Working with a Resource Designer: a Guide to Your First Showroom Visit

Perhaps you’re remodeling your existing home; maybe you’re looking to downsize to a smaller, more manageable space. Or maybe you are an aspiring minimalist looking to live an edited life with a smaller footprint. Whatever your reason for embracing the multifunctional lifestyle, you’ve decided you’re ready to think outside the box and design a home with intention. You’re ready to work with a Resource designer.

Every Resource Furniture showroom is fully staffed with a team of experienced designers, equipped with the tools, skills and knowledge to help you realize the true potential of your space, no matter its size. From your initial showroom visit to installation day, your designer’s goal is to ensure your complete satisfaction through every stage of the process. We know from experience that this goal is best achieved when a designer collaborates closely with you, the client, to pinpoint your needs, preferences and style, and arrive at a solution that’s uniquely suited for your home and way of life.

If you’ve never worked with a designer before, you may be wondering what to expect from your visit, what preliminary questions to ask, or what materials to bring. There are a few things to keep in mind:

First, know that your Resource Furniture visit will be quite different from any other showroom experience you may have had in the past. Unlike other furniture dealers, our process is a highly collaborative and consultative one and it involves a host of professional design and demonstration services. In fact, we often say that furniture demonstrations and showroom tours are necessary in order to truly appreciate the full scope and potential of our products. That’s because our transforming furniture systems are unlike any other — from their patented operating mechanisms, to their highly customizable designs, to their unmatched comfort. Clients benefit from interacting the furniture in person and working one-on-one with our team of experts, who can walk them through the space-planning, customization, and finish selection process.

Second, being that ours is a collaborative process, the more information you can provide to your designer the better. We have the tools and industry experience to match you with the living systems you need — all we need is your input. To that end, we’ve compiled this comprehensive, step-by-step guide to working with your Resource designer, so you can arrive prepared and make the most of your showroom visit:

If you’re reimagining your home with multifunctional furniture, chances are you’ve already given considerable thought to your space needs. You may be looking to optimize square footage and increase storage in an apartment, or you may want to make better use of a rarely-used guest or dining room. Whatever the case, determining precisely what you need your furniture to accomplish before your initial visit will not only help your designer match you with the right products, but will also allow you to develop a roadmap as you move forward with your home redesign.

TIP: Once you’ve assessed your needs, your Resource Furniture experience starts with a phone call or visit to one of our showrooms. For the health and safety of our clients and our staff, our showrooms are open by appointment only so that we may safely stagger visitors. This also helps your designer tailor your showroom tour to your needs and make the most of your valuable time.

1. Remember that with any remodel or move, planning is key. If your intention is to design a multi-functional home, you will need to consider how each space needs to function. Your Resource Furniture designer can help you optimize even the toughest layouts, but the better you can communicate to your designer what you need and want from your space during these early consultative stages, the faster this process will be.

Prepare for your Resource Furniture showroom visit by taking basic measurements and snapping photos of the space you’re looking to furnish (bonus points if you can provide floor plans!) Accurate measurements help your designer give you the best planning advice.

TIP: For design trade professionals, our team offers CAD blocks and a SketchUp library to help you streamline your project. Simply click the “Downloads” tab on any Product page to access the files you need.

Good communication is the key to satisfaction. We encourage our clients to play an active role in the design process—our job is to use our tools and expertise to help you realize the home of your dreams!

TIP: After your initial appointment, your Resource Furniture designer can also provide an in-home consultation to help perfect the final design. Remember, we are here every step of the way to ensure you receive the absolute best in quality and function from your living environment!

Every home redesign starts with inspiration—perhaps a picture in a magazine, a visit to a friend’s newly remodeled home, or a beautifully curated vision board. Look for sources of visual inspiration around you to nail down your personal taste as this will help you narrow down your product selection and fabric/finish search later on. Collect color palettes and photos from sites like Pinterest or Houzz and share these with your designer.

Resource Furniture transforming home solutions are highly customizable and made-to-order, so your designer can use these inspiration samples to identify a look that fits your unique design aesthetic. Furniture systems can be customized to fit the necessary dimensions of the space, and are available in a wide range of fabric and finish options—your Resource designer offers a plethora of choices to meet the needs of any home project.

TIP: Our expert design team will plan your new, multifunctional space around your home’s unique spatial challenges, but for more immediate needs Resource Furniture also offers an array of Quick Ship items ready for delivery in the US, usually within three weeks.

Ready for your visit? Find a showroom nearest you, then call or make an appointment to see how multifunctional furniture systems can completely transform the way you live!