We all know shopping for furniture and planning a room can be a daunting task. Before the fun of picking colors and fabrics begins, things like room shape and size, furniture placement, uses for the room, ages of people using the room, budget, and future needs must be considered. 
Did I say, "future needs?" YES! Maybe you have a baby at home and want something that is friendly for young children now, but anticipate upgrading in the next 4-5 years when the child enters kindergarten. (I recently had this discussion with one of my clients.) Why is this important to mention? For one thing, it helps the designer understand that you probably aren't looking for higher end (and difficult maintenance) upholstery, but something that will work for everyday and be easy to clean. Maybe you need a home office suite for an at-home business, but would one day like to use the room as a nursery. The office pieces would need to be easily placed within other spaces later while still remaining functional. "Where?" you say. Well, that's where a good designer can help you plan.
I find that clients often arrive in the store after having visited numerous furniture stores and online sites. We understand that Norwood Furniture may just appear to be like any other furniture store on their list, but there are several things that set us apart. One in particular, our Homeplan Service, is where the magic begins and a designer's skills can truly shine. The Homeplan Design Service is complimentary to any and all Norwood customers. Big or small, we can help you with any project. Clients that use phrases like "I don't know where to begin," or "I have no idea what will fit in my room" are the ones most frequently drawn to this level of service.
I've written a summary for those interested in learning more about the how the Homeplan Design Service works. After a brief store tour at the showroom and discussion of the client's needs and budget, the designer schedules a visit to the client's home. In the meantime, the client is asked to look for some pictures in magazines of pieces or rooms they like to show to the designer during the home visit. This is called the "homework assignment." Pictures from web sites work as well.
Once the designer is in the home, she will measure the space, take digital pictures, and discuss any pieces that might remain in the space. The home visit allows the designer to see the room in person in order to discover hidden potential which might not have been visible through the sketching process in the store. A more in depth discussion regarding the client's ideas, needs, tastes, and budget will occur in the home. The goal of the designer is to create the look the client wants while remaining under budget, so clients are made aware of realistic costs if unsure what to expect. An appointment is scheduled for the presentation of the Homeplan design, preferably within the next week. All decision-making persons should be at the store tour, home visit and presentation in order to keep everyone on the same page with budget and furniture selections.
A return trip to the store for the presentation is the only obligation on the part of the client--you must come back in to see what exciting things we've put together! Accessories, art, pictures, rugs, upholstery, occassional, or other case pieces will be presented in order to give you a complete look. If window treatments and/or bedding are being considered, they may be presented at the same time. The presentation shows you THE PLAN. The goal is to complete the room with the look you want and the plan lays out all of the pieces so you can buy all at once or in several phases. It gives you a guideline for purchasing now and in the future. I have had several clients that bought the larger pieces in the beginning and have purchased the remaining pieces in several phases.
What are the benefits of the Homeplan Design Service?
* You can avoid costly mistakes.
* You can work toward a plan for a room instead of buying piece by piece and hoping it works together.
* Pieces can be bought in phases as the budget allows.
* FREE design services from certified interior designers at Norwood.
* A custom look that none of your neighbors or friends will have.
* Saves time and money--you don't have to drive around to multiple stores looking through thousands of items for your room.
* It's fun--you get to see elements of your room put together before the purchase.
* Your designer can recommend everything you need--furniture, paint colors, window treatments, lighting, accessories and bedding to give you a truly personalized and well-coordinated look.
Below I've included pictures of a Homeplan Roxanne and I completed in October 2008 in Chandler:
The living room was completely furnished and accessorized with pieces from Norwood. The window treatments were designed by our store's drapery designers, Sherri Murphy. The client gave us a few inspiration pictures to draw ideas from and we went from there.
This detail shot of the draperies shows the black lace overlay on red sheers. Due to the close proximity of the dining room to the living room, we decided to pull the red, gold, and black tones into the dining room as well. The cascaded window treatment is black with a subtle gold design. It also has a gold "peak through" on that perfectly frames their window. For the chairs, we decided to recover them in a red and gold damask pattern to complete the look.
If you would like to take advantage of the complimentary homeplan design service, give me a call or shoot me an e-mail. 480-892-0174 or ShastaI@norwoodfurniture.com I'd love to help you get the room you want!
Shasta Ireland 
Norwood Furniture
