by Design remained high and dry during the heavy rains and flooding the week of August 11. On Monday, the store was inaccessible during the morning as authorities closed 86th St. between Swanson and University. The creek behind the store was well out of it’s banks and flooded the street at the bridge over the creek. Here are some pictures and video of the area behind by Design. Everywhere you see water is normally dry.

We’re extending this July event through August 15th and I’ve been trying to think of a way to elegantly phrase this.  You know, without sounding like a radio announcer talking about the Saturday drag races.  July 46th – what do you think?

We’re very excited to announce a special factory-authorized sale event in July! (oops) through early August!  We try to offer the best values possible every day at by Design.  But, when our top vendor helps out by throwing an extra discount into the pot it really helps.  This means that now is a great time to begin the conversation with one of our talented designers.  Or, maybe you’ve been working on your room for some time — this is an opportunity to take the next step in your design plan — and save a buck while you’re at it!

Special savings include these categories:

all fabric sofas, sectionals, chairs, recliners, ottomans, etc.

Tousley sectional in fabric

all leather sofas sectionals, chairs, recliners, ottomans, etc.

Beckett chair & ottoman in leather

dining tables and chairs

Glass top Criss Cross dining table & contemporary chairs

contemporary, transitional and traditional designs

The design styles available run the gamut from contemporary through transitional all the way to traditional.  Of course, they style of the fabric that we tailor your custom-made furniture in makes all of the difference in the world.  One of our favorite design techniques is to use a contemporary fabric on a traditional frame (or vice-versa!) creating a sense of surprise and a touch of unpredictability.  The styles available for this event are nearly limitless.

Sofas, sectionals, chairs, dining tables and chairs… these pieces are the functional, foundational elements of your room.  Beginning with these pieces then adding in the finishing elements makes so much sense.  Especially when you can do it right now and save money!  Our design process is a dialog, a conversation.  We need a bit of time to get to know you and understand what makes a perfect room for you.  So, the sooner you can come in, the sooner we canget to know each other.

Do you want more information from one of our designers?  Click here to send an email.

Ready to begin a conversation about your perfect room? Click here to request an appointment.

Would you like to receive our email newsletters, trend reports and pre-event notifications?  Click here to sign up.

To market – to market – to buy a…

click on any of the images below to see enlarged versions and a gallery

by Design’s Back Room Clearance Sale …

is a great opportunity for you to save on some terrific pieces.  Friday and Saturday (May 7th & 8th) and Friday and Saturday (May 14th and 15th) by Design is hosting a Back Room Sale.   Below are a couple of photos of the back room right now.  You’ll see leather and fabric, sofas, chairs, ottomans, sectionals, bedroom furniture, dining furniture as well as some accessories and wall art.

These are all stylish items — items that we carefully chose for our floor and that you’ll be proud of in your home.  Okay… everyone makes mistakes.  But these pieces are not our mistakes.  We simply need to move them out to make room for the great new merchandise we’ve ordered at the Spring High Point market.

And, there are some items in here from our Omaha store.  Closing that store has left us with excess inventory.  But, this is to your advantage… we just want to find it a good home.  It just needs to be loved by a stylish person.

If you need to re-work a room in your home, start with an item or two from our Back Room sale and build your design around it for great savings.  Please come in Friday or Saturday for these great savings!

The Four Hands showroom in High Point

Many of our customers are curious about the big Furniture Market in High Point, NC every April and October.  But, we struggle to explain this unique event.  It is a very unique event.  Hundreds of buildings, some built for market and others converted from another use, vie for your attention.  Thousands of vendors create what they hope to be compelling displays.

Lighting adds drama to upholstery

Frankly, the displays range from the sublime to the ridiculous.  You see exciting new designs and colors and staggeringly boring products that have been on the market forever.  Its a hoot.

Here are a few images from the Four Hands market space this year.  We’ve had some incredibly unique items on our floor from Four Hands: leather steamer trunks, polished steel desks w/leather strapping, aged looking shelves and accent furniture, unusual lamps, cool leather dining chairs, and dining tables hewed from grainy, gnarly chunks of wood.  It is a very cool line, and their product aesthetic is reflected in the design of their market space.

The definition of eclectic style.

What does all of this mean to our customers in Des Moines and Central Iowa?  Style.  Attitude.  Furniture and accessories that help you create a room that expresses your unique personality and sense of design.  These are the kinds of unique pieces that help you tell your story.

Spring 2010 Design Trends

April is an exciting time in the furniture and interior design industries.  The largest furniture show in the world takes place in High Point, North Carolina beginning Saturday April 17th.  We’ll be there to find new and exciting designs and products for our store and our customers.

Click on any image below to see a gallery of a few of the thousands of items we expect to see:

After the market we will be posting many more images of exciting new finds.  Please sign up for our email list to receive notification of this and other furniture and accessory news for Des Moines and Central Iowa!

Iowa State University College of Design

Being one of several Iowa State graduates at by Design, I am proud to share Iowa State University’s recognition as being the recipient of USGBC’s 2009 Excellence in Green Building Education Award.  The United States Green Building Council is a non-profit organization leading and promoting green building throughout all design communities.  For more information please see attached link.

Iowa State wins Green Design Education Award.

After returning home from an intelligence mission in Afghanistan, Christian discovered that he had developed Lou Gehrig’s disease.  This devastating neuro-degenerative  disease would change his life as well as the life of his family.

Candice was asked to help create a bedroom for Christian and Karin that can accommodate an elevator among other assistance devices while remaining a comfortable space that will become the new ‘heart of the home’.  Keeping the flow of the room unobstructed was important for Christian’s wheel chair so Candice designed furniture and seating for the rest of the family that was small in scale and could be tucked away.

For furniture selections, Candice used an Otis chair upholstered in chocolaty brown velvet in the corner that can be easily brought closer to the bed for visitors. She also incorporated two Pablo cube ottomans in cream ultra suede that can be tucked under the console by the door when not in use. The result is a beautiful new master bedroom fit for a hero and his family.  All of the furniture items are part of the Candice Olson Collection available exclusively in Des Moines at by Design Furniture & Design.

Episode 1501

HGTV Airdate:   November 29, 2009

2:30 pm e/p

Check your local listings

• Otis 784-30 chair in fabric 1M0619
• Pablo 569-10 ottomans in fabric 342812

Read more on Candice Olson.

On November 21st, by Design hosted a wedding reception for Kevin and Bonita’s daughter Brooke. To accommodate the nearly 300 guests we moved almost every piece of furniture off our main sales floor. Here are some pictures showing the process from near the beginning to during the reception.