WHEN FLOOR & DECOR LAUNCHED IN Dallas two decades ago, it was the brand’s fourth store to open in the country. Today, Floor & Decor has more than 100 stores around the country; seven of the stores are in the Dallas area. This summer the first design studio concept will open in Dallas.
“It is going to be marvelous, a contemporary and inspirational space where people can have access to our wide array of products, amazing technology and professional design direction,” says Kristin Nutter, design studio manager at Floor & Decor. The new space will offer a smaller, more intimate experience than at the warehouse stores. The Design Studio will be 12,000 square feet, compared with the average 76,000-square-foot warehouse stores, and it will include vignettes full of style, the latest visualizing technology and interactive accessories. “Customers can see how everything works together,” says Nutter, who notes that one of the benefits of being part of the Floor & Decor family is that belonging to a national brand provides access to a powerful network of support and products.
When the pandemic swept the country, Floor & Decor quickly created a virtual experience so that its team could continue working with contractors, builders and clients who had projects in the works. Nutter shares that keeping connected with clients during the crisis was important to Floor & Decor so it quickly developed systems and trained employees. “Our IT department created a seamless experience that allowed clients to continue working on projects,” she says. Clients can now easily link to meetings, FaceTime with designers and continue working on design boards to lay out projects. Nutter notes that a client whose shower was leaking was able to have her problem solved quickly thanks to the new technology. “It was amazing to be able to help customers remotely. We even had a virtual meeting to help out a customer in Colorado,” she says.
Nutter is not surprised that Dallas was selected to be the location to debut the Floor & Decor Design Studio because of its large design community. Current trends she sees in the market include wider and longer hardwoods, lighter colors and giant-format tiles. “It used to be that 12 by 24 inches was considered a wide tile. We started seeing 24-by-48 and even 48-by-48-inch tiles, and now we’re seeing 72 by 72—that is almost creating a slab,” says Nutter, who also sees clients gravitating to warmer tones or white and gray. In terms of vanities, Nutter sees lots of pops of color, especially blue, as well as gold hardware and metallic accents.
Learning about design trends will be just one of the benefits of the Design Studio, where you can see fabulous products curated in vignettes. Nutter appreciates that it can be overwhelming to know where to begin when thinking about a project and gives the following tips:
- Look to spark ideas online at sites like Pinterest and Houzz. A great source of inspiration is the Floor & Decor blog, which features Real People, Real Projects®.
- Identify colors and styles you love to narrow down your search. Share your preferences with your designer so they can pull specific products for you.
- Talk with contractors to understand their capabilities and restrictions. That way your designer can understand your specific project parameters.
- Having a budget is helpful. If you fall in love with something more expensive, however, financing is available.
Nutter says that Floor & Decor has taken safety precautions during the pandemic that include plexiglass barriers, disinfecting high-traffic areas and surfaces, and encouraging customers to wear face masks, and it will keep social distancing protocols in the new Design Studio.
While the new space will personalize the client experience, customers will still enjoy the everyday low prices and unmatched selection that Floor & Decor prides itself upon.
Stacey Marcus is a Boston-based freelance lifestyle, luxury and travel writer. Her works have appeared in Art New England, Boston, Boston Common Magazine, Coastal Design Magazine, Charleston Style & Design, Modern Luxury Chicago, Ocean Home Magazine, Playboy.com, RD.com and many others. A lover of big words and little white dogs, Stacey’s biggest joys are found in life’s simple moments.
