA Twitter: 3BlindMiceUSA

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PROFITABLE PICKS Pick your products… Pick your program….

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28 | wf-vision.com | Jan + Feb 2019

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INSIGHT business coaching

Your Sales Breakpoint Tells You How to Grow

Understanding your breakpoint will help you learn which tasks and skills you need to master to grow your company BY STEVEN C. BURSTEN Addition wallpaper in Yves Blue Reverse, a with the more. Current customers will never notice 5 percent higher here are two business models collaboration for window treatment lifestyle brand Mitchell Black. pricing. You deserve it, so charge it. companies: personal home business and retail managed business. With a personal home business, you Strive for two customers a week. Marketing is as important as sell and decorate yourself. It can literally be run from design, sewing and operations. To grow, you have to invest in your home and has no employees and very low overhead. The yourself. Marketing is just that—an investment that requires alternative is a retail managed business, in which you operate both time and money. Past customers have good potential to a retail store, manage an office and employ a decorating staff. become customers again, so email them or send postcards. Select a high-income neighborhood nearby and do outreach. Be Are you happy with your current level of income or business? sure everyone knows who you are and what you sell. Stop at Your choice is always to love your level—or change. Your breakhomes with windows in need of coverings and real estate signs. point is a number that tells what you should do to grow deThey are high-potential clients. Winners spend up to $300 to pending on whether you are below or above that number. Unget a new customer. Make sure you budget accordingly. derstanding your breakpoint will tell which tasks you need to master. Get some help. Now is the time to begin bringing people into your business, even if it’s just on a contract basis. Unload bookChange is never easy. But doing it brings personal pride and keeping and installation. Get sewing help from craftspeople you the potential for better income. If you want to grow, here are trust. Hire a contract installer. breakpoints to guide you.

Personal Home Business Breakpoint: $100,000

Are you a new interior design professional, a drapery workroom that has hit the wall or an installer who is working too much for too little money? Are you ready to decrease stress and stop limiting your potential? Here are some actions to take depending on your current annual sales. IF YOUR SALES ARE BELOW $100,000 PER YEAR Raise your prices. Gather your courage and begin charging 30 | wf-vision.com | Jan + Feb 2019

IF YOUR SALES ARE ABOVE $100,000 PER YEAR Set a goal for a higher gross margin to achieve a higher net profit. Your net income should be 25 to 30 percent of sales. If not, raise your pricing! Work with a mentor and they will show you how. You need a good selling system to raise prices and not lose customers. Make strategic hires. Start when you have about two customers a week. Plan on having your part-time assistant spend two hours

a day working with you. The second hire should be a housekeeper. Get someone else to clean your home while you plan marketing.

Retail Managed Business Breakpoint: $1,000,000

You are doing something right if your sales are over $500,000. You probably have a store. Yet your retail store may not yield a higher net profit until you reach higher sales levels. Here are actions to take and things to think about at different breakpoint levels. IF YOUR SALES ARE BELOW $1,000,000 PER YEAR Acknowledge reality. Sales above $500,000 and below $1,000,000 place you at the most difficult level in our industry. You must both sell and manage. Your office person may process orders. Your installer may put up products. But when you look in the mirror, you know, “It’s my job to keep the cash coming in.” At this stage, you’re negotiating a minefield of changes and challenges. The land mines can blow your limbs off and send you scurrying back to the ranks of smaller businesses with no staff. Acknowledge that these challenges exist and prepare yourself to face them. Steps to do that include building cash reserves and educating yourself on what it takes to grow to the next level. Find a good inside person. This is the most important position to fill. It is not easy, and you may go through several to find the right person. Ask others that have done it how to master the tough techniques. But to move up, you must become a manager. IF YOUR SALES ARE ABOVE $1,000,000 PER YEAR Know the sweet spot. Many business owners find it at $1.2 to $1.5 million in sales. One million dollars is not quite enough to cover fixed costs and make a healthy net profit. Staff accordingly. This is critical. You probably have two full-time decorators and sell some jobs yourself to old friends and special clients. Ask yourself: “How high do you want to go?” Some owners earn over $300,000 a year with less than $1.5 million in sales. Do you really need to keep growing your business? Or should you focus on improving profit and keep the business where it is? There’s no right or wrong answer, but it is important to understand your options. Making the jump from $1.5 million to $2 million or more is difficult. It means facing and mastering a new set of challenges. Ask yourself: “Is your desire fire worth the change pain?” Whatever your sales level, your business breakpoint will guide how you plan for the next level. You are talented and experienced. You will make the right decision for you! z Steven C. Bursten is the CEO of Exciting Windows!, a national network of 40 independent window fashions retailers and 100 decorating consultants. He is also the inventor of Shop At Home window treatment sale and has over a half-century of guiding hundreds of new and experienced business owners to sales and profit growth. ExcitingWindows.com Facebook: ExcitingWindows Twitter: ExcitingWindows

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IWCE PREVIEW getting to know genevieve

Wallpaper samples from the Genevieve Gorder collectio

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on from Tempaper

GETTING TO KNOW

GENEVIEVE

elevision host/producer and home products designer Genevieve Gorder will be the keynote speaker at this year’s International Window Covers Expo, taking place March 8 to 10 at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center in Nashville. To get a glimpse into her world and what she will discuss at this year’s event, Window Fashion VISION editor-in-chief Sophia Bennett asked Genevieve a wide range of questions about how she got started with television, what she’s working on now and what trends she sees in modern window coverings. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Get tickets to see Genevieve’s talk at iwce-vision.com.

Window Fashion Vision | 33

IWCE PREVIEW getting to know genevieve

Q: Tell me a little about your childhood and how it influenced the

person you are today.

A: I grew up in Minneapolis renovating houses with my family. My parents were young when they had me—my mom was 20 and my dad was 24. There weren’t a lot of funds, but we came from a very creative family of musicians and artists and painters and dancers. And what was happening in the 1980s in a lot of these Midwestern towns was there was a big flight to the suburbs, which left a vacancy in these old cities with incredible housing. So my parents could buy these turn-of-the-century Victorians and Four Squares and other houses for basically nothing, and we trained ourselves on how to recover the past from these old beauties.

We have an incredible architectural stock in Minnesota, where houses have to weather literally 120 degrees of temperature variance. Things are built very well and they’re meant to last. But the 1960s and ’70s had done a number on these places. There was a lot of bad paint, wallpaper, linoleum, Formica and other things that had to be removed in order to return a house to its full glory. That was the side job for my family. They had full-time jobs during the day and that’s what we did all night. As a kid I was just raised in this, so it was like a school and I didn’t even know it. As soon as all of us kids got out of the house, we knew how to make a home immediately and we absolutely did it. Even if we had $200-a-month apartments, it was like, how do we make this legit?

Q: Did you always know you’d become a designer, given that you

had so much experience with creative work and home renovation as a child?

A: I thought I was going to go into international affairs and be a diplomat. I had been an exchange student and I speak several languages. But when I started at Lewis and Clark College in

34 | wf-vision.com | Jan + Feb 2019 32 | wf-vision.com | Nov + Dec 2018

Portland, I knew right away I wasn’t going to go into international relations. It’s much less sociological and anthropological and much more business and political, which is not my forte. I found design through a series of classes and it was really a key moment in my life, where at 17 I knew exactly what I was going to be doing for the rest of my life. I’ve been a designer professionally ever since. I moved to New York, finished art school at the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan and worked as a designer throughout my college years at MTV.

Q: Is the MTV connection how you got started on television? A: It was never my intention to be on air, but as a very young

company, often producers would just scour the halls and say, “Hey, can you come be on this show? We need an extra person.” I would do that often, but I wasn’t thinking, “This is my job.” My job was a designer. I worked at Duffy, a very well-known design firm, for several years after that. At the time “Trading Spaces” was scouting and they were looking at designers who had won awards that year. I’d won a bunch of awards for my work on the label of a bottle called Tanqueray Ten (a brand of gin) that got all this attention. The producers of “Trading Spaces” called me at my desk and asked me if I was interested in auditioning for the show and I said, “No thanks.” It sounded like it was a job being offered to me in Tennessee, which is a place I didn’t want to move to from Manhattan. And I didn’t want to just do interiors because I was at a job where I was doing all kinds of design and it was very glamorous. TV wasn’t interesting to me until they showed me what the show was. It was based off an English hit called “Changing Rooms,” and it was exactly what I’d done as a kid with my family. It was making design approachable and affordable and understandable so everyone felt like they deserved it. So they flew me down to Tennessee, and they picked six of us, and there started my TV career.

Q: I know you’ve finished the first season of the “Trading

Spaces” reboot and are filming the second. What else is keeping

will air in 2019. It’s really exciting. I’ve been wanting to work with Bravo for quite some time. There’s also “Stay Here Now.” The first season is done and the second season is coming. Netflix has been pushing the bar on so many levels in lifestyle. I wanted to do something that was a bit more edgy, a bit more cerebral. We’ve raised generations at this point on design television and it’s time to give them those next levels that they’re craving and that they’re educated enough to watch. Food got permission to get really cool. They do aspirational food shows all the time and we don’t think about it. But there aren’t many aspirational home shows. They’re about budget and time, and it’s been the same way since they started 20 years ago. “Stay Here Now” is about AirBnB, the art of travel, and how we can use our home as a business endeavor in this new travel landscape. It’s the biggest asset that we have, so why not use it to our advantage if we can? There are now 400 million homeshares and it’s growing every day. We’re educating a huge amount of people on how to do it correctly and how to make the most out of it. The show has been a crazy hit. I had no idea that it would go this bananas, but I’m very excited about it. Season two is going to take us to places all over the world and hopefully create a treasure map of places to visit.

Q: What do you believe are the big trends in window coverings

you busy now?

right now?

A: There’s a series for Bravo which is not even titled yet, which

What I’m seeing most often is less is more. Of course, this varies regionally. In the South you’re going to tend to see a lot more fabric than you will in the North. Coastally you’re going to see even less. I’m seeing a resurgence in the roman blind in every sort of custom fabric people can fathom. I don’t see a lot of heavy swagging or a lot of rod pockets. I don’t see the tabs anymore. I’m seeing more clean lines. There are more diaphanous fabrics, the lighter and more translucent the better, paired with a solar shade so people don’t have to be committed to a heavy fabric to have the light-blocking quality that we all think heavy fabric affords us.

There are a lot of hardware trends as well. Like we are in the rest of the house, we’re dipping heavily into the brasses and golds and less into the shiny chromes. Black is back, especially matte black. I’m also seeing a change in how we hang. For decades we were hanging right above the window or on the millwork or framework, which is a no-no in my mind. I’ve been trying for years to push people up the wall to give the illusion of grander windows. I’m seeing that more casually in every home I go into.

Q: What are you most looking forward to at the International

Window Coverings Expo?

A: I’ve never been to this expo so I’m expecting to have

my mind blown! I’m a full-on home nerd, and when I go into specialties in a hardcore way I feel like I can get much further indepth that I can when I go to a home show or market. I expect to come out with a full deck of cards that I can start teaching thewith restVisi Jan Ras of the country about. z Window Fashion Vision | 35

IWCE PREVIEW exhibitor product preview

PRODUCT PREVIEW

Tableaux

HOT PRODUCTS you’ll find at the 2019

INTERNATIONAL WINDOW COVERINGS EXPO Does discovering the latest and greatest window fashion fabrics, hardware, motorization solutions and other products get your blood racing and your imagination revving? The International Window Coverings Expo is the place for you! To kick-start excitement about the expo, nine of our exhibitors shared information about the new and exciting products you’ll find at their booths. Visit them and all of our exhibitors from March 8 to 10 in Nashville. 36 | wf-vision.com | Jan + Feb 2019

Alta

Alta will be showcasing its extensive collection of honeycomb fabrics in solids, textured prints, linen looks and fire-retardant fabrics. The honeycomb line includes four opacities and five cell styles, including two-inch Hybrid Pleat products for larger windows and sliding glass doors. The company will also have its SoftStyle Cellular shades, featuring soft-spun lace fabric in semiopaque and blackout. People in search of roller shades can check out more than 450 SKUs offered by Alta, including over 300 Phifer and Mermet screen styles, plus a robust selection of decorative, blackout and vinyl fabrics. In addition, Alta will showcase its fauxwood premium grain blinds, which are offered in eight inviting colors. Be sure to ask about the company’s Elite Partner Program, which rewards customer loyalty with a wide range of benefits that can include product discount promotions, credits such as no-fault “oops” and rush freight, and merchandising credits that apply toward collateral purchases. Elite Partners are eligible to earn a coveted incentive trip that brings dealers together for a luxurious vacation and idea sharing.

Anderson Fabrics

in 2

Anderson Fabrics is a commercial workroom that specializes in providing custom window treatments, bedding, roman shades and pillows. Stop by to see what they can do for you and your clients.

KAMA Technology

KAMA Technology is making its U.S. debut at this year’s International Window Coverings Expo! The company, which is based in Poland, specializes in the production of components for all types of window shade systems, including venetian blinds, roller blinds, vertical blinds, pleated shades and mosquito nets. Their innovative KTOOLS system can be used to construct readymade window shades precisely and efficiently. The first product entering the U.S. market is the company’s multisystem roller blinds, which come on 25 to 36mm tubes and are available in a variety of fabrics. The basis of the system is a highly reliable chain/cord mechanism. The company will also be sharing information about its forthcoming cork window coverings, an eco-friendly product with an interesting finish that will be available in a variety of colors. Window Fashion Vision | 37

20 19

IWCE PREVIEW exhibitor product preview

Morgik Metal Designs

We’re also excited to have Morgik Metal Designs attending the International Window Coverings Expo for the first time. They will be showcasing their custom drapery hardware, including several new products. Highlights include rods in nine diameters and three materials (steel, brass and stainless steel); hundreds of finials, rings and brackets; and over 50 different types of finishes.

Phifer Incorporated

In response to a growing demand for lower-cost options where commercial fire certifications are not required, Phifer Incorporated is now offering three new non-FR blackout and two new light-filtering SheerWeave fabrics for residential use. SheerWeave Style 7200R combines total light blockage with a neutral yet subtly variegated pattern. Style 7250R, an accompanying light-filtering option, uses the same face fabric and pattern of Style 7200R to allow natural light to brighten interior spaces. SheerWeave Style 7700R offers a PVC-free blackout option for total light blockage and features a soft, textured pattern, evoking the look of grass cloth. Its counterpart, Style 7750R, filters natural light while maintaining the look of the face fabric of Style 7700R. A color-coordinated backing ensures the same neutral fabric color is shown toward both the interior of the room and glass. New Style 7500R, a companion to the Style 7500 range, is an attractive and unique PVC-free coated polyester blackout fabric that maintains high quality at an economical price. Ideal for dual shades, these new fabric options strike the perfect balance between managing natural light and privacy.

ZMC Window Covering Supplies With ZMC’s new EZ-Adjustable Coupler and EZ-Retractable Coupler, there’s no need to disconnect shades to adjust an uneven bottom bar. In addition, the coupler’s retractable shaft makes for easy window coverings installation. The company will also have its 3.25-inch smart cassette, which adds more options for sleeklooking cassettes to their current line.

38 | wf-vision.com | Jan + Feb 2019

Vako U.S.

Vako’s unique EASYLOCK cord drums are available for roman shade systems. The drums have 20 percent faster assembly than similar models, are adjustable with one click, require no screws, and have a removable cord and conical shape inside so the square rod glides in easily. All products are designed with ease of assembly in mind.

Tableaux

Tableaux keeps a close eye on interior design trends as well as what their own resellers from all over the country are asking for. The new standard patterns and finish colors were added to further enable resellers to present a unique design product custommade to match virtually any design style. “In recent years, we’ve seen window treatment resellers search for ways to expand their offerings and increase margins,” says Diane Belvin, the company’s managing director for residential. “Incorporating Tableaux decorative grilles into your window treatments can help you do that.” Savvy window treatment resellers are seeing opportunities beyond just windows, increasing their margins by installing Tableaux decorative grilles in ceiling treatments, decorative accents and partitions.

Vista Products

Vista Products has three new sample collections coming in 2019: TwinLight Shades, Sheer Shadings and Cellular Shades. Browse their sample books for new patterns, colors and options for these and other shade lines. Company representatives will also be showing off a new vertical sheer and new options for motorized products.

Window Fashion Vision | 39 Window Fashion Vision | 39

40 | wf-vision.com | Jan + Feb 2019

Window Fashion Vision | 41

INDUSTRY nashville designer designers to the stars INSIGHT

Kari Whitman:

ECO-FRIENDLY

DESIGNER STARS to the

BY SOPHIA BENNETT

ctor-turned-

Virginia Madsen and many other actors

interior-designer

and musicians. She’s also worked on

Kari Whitman

several high-end commercial projects,

has had a list of

including the Park La Brea apartment

celebrity clients since she started

community in Los Angeles and the 414

her firm over 20 years ago. While

Light Street apartments in Baltimore.

shooting the film “Men at Work” in 1990, she befriended Emilio Estevez, who costarred in the film alongside Charlie Sheen. He was so impressed by her taste and design acumen that he recommended her when a friend was looking for an interior designer. One job led to another, and she launched her own business in 1994.

Although “designer to the stars” is one of her monikers, she’s just as well-known for designing for people dedicated to environmental sustainability. “I’m very much a tree hugger,” she quipped during her interview. Her love of Mother Nature dates back to a childhood spent in Boulder, Colorado, a green-minded town where many people were committed to preserving the environment in their community and the planet as a whole.

Since then, Whitman has designed

She’s always carried that mindset into

spaces for Kristen Bell, Melanie

her work.

Griffith and Antonio Banderas,

42 | wf-vision.com | Jan + Feb 2019

The living room of this Dallas estate has inside-mounted double-paneled drapes. The top panel provides light-blocking and privacy, while the sheer panel underneath adds to the windows’ aesthetic.

Window Fashion Vision | 43

INDUSTRY designer to the stars

This dining room at a Dallas estate has inside-mount drapes with metal stitching.

REUSE & RECYCLE TO GO GREEN Whitman says recycling and reuse are critical to her green design

Utilizing upcycled fabrics and furnishings, antiques, family

philosophy. Both allow humans to utilize fewer raw resources

heirlooms and collectibles can also make a space feel more

such as oil, metal ores and water. Reusing existing products can

personal, which is something Whitman sees as a major shift

also help designers and their clients get surprisingly high-quality

in decorating philosophy. “Everybody is really about being

products, oftentimes at a lower cost.

themselves and expressionism,” she says. “So especially in places

“Structures back in the day were made so much better than a lot of our structures now. You can’t even get 8-way hand-tied furniture anymore,” Whitman says. “When I did Jessica Alba’s house, we used the bones of an old couch. We cut the arms down a little bit, changed out the legs, recovered it and you’d never know it was the same couch.” She ended up with a beautiful, high-quality end result that didn’t require cutting down a tree to build the frame.

44 | wf-vision.com | Jan + Feb 2019

like Los Angeles and New York, the nightstands don’t have to match. It’s about expressing who you are through your home. It’s about art, thinking outside the box and mixing old with new.” The latter, she added, is a big trend that won’t go away anytime soon.

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INDUSTRY designer to the stars

SOURCING GREEN PRODUCTS The other important component to green design is sourcing ecofriendly products. “You have to make sure products are certified, which is hard because it’s hard to get certification,” Whitman says. She looks for goods that have been approved by Global Green, an

greenest country. A lot of Europe—Germany, Scotland and the Danish communities—is very focused on green.” In Whitman’s experience, people who are offered both an ecofriendly and non-eco-friendly product are going to go with the

environmentally focused nonprofit.

greener option as long as she can explain why it’s green and why

When there is no certified choice, “You have to do some research.

conventional products to clients. “I just had a royal family who

We really focus on making sure the companies we’re working with

really wasn’t green, and I just showed them green products,” she

are ethical, that the products we’re using are made ethically and

says. “Now they are green and they don’t even know it.”

that we’re not taking from the earth more than we’re receiving for the house,” Whitman says. That includes asking questions about what makes the company’s products sustainable and where they

it’s better. Depending on the situation, she might not even bring

That’s getting easier all the time because there are now a wider variety of products that are beautiful, high quality and just happen

source their materials.

to be made with sustainable materials. “There are a lot of fabrics

As the effects of climate change become more apparent, Whitman

Whitman. “They have new hemp and bamboo carpets that are

says people are increasingly interested in green home products.

unbelievable. They feel just like a silk carpet but they’re much

That’s truer in certain parts of the world than others, though. “In

better for the environment. One of my favorite companies is

New York, most people don’t care,” she says. “Colorado is super

PaperStone, which makes these countertops from recycled paper.

green. L.A. clients have been pretty green. Canada is by far the

They’re absolutely gorgeous.”

46 | wf-vision.com | Jan + Feb 2019

that are made with hemp or bamboo now that feel like silk,” says

“I like to use a net fabric and line it with solid white velvet so that it gives depth with an illusion of two separate tracks. This creates movement in each piece of the fabric,” says Whitman.

TRENDS IN WINDOW COVERINGS When it comes to choosing window coverings, Whitman is

companies, including Ramtex, Inc. and Pollack Fabrics. Anyt ime

big into sheers. She credits Philippe Starck, one of her greatest

she does sheers, she adds an electric shade system that can be

design inspirations, with helping to start the trend. “The hotel I

used to darken the room when needed.

just did had these high ceilings that I love, so I did these 40-foot white flowing sheers,” she says. “They bring a softness to a space,

For rooms with shorter ceilings—those in the eight- to 10-foot

especially if you have big windows. I’d say they work best with

range—Whitman is more likely to source flat roman shades, which

taller rooms and bigger windows because they’re so dramatic.”

are the only style she likes. “They should always be inside the window, not outside.”

She also likes sheers for modern spaces. “I don’t like my modern spaces to feel cold. I want them to feel contemporary and comfy.”

Roman shades are also hung on motorized systems for easy raising and lowering. Whenever possible, Whitman uses motorized

One fun touch for a room with sheers is to paint the wall with an

systems that are solar-powered, such as those offered by Savant

accent color that will show through the draperies and add interest.

and Somfy. They add a green touch to shades of any color, size

Another idea is to source fabric with thin lines of brass or other

and style.

metallic thread running through it. It’s available from several

Window Fashion Vision | 47

INDUSTRY designer to the stars

KARI WHITMAN’S WALL MAKEUP “When most people decide to paint, they go to the store and buy six different colors of green and see which one they like,” says Whitman. “Then what happens is you have all these paint cans sitting in your garage because paint is really hard to recycle.” That problem led Whitman to develop a product called Wall Makeup. The kit comes with eight colors that can be stirred into white paint to create different customized shades at home. Designers or homeowners can mix up a range of colors and test them until they find the perfect hue. Instead of throwing out several test cans, all you have to dispose of is the paint samples. Leftover bottles of paint and color tints can be saved for future projects. z Wall Makeup kits are $39.95 plus $14 shipping and handling. Purchase them online at wallmakeup.com.

48 | wf-vision.com | Jan + Feb 2019

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INDUSTRY the business of sustainability

The BUSINE SS of

SUSTAINABILITY BY SOPHIA BENNETT

n October 2018, the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change issued a report saying that nations needed to significantly lower their carbon emissions by 2030 or face dire, irreversible consequences. The warning hit home for millions of people who were beginning to clearly see the signs of a changing

planet, including stronger storms, flooding, longer droughts and mass dieoffs of birds and other animals. “We are in a critical situation with climate change,” says Susan Inglis, executive director of the Sustainable Furnishings Council (SFC). “Really and truly, we all—individuals, designers, industry sectors—need to take radical action and do what we can to address the problems that are causing these dramatic changes to our climate."

50 | wf-vision.com | Jan + Feb 2019

Nikki MacCallum

“Consumers are more and more

environment low. If you can help these

concerned about sustainability

people realize that affordable, beautiful,

issues and they’re acting out of

environmentally friendly home products

their concern,” she adds. SFC

are easier to find than they’ve ever

regularly surveys consumers to

been, you can be their hero.

better understand their thoughts

Nikki MacCallum, owner of Nikki

about environmental sustainability in

Designs in Victoria, BC, specializes in

general and green furnishings more

making custom window coverings and

specifically. In its 2017 study, 80

other home décor products with natural

percent reported feeling heightened

and organic fabric. That focus has had

concern about environmental issues. Nearly 90 percent pledged to vote for political candidates who would support earth-friendly legislation. Most respondents had already acted on their concerns by making lifestyle changes. These included replacing light bulbs with more energy-efficient varieties, buying fewer plastic water bottles and investing in green goods such as cleaning supplies and paper products. “They’re not buying a lot of eco-friendly home furnishings relative to other things that cost a lot, such as cars and energy-efficient appliances,”

says Inglis. “When we ask why, they say, ‘Is there such a thing?’” That’s where your business can come in. SFC’s study found that 90 percent of consumers are interested or very interested in buying green home furnishings if style and price are comparable. About half say they’d pay 5 to 10 percent more for eco-friendly home products. There’s also a subset who are willing to invest a higher amount because they’re committed to keeping their impact on the

a positive impact on her company. “It’s always good to have a niche market in your business,” she says. “Specializing in this has separated me from my competition.” She also feels better about working with fabrics that are healthier for her customers and don’t cause harm to farmers and their workers. Here’s what you need to know to educate consumers on the many ways window coverings and other home products can help them accomplish their eco-friendly goals—and hopefully grow your client base at the same time. Window Fashion Vision | 51

INDUSTRY the business of sustainability

Nikki MacCallum

Going Green, Saving Green with EnergyEfficient Window Coverings

environments. When it’s hot outside,

window films in desert and tropical

closing the blinds or shutters will keep

locales where sunlight is always intense.

out the beating sun, which reduces the

“I would not recommend that in a place

need to run the air conditioner.

where you want the sun in the winter

One of the most compelling reasons to

shining during the winter months, and

go green is that it can save you money over time. Make sure clients understand the link between window fashions, energy efficiency and maintaining a comfortable living environment. “Window treatments have the ability to control air loss and thermal exchange of heat,” says Karen Totino, owner of Green Conscience Home & Garden, an interior design showroom in Saratoga Springs, NY, that specializes in creating healthy

52 | wf-vision.com | Jan + Feb 2019

Coach clients to keep their window coverings closed when the sun isn’t

months,” she says, because you risk losing that passive solar gain.

open them when it is. Even in the winter, those solar rays can help warm the interior and keep the house cozy. All of these actions reduce the load on the HVAC system, which will save the homeowner money. Saving energy is also good for the environment because the majority of our electricity still comes from fossil fuels. Inglis says she often recommends

Susan Inglis

Healthy Is the New Green If you’re struggling to get clients on board with your green message, try approaching the issue from another angle. Personal health is something everyone from millennials to baby boomers is thinking about right now. And, even though people don’t always realize it, being healthy and being green are linked because both require consuming products with fewer toxins. Totino argues that “healthy” is the new green. “People see the value in switching to organic foods because our foods have been sprayed with chemicals that we ingest into our body,” she says. “They see the value of switching their personal-care products, that we absorb the chemicals in them through our skin. What they don’t think about is pollutants we absorb through breathing.”

Material Differences One of the biggest things designers can do to go green is switch up the materials they’re using. “For any consumer product, whether it’s a curtain or a coat, the largest part of the environmental impact or footprint is in the materials,” says Inglis. “Choosing less energy-intensive materials will save energy.” Fabrics that fall into the green category include organic cotton, linen, silk, wool and anything else made with natural fibers. Wool has the added benefit of being naturally fire-resistant. When possible, look for fabrics certified by a third-party body such as the Global Organic Textile Standard or OEKO-TEX. (See sidebar for information about these certification programs and more.) Even though cotton is a natural material, it’s important to look for

Unfortunately, those pollutants can be significant. Data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency shows that the air inside a home can be two to five times more polluted than the air we breathe outside. One of the major things that influences indoor air quality is fabrics, furnishings and finishes. Furniture made with pressboard, particleboard and other engineered wood products is often loaded with chemicals. Paint, varnish, glue and anything else that goes from a liquid to solid state can contain loads of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Textiles can be treated with a number of chemicals, including formaldehyde and fire retardants. The immediate symptoms caused by these chemicals can be significant. Many people experience burning eyes, brain fog and headaches. Over the long term, exposure to VOCs can affect the body on a deeper level, leading to serious illnesses, chronic diseases and fertility issues. The impact on children can be even greater because their

organic varieties if your goal is to deliver a truly sustainable (and healthy) product. “Regular cotton needs so many pesticides and chemicals to grow the crop,” says MacCallum. “They leech into the soil and water and they stay in the fabric. Many fabrics, including cotton, have dyes, bleach, fabric softeners and formaldehyde.” “As a rule of thumb, natural materials take less energy than synthetic materials,” Inglis says. “Of course, if the natural material—cotton being our favorite—is organically grown, it takes significantly less energy. Fertilizers and agricultural chemicals contribute dramatically to greenhouse gas emissions.” “Thirteen years ago it was really a struggle to find organic fabrics,” says MacCallum. “It’s much easier now.” As demand has increased, so has competition among manufacturers and suppliers, which is driving down prices.

bodies are small and still developing. “When you start picturing your baby sleeping on a sheet with all kinds of chemicals that can cause breathing problems, that makes it real for people,” says MacCallum. A growing number of people are developing such extreme chemical sensitivities that they can’t be exposed to any chemicals without becoming quite sick. These individuals often struggle to find products they can have in their home, which makes them a great market for designers who specialize in using healthy and ecofriendly fabrics and other products. But the market is growing in general just because more people are concerned about the adverse effects of poor indoor air quality. Be sure to mention the health benefits of going green to consumers who are already looking for sustainable home products. It will give them another reason to invest in your eco-friendly window treatments.

(See sidebar for a list of eco-friendly fabric and blind providers.) Designers might also consider using wooden blinds, louvers and shutters instead of ones made from vinyl or other synthetic materials. But not all wood is created equally. “Forests are so important to addressing the problems of climate change and pollution,” says Inglis. That’s because large forests, especially those located near the equator, absorb the carbon we need to keep out of the atmosphere. “If you’ve got a forest, leave it a forest,” says Inglis. “That does mean choosing wood products carefully. Choosing wood you know is legally logged from well-managed forests assures you that it will grow back at a reasonable pace.” She recommends looking for wood products that are certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.

Window Fashion Vision | 53

INDUSTRY the business of sustainability

Meg Hosler. Photo by Mary Prince

Upcycling, Recycling and More Remember the adage “reduce, reuse, recycle”? It’s not a coincidence that the words were listed in that order. The best thing anyone can do for the environment is reduce their consumption. When you buy less, you consume fewer raw resources and put less energy into making things. That keeps your carbon footprint much lower. “Buy less” sounds counterintuitive to a designer’s message, but that’s where reuse can come in. Incorporating antiques, DIY projects made from upcycled materials, and a client’s collected items and treasured keepsakes into spaces is incredibly trendy right now. When you source and arrange these materials for clients,

54 | wf-vision.com | Jan + Feb 2019

you’ll help them end up with a space they truly love, which can lead to more referrals. Plus, everyone can feel good about diverting things that might have ended up in a landfill or incinerator. Meg Hosler of Meggie H. Interiors in Wenham, MA, says another reason to consider reused items is that they’ll last and look good for a longer period of time. “Sure, those funky contemporary cabinets look chic today, but how fashionable will they look 10 years from now? Traditional, classic style never goes out of date. This is something to consider, not just from a cost perspective, but from an environmental one as well.” Folks who are on a budget will appreciate designers who help them find ways to utilize what they already have instead of buying everything new. “Can that [sofa or chair] be slipcovered or reupholstered as opposed to

purchasing a new piece?” asks Hosler. “How about looking to your attic for those wide pine floors to be used in your new addition rather than having more trees cut down? Old kitchen cabinets are great to hang in your basement or garage for storage. Maybe that old piece of furniture can be painted to give it a fresh look.” Hosler’s final piece of advice is to consider donating unwanted furniture and building materials that are in good shape to a charity. The homeowner may be able to get a tax write-off, and their waste will be put to good use rather than going into a landfill. Habitat for Humanity has ReStore locations across the country that need unwanted building supplies. Look for a resource online or visit the Building Materials Reuse Association (bmra.org) to see if they have a member organization near you.

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INDUSTRY the business of sustainability

Green Product Certification Programs Green vs. Greenwashed As more consumers have started looking for sustainable products, “greenwashing,” or claiming a product is eco-friendly when it really isn’t, has gotten a lot more common. One way to make sure a product is truly green is to look for a third-party certification. (See the sidebar for a partial list of green certification programs for home products.) But that’s not the only way Karen Totino to avoid greenwashing—or even the best way, in some circumstances. Totino works with several small companies that can’t afford to pay for the certification. In those cases, you have to do some due diligence, she says. It’s often a smart idea to look more into a company’s claims about their products anyway. “Sometimes a company will say a product is sustainable or environmentally friendly because they’re using recycled content or bamboo, which is fast growing and saves hardwoods. But [in the case of flooring] they add formaldehyde, so it’s not safe to bring into your home.” If a company claims their product is green, spend some time exploring their website to determine what makes it green. Or call the company and ask them directly. It may also be helpful to develop a list of green priorities to use when evaluating products. Green can mean many things: using products that will not offgas, contain recycled materials, are recyclable at the end of their life cycle or are sustainably sourced. It may not be possible to get all of those things in one product, which means you have to prioritize based on your values or those held by your client. “Most small businesses now really do tell a story about why and how they operate,” MacCallum says. “They’re open and honest about who they are and why they do what they do. I find they are [creating environmentally sound products] because they do care.” As your care and concern for the environment and all of these related issues grows, use that to your advantage. z

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Buying products that are third-party certified as ecofriendly is a good way to ensure you’re purchasing supplies that are easier on the environment. Here are some of the certification programs that exist for home and interior products. Forest Stewardship Council Forest Stewardship Council certification ensures that products come from responsibly managed forests that provide environmental, social and economic benefits. us.fsc.org Global Organic Textile Standard An internationally recognized certification program for textiles. Certified textiles must contain a minimum of 70 percent recycled fiber. Certifiers also look at things like the toxicity of dyes and other chemical inputs and how wastewater from processing plants is handled. global-standard.org/public-database.html GreenGuard GreenGuard certification is available for products that meet some of the world's most rigorous and comprehensive standards for low emissions of volatile organic compounds. greenguard.org/en/ architectsDesigners.aspx OEKO-TEX The Standard 100 by OEKO-TEX is a worldwide, independent testing and certification system for raw, semifinished and finished textile products and accessory materials. oeko-tex.com

Upgrade Your Eco-Knowledge with GREENleaders Window fashion professionals interested in learning more about sustainable design can participate in the Sustainable Furnishings Council’s GREENleaders program. This six-hour certificate course is offered online or in person three times a year. It includes basic education on current environmental issues, consumer insights and tips for sourcing green products. “It also includes a sales training module so you can put all of this together and grow your business,” says Inglis. Get more information at sustainablefurnishings.org.

Companies Offering Green Fabrics and Blinds Our green designers recommend the following companies for eco-friendly products: Canadian Blind Manufacturing cdnblind.com Earth Shade earthshade.com EnviroTextiles envirotextile.com Habitat Blinds and Shading Systems habitatblinds.com Hemp Traders hemptraders.com/Hemp-Textiles-s/1817.htm

HAND-CRAFTED

EXCELLENCE

Watch the video at sarkisstudio.com/story

Window Fashion Vision | 57

INSPIRATION Hartmann&Forbes

HARTMANN&FORBES A Corporate Culture of Going Green BY GAIL GUTSCHE

ichael Jones was on a business trip in Southeast Asia more than 20 years ago when he first witnessed local people hand-weaving textiles from natural fibers. Captivated by the interesting patterns and textures, and inspired by the craftsmanship of these talented artists, an idea struck: Why couldn’t these weavings be used to make one-of-a-kind window treatments and wall coverings and distributed throughout the western world? That moment of inspiration grew into Hartmann&Forbes, a Tualatin, OR-based company committed to providing luxurious natural window coverings, wall coverings and textiles handcrafted with sustainable materials. The latter part has always been a key part of the company’s mission. “I founded Hartmann&Forbes to refashion how window coverings were being designed, crafted and consumed by the marketplace,” says Jones. “At the time, most window treatments being made were harmful to people and the environment. Massive amounts of waste were filling up the landfills. I couldn’t fathom why. Over the past 20 years, we have worked hard to influence industry change in terms of environmental practices.” Hartmann&Forbes has also institutionalized being green. From the way the company manufactures its all-natural window and wall coverings, to its external and internal reduce/reuse/recycling programs, every process is designed to lessen the impact on the environment. “Sustainability has always been a core value for Hartmann&Forbes, from our craftsmanship to our products,” says marketing and communications coordinator Michaela Fujita-Conrads. “That’s how we do business. We are intricately intertwined with the natural world and we are very conscious of how we impact that world.”

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Hartmann&Forbes is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, and its commitment to being an environmentally conscious company has only grown over that time. In 2018, the company was ranked 48th in the 100 Best Green Workplaces in Oregon, up from 64th in 2017. They are striving to move up in the rankings again in 2019. Given the many ways environmentally-friendly practices are woven into the company’s fabric, it seems likely that they’ll continue to find new ways to green their operations—and serve as an

Colleen Scott Photography

Natural Fibers, Naturally All Hartmann&Forbes textiles are made from natural materials that are either cultivated or harvested from forests or waterways. They are picked, dyed and sun-dried, then cut to accommodate the length of the weave. All of the work is done by hand. The plants grow all over the world, from the South Seas to Europe to Asia. “We use water hyacinth, which is an invasive species that clogs up waterways in the South Seas,” says Rebecca Welch, the company’s director of product development. “Arrowroot grows like a vine in the South Seas forests—it is one of our more popular fibers. We use palm and bamboo and banana fibers. All of these plants grow easily and readily where they come from, so we’re not depleting anything in harvesting them.”

Linen comes from flax grown in Belgium. Some crops, like ramie, are cultivated by farmers who own the land. Hartmann&Forbes partners with overseas farmers and weavers to produce the majority of their products. The weaving facilities are located close to where raw products are grown to minimize the impacts of moving people and product long distances. Some weavers work from their homes, while others travel to facilities located in their communities. “We’ve created hundreds of jobs in small villages in other countries,” says Fujita-Conrads. “Generation after generation, families continue to work there. We’re proud that our partners earn a living wage.”

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INSPIRATION Hartmann&Forbes

Customized Window Coverings Tailored to Taste “We like to say we have no competition,” says Welch. “When a customer places an order, we weave it to the size of their windows, specifically. That’s what we specialize in and that’s what makes our company different than any other company out there. We make shades up to 180 inches wide—no one else can go that wide. (Industry standard is between 124 inches and 160 inches.) And no one else has as many natural fiber patterns as we have.” It takes two to three days to weave a shade. Each piece is woven to size, which eliminates significant waste. “It’s a very simple process. A weaver sits at a loom, which is not using any electricity, and makes a beautiful, natural product,” says Fujita-Conrads. “Even what they use to make the weft is hand turned.” 60 | wf-vision.com | Jan + Feb 2019

Hartmann&Forbes keeps its processes simple in another way too. The company only makes three window coverings: roman shades, roller shades and draperies. Window coverings woven overseas are finished in the Portland-area facility. Since each shade is custom-made, specialty orders and requests are easily accommodated. “We have lots of custom options,” says Fujita-Conrads. “If a designer wants a different color of thread in the web, we can do that.” In addition to being highly customizable, the products are certified child-safe. Cords on their shades are encased by a shroud that ensures a child cannot become entangled in them. Automated shades are also available.

Environmentally Conscious Inside and Out Hartmann&Forbes minimizes waste and reuses, repurposes and recycles everything they can. “When Michael started the company, he worked with the University of Oregon, which helped him form their takeback initiative,” says Welch. “If a customer is installing new shades, they can send their used ones back to us. We then recycle, repurpose or donate them. Those that still have life in them are donated to the Habitat for Humanity ReStore.” The company meets the water-quality recycling standards set by the countries in which they have partnerships. Because each part of the shade is made to size, there is very little waste generated. “We are careful to use as much of the fiber as possible,” says Welch. Internally, a company-wide recycling effort is spearheaded by the Project Green Committee, which started in 2005.

Employees compost all eligible food scraps and recycle batteries, computers, phones and light bulbs. “We recycle all our soda cans and donate to Cans for Kids,” says FujitaConrads. As customers demand more green products for their homes and businesses, she and Welch agree that the window coverings industry is getting more conscious about the environmental impact of its products. In addition, everyone at the company sees transparent processes and open communication with designers as key to nudging the industry toward manufacturing processes and products that are more sustainable in every sense of the word. “Moving forward, companies will need to prioritize how they care for human beings, and measure success not by financials exclusively, but by the way they improve the lives they touch and the environment we all share,” says Jones. “This human-centered approach, over time, will revolutionize the definition of sustainability, and help to build a better world.” z

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INDUSTRY business triumphs & tribulations

BUSINESS TRIUMPHS TRIBULATIONS

THE PROBLEM: ONLINE TROLLING BY SOPHIA BENNETT

Editor’s Note: This article is the first in a series describing how design professionals have overcome a business challenge or created the perfect treatment for a difficult window. Do you have a story to share? We’d love to hear from you. Email us at sophia@wf-vision.com. Also, please note that nothing in this article should be construed as legal advice. Please contact your own attorney for advice regarding your specific situation should a similar problem arise.

The Challenge

her an email suggesting they end their relationship. She also

Amy Estrin, owner of The Whole 9 Yards in Portland, OR, is

sent a list of other designers the woman might reach out to.

also a trained mediator and is accustomed to working for the

That just enraged the customer further. She started sending

“win-win” for all of her clients. “Everyone involved in design

the designer abusive emails. And rather than contacting Estrin

projects wants all to go smoothly,” she says. “No one wins

to discuss the dispute, she took to Yelp and Facebook to voice

when the client isn’t happy.”

her anger about both the shop and the designer—who she

Unfortunately, Estrin recently had a conflict with a customer

personally named in her post.

that spilled into the public domain in an ugly way. In addition

Estrin contacted Yelp and was able to have the post removed.

to her retail fabric store, Estrin has a full-service workroom

“But she’s savvy, and when Yelp sent her a message saying

staffed with professional designers, one of whom had

they took the post down because it violated certain rules,

completed several projects for a local woman.

she rewrote it,” she says. “I called Yelp back and said, ‘These

The problem began when the designer met the woman at her home one day. In the middle of their conversation, she turned and began berating another person who was working on the

things she’s saying are untrue.’ Yelp’s stance is they don’t get in between the business and the customer, so they wouldn’t take it down.”

house. When the screaming ended, the customer turned back

In most cases, a negative review calls for a response from the

to the designer in search of support for her outburst. When

business owner. In this case, Estrin knew that wasn’t a good

the designer tried to diplomatically explain what she heard

idea. “This kind of person wants me to go online and start a

the worker saying, “She said it was like there was a switch that

debate with her because that’s what she’s all about,” she says.

went off in the woman’s eyes,” Estrin says. “It was like, ‘You are

“There are times when responding, instead of helping, is going

no longer on my team because you didn’t agree with me.’”

to start something that increases the problem.” This behavior

After several attempts to find balance and common ground to continue a productive relationship, the staff designer no longer felt comfortable working with the customer and sent

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is often referred to as trolling, and it happens when a person tries to negatively engage people online with the purpose of generating an emotional reaction, gaining attention or helping them fulfill a personal agenda.

The Solution

behavior feels like it’s coming from a troll rather than just

There are a few steps in addition to the ones Estrin took that

someone who was aggrieved by a certain circumstance, you’re

are available to business owners. “To the extent that there’s an

probably better off ignoring it or attempting legal recourse.

individual being personally attacked, there might be a claim for defamation,” says David Adler, principal attorney at Adler Law Group in Chicago, which has worked with interior designers and other creative entrepreneurs across the country for nearly 20 years. In the case of what happened at The Whole 9 Yards, “The fact that there was an existing relationship prior to this person’s post colors the context. I could envision a plaintiff’s lawyer arguing that the intent was to damage the professional reputation and business relationships of the designer.”

To try and prevent negative reviews in the future, Estrin now has a sign in the front of her store that makes a request of customers. “If you’ve been very happy with our services we would love to read about it online. If we mis-stepped in any way, we would like to make it right before you feel compelled to write a negative review.” It lets customers know that The Whole 9 Yards is willing to discuss any problems before the customer feels compelled to vent their anger into the public sphere.

A lawsuit of this kind can require a significant investment, of course, but there is an alternative. “If you see something online and you object to it, you have the right to send a letter to anyone who has aggrieved you and ask them to remove it,” Adler says. You can write that letter yourself, but it’s been his experience that people will take it a lot more seriously if it

SUMMARY OF SOLUTIONS

•

Don’t feed the trolls! If someone is posting about your business for the sole purpose of generating an emotional response or advancing a personal cause or vendetta, don’t engage with them. It will only make things worse.

•

In most other cases, it’s important to respond to the poster and see if you can work out a solution to their problem. If it’s a former client or someone else you know, you can also call or email them. If you apologize and/or remedy the situation, they may be willing to take the post down.

comes from a lawyer. Such a letter shouldn’t outright threaten to sue. “I send letters saying, ‘These are my clients rights and this is how I think you’ve violated those rights and these are the consequences,’” says Adler. “The implied message is that we’d like the person to fix that problem before you have to escalate it. Most of the time that works—assuming the person is reasonable.” Adler’s general advice for social media is this: “Be active, be aware, and when you have something that makes your skin crawl, call your lawyer and talk about a strategy. Don’t feel like you need to give an immediate response. Think about your

• •

Ask the social media or review site to take down the post.

•

Talk to an attorney about sending a letter to the poster or pursuing a defamation suit.

•

Be proactive. Encourage customers to talk to you about a negative experience instead of posting about it online.

•

Monitor posts about your company on social media or review sites so you know when you need to respond to things people are saying about your business.

•

Negative posts can be very hurtful, so it’s normal to feel helpless and angry. Engage in some self-care while you take concrete steps to fix the situation.

answer before you write a post. Some of these things provoke a lot of strong emotions, so put it in context.” Make sure you or someone on your staff regularly checks reviews and posts about your company on social media and review sites. You can’t respond to negative feedback if you don’t know it’s out there. If you do engage the person, craft a post that’s diplomatic, apologetic and constructive. Although it’s understandable to feel upset if someone has attacked your business, responding in anger will only make things worse. “If it’s a client you’ve worked with directly and you have their phone number, you can reach out to them and say, ‘I’m so sorry, can we talk about it?’” Estrin says. If you can fix the person’s problem, or even just apologize, they may think twice about their negative post and take it down. But if the

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INSPIRATION senior living communities

Senior Living Communities

WINDOW TREATMENTS for the AGES BY GAIL GUTSCHE

ave you ever visited a loved one in a nursing home? Those sometimes-dreary places that can look and feel like institutions? Once upon a time, our aging grandparents, parents, neighbors and friends had few choices when it was time to move to new housing and get more assistance with daily living.

Senior living communities, as they are known today, have come a long way in the past 30 years. Designed to look, feel and act like home, communities for aging and differently abled populations offer a smorgasbord of amenities and activities. They also feature practical, safe and well-appointed common areas that include lobbies, lounges, dining rooms, libraries, game rooms, theaters, exercise rooms and more. Not only are aging and disabled populations able to choose from more diverse and upscale living spaces, there are more companies than ever designing custom window treatments that enhance both the safety and beauty of these specialized communities. We spoke with two of them to learn about this business opportunity.

Tab-top stationary panels with tassel tiebacks made by Sunshine Drapery and Interior Design. The designer’s goal was to enhance the architectural design of the arch windows, accentuate their height and allow plenty of natural light to pass into the dining area. Each panel is one width of fabric with blackout lining to eliminate the sun from distorting the pattern of the face fabric. Draperies hang from black Designer Metal medallions by Kirsch. Each panel has a tassel tieback to create a more traditional design while allowing more natural light into the room. Drapery fabric: Trend Fabrics. Pattern: 03671-T. Color: Sky. Tassels: Norbar Fabrics. Pattern: TR108-1. Color: Champagne. Hardware: Kirsch. Pattern: Designer Metals collection. Color: Black.

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Scalloped box-pleat valance with stationary pinch-pleat draperies and tassel tiebacks. Sunshine Drapery and Interior Design sought to create a transitional window treatment with warm natural colors and contrasting accents. The scalloped valance has closed inverted pleats with a scalloped edge, creating a clean- yet traditional design. The draperies are a traditional pinch pleat with a brushed fringe down each leading edge. The tassel tiebacks are a traditional statement as well. Valance and drapery fabric: D.L. Couch. Pattern: Tenor. Color: Quartz. Brushed fringe on draperies: Classic Label. Color: Champagne. Tassels: Norbar Fabrics. Pattern: TR108-1. Color: Champagne. Window Fashion Vision | 65

INSPIRATION senior living communities

WINDOW TREATMENTS for the AGES

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K&H worked with commercial design firm Design Point to select soothing and stylish fabrics for the bedspread, bed scarf, cubicle curtain, valance and faux-wood blind in this rehabilitation and skilled nursing unit. Bedspread fabric: Fabricut Ottoman. Color: White. Bed scarf and cubicle curtain fabric: DL Couch Abundance. Color: Spring. Valance fabric: Robert Allen Silk Road. Color: Pistachio. Faux-wood blind: Lake Forest/ Springs Window Fashions.

Window Fashion Vision | 67

K&H teamed up with commercial design firm Design Services to create a cozy, inviting atmosphere in this elegant lounge. Stationary panels and matching shaped cornice boards in warm burgundy accent the lower windows, while operable pinch-pleat sheers provide privacy. Rod-pocket stationary sheers adorn the upper windows.

KUHNS & HELLER (K&H) CUSTOM WINDOW TREATMENTS, TREXLERTOWN, PA

lounges and lobbies. “The challenge is to make the window

“My mom and I founded the business in 1986. We started

and works with today’s interiors. What I hear from children

in residential and then moved into the commercial market in 2008, when we lost a major portion of our residential market,” says company president Sandy Kuhns. “The senior living market was increasing at that time, so we waded in. The opportunities there are better than in other commercial markets.” Her mom has since passed away, but Sandy, her two brothers and a nephew continue to run the family business. Kuhns does much of the designing and they have their own workroom, but they also use outside designers and workrooms. “Fifteen to 20 percent of our business is in senior living communities,” says Kuhns. “We do six facilities a year on average. It takes a couple of months from order to installation for each job. Most of our work is in Pennsylvania, but we also work in New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, New York and Virginia.” For the most part, K&H designs and installs window treatments in common living areas, including dining rooms, 68 | wf-vision.com | Jan + Feb 2019

treatments attractive to both seniors and their families,” says Kuhns. “Everyone wants a homey, appealing, comfortable space that feels familiar but is still stylish and fashionable is, ‘Hey, this would be a great place for Mom’ and we want Mom to say, ‘This looks like home to me.’” In addition to being stylish, window treatments have to pass rigorous fire code specifications, be easy and safe to operate, and be durable enough to withstand everyday wear and tear for years to come. Facilities typically prefer coverings that are washable. Kuhns finds that simple, tasteful treatments work best. Stationary or operable drapery panels topped by a valance add a decorative aspect. These treatments are familiar to seniors, which is comforting. Calming, neutral colors are popular, as are soft blues. Robert Allen, Fabricut Contract, and Covington Fabric and Design all offer fire-retardant lines that are frequently used by K&H. Shades and blinds are commonly utilized to provide light, sun control and privacy. Faux-wood blinds are popular because there are no cords in which to get entangled, and they can be fire-retardant.

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INSPIRATION senior living communities

WINDOW TREATMENTS for the AGES

SUNSHINE DRAPERY AND INTERIOR DESIGN, MARYLAND HEIGHTS, MO Sunshine Drapery has been in business for 50 years. It entered the senior living market six years ago through auspicious circumstances. A couple who owned a momand-pop window treatment company, which they had built into a lucrative business serving the senior living market, decided to sell. “The woman Googled window treatment companies and Sunshine Drapery popped up,” says Tina Ingrim, project manager of senior living and lead designer for senior living and commercial sales. “They offered to sell us their two large clients and promised to help us train our employees in this work. And that is how we evolved into senior living. One phone call.” Now senior community window treatments account for about 25 percent of the company’s business. The two large senior living clients are lucrative. One has over 100 facilities, most which are located in rural areas, while the other renovates its facilities every fiveSargent to seven years. Nickolas

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“Senior living communities are springing up

instance, encourages them to eat.”

everywhere. More and more of the senior communities are resort-like,” says Ingrim. “If you can move your aging parent out of their home and upgrade the standard of living they are used to, that is a bonus for all of the

Ingrim follows the 60/30/10 rule in most of her designs: 60 percent neutral, 30 percent pop-up color that coordinates with the furniture, and 10 percent accent color or texture. In addition to Fabricut Contract and Robert Allen, she uses fire-retardant fabrics from Avant Garde by Master Fabrics

parties.” She notes that these planned communities offer more than just end-of-life care. Instead, it’s enhanced living with assistance. “Laws are changing rapidly and requiring more amenities,” says Ingrim. “Window treatments have become more important in the overall picture. Residents and their families want it to feel like it’s a second home.” Needs vary depending on the level of senior care. In independent and assisted living, soft, muted, tone-on-tone colors are prominent. “We do a lot of neutral drapery panels, and then add a colorful trim down the leading edge,” says Ingrim. “However, when we work in memory care living spaces, the treatments are more colorful. Colors really matter for people struggling with memory loss. Red draws people in, and, in the dining room, for

and Duralee. She also pays attention to hardware. Once again, simple, clean lines are favored. “I use sleek hardware and simple finials and rods,” says Ingrim. “I like Paris Texas Hardware. They offer a one-inch rod, which is hard to find.” Kuhns and Ingrim agree: Working with senior living communities is a business opportunity that has enriched the bottom line of each of their companies. These residences are literally sprouting up all over the country, in small towns, metropolitan areas and rural settings. Decorative, functional, safe and long-lasting window coverings are key to enriching the physical environment and lives of the residents who live there. z

< OPPOSITE PAGE: Kingston valance with stationary pinch-pleat draperies and tassel tiebacks. The designer’s goal was to create a formal, elegant dining space. The Kingston valance is a full, luxurious valance with the traditional swag appearance. The bells between each swag provide a more current design, while the cascading jabots on each side represent traditionality. A luxurious brushed fringe was applied to the edge of the Kingston for a more dramatic appearance. Stationary pinch-pleat draperies with tassel tiebacks create the appearance of traditional design favored by the community. Made by Sunshine Drapery and Interior Design. Valance and drapery fabric: Trend Fabrics. Pattern: 03671T. Color: Sky. Brushed fringe on draperies: Classic Label. Color: Champagne. Tassels: Norbar Fabrics. Pattern: TR108-1. Color: Champagne.

˅ BELOW: Muted colors provide a cheerful environment in the fifth floor lobby of this senior living facility. Operable horizontal sheer shades feature veins that tilt open for light and a view and close for privacy. Shaped box-pleated valances add a homey feeling. Shades: Comfortex. Color: Shangri-La. Fabric: Maxwell, Finish Line Fabric. Color: Cabernet.

Window Fashion Vision | 71

Focus DESIGN ART ROD-ENDERS Rod-Enders are elegant, smaller finials designed especially for tight corners or small spaces. 18 styles are offered in several lengths ranging from 1” to 3-5/8” lengths. All are available in 58 hand-painted Décor Finishes. 14 styles are available with our Dual Finish System with 11 Accent Finishes. sales@designartbyorion.com www.designartbyorion.com 877.476.6278

Ona Drapery Hardware Company is your source for custom made drapery hardware. From contemporary to traditional, we offer an extensive selection of styles and finishes. We manufacture every rod set to order using only premium heavy gauge steel, wrought iron, crystal and more. Custom curving is available for all rod profiles. Be sure to look at our new Acrylic Rods, Art Glass finials and Polished Chrome finishes in addition to our popular French Rods and ONAVERSE™ Iron Cord Traverse Rods. We pride ourselves on quality workmanship, timely delivery and customer satisfaction. Select Ona Drapery Hardware and order with confidence. For a free catalog please call 800/231-4025 or visit our website at www.onadrapery.com.

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Uni-Soleil new roller clutch are smoother, easy go and much quieter. With complete range of roller collection in the world with USA patent, we can advance your roller blind to high end class. The standard colors are in white, black, ivory, grey and brown. We offer full solution in window blind industry. Please contact Uni-Soleil for further information. sales@uni-soleil.com.tw or visit www.uni-soleil.com.tw

Surewin provides quality products at competitive pricing from our Florida warehouse. Custom sourcing available. Plastic bead chain in rolls or continuous loops; numerous colors in all lengths, nickel plated and stainless chain in rolls and continuous loops in all lengths, stop balls, connectors, safety devices, c-clips, alligator clips, tassels, lift cord, vertical components, cord locks, and the easy-to-fabricate, low-profile Sure-Lift® Roman Headrail System for shades up to 50 lbs. Get our new catalog! Contact: Surewin@optonline.net, tel: 239/3623342, fax: 239/362-1383

Please visit our Booth # 613 and discover the best in Drapery Hardware all Made in USA!

ORION

Iron Drapery Hardware

ORNAMENTAL IRON, INC.

Hand-finished by our artisans in California

Whatever you’re looking for in iron drapery hardware, Orion offers all that - and more! From finials, rods and brackets, to rings, batons and tiebacks, Orion has the hardware and accessories to complete your drapery designs. Every order is made to your specifications right here in the USA. Each one, a custom piece of art for your customers.

sales@ironartbyorion.com | www.ironartbyorion.com | 877.476.6278

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COMING UP in our next issue

In Our Next Issue…

In the March/April issue of Window Fashion VISION, we take you into the fascinating (and profitable) world of motorized window coverings. Learn what’s new with voice activation, what you need to know about installing motorized treatments and what the future of automation holds.

Color expert JoAnne Lenart-Weary will provide some best practices of staging or accessorizing a beautiful interior.

Get decorating and business tips from Maryland-based

interior designer Lorna Gross (who was responsible for pulling together the stunning room pictured). She will also provide some insight into current window fashion trends.

Plus: Get all of the details you need to make your

International Window Coverings Expo experience productive and enjoyable!

74 74 | wf-vision.com | Jan + Feb 2019 | wf-vision.com | Jan + Feb 2019

Window Fashion Vision | 75

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76 | wf-vision.com | Jan + Feb 2019

döfix No Sew, Inc. • 1947 Ironway Dr • Sanford, MI 48657 • Tel 800-962-8983; 989-687-7999 • www.dofix.com

Window Fashion VISION January + February 2019

Articles inside

Senior Living Communities: Window Treatments for the Ages

The Business of Sustainability

Getting to Know Genevieve

Your Sales Breakpoint Tells You How to Grow

Get Friendly with Social Media

Protecting Your Biggest Asset

7 Keys to a More Profitable Interior Design Business

Grace Note

My Big Fat Business Lesson