Selling art to interior designers will boost your career. Here’s how:
1. Stress-free, quick sales
2. Get paid immediately
3. Curriculum vitae or resume not required
4. Top interior designers are repeat buyers
5. Easy to find and approach
If you are in the business of art, meaning you set about to make money by creating art and selling it, then you should investigate selling art to interior designers.
Let’s look at each reason for selling art to interior designers:
Stress-free, quick sales – It is a different game selling art to interior designers. To begin with, you will find once you have a relationship with a design professional that sales made to them are usually done quickly and easily.
You are going to show them art in your inventory that matches their overall design needs. They will respond with a yes or no on the spot. Sure, there may be some situations where they want the work on spec, or need to show it to a partner, or a client, but most the time, they will decide quickly. You are in and out of the selling process in a short time.
Get paid immediately – This is awesome. The general rule of thumb is you sell the work and collect the payment at the same time. It is possible you will have to wait a short period for payment, but you can usually be on your way to the bank after making the sale. This helps improve your cash flow, and your morale.
Curriculum vitae or resume not required – With designers, it’s all about the work. If it is the right size, palette, subject matter, and price, you have a sale based on those factors, not your artist’s statement, or c.v. Designers are buying within a budget. Your art is just one of dozens or even hundreds of design components that need to be matched and fitted together to create a harmonious overall design scheme. As such, if what you provide fills their needs, they do not get concerned about who made the art. They know good art when they see it and buy regardless of your training, education, or experience.
Top interior designers are repeat buyers – once you establish a relationship with a busy design professional, you can expect to make sales to them repeatedly. This is especially true if they come to trust that you are a reliable source of art for them. The most successful designers are busy people. If they know you can deliver art they need at prices that fit their budget, you can become their “go to” source when new jobs are initiated.
Easy to find and approach – Designers are in the public eye. Many have their own ongoing promotion and publicity programs. A good number of them brand their businesses with their name. Nearly all can be located by looking at the Yellow Pages, Houzz.com, or browsing the Internet. Depending on the size of your metro area, you may have dozens of designers whose offices are just minutes away from your home base. If you are willing to travel, you can find hundreds of new sources for selling art to interior designers.
There are many ways to meet designers. Networking, direct mail, or in some cases, email. However, you will find the quickest method is to contact them directly, by phone, or in person if the situation calls for it.
Who Doesn’t Want to Sell Art to Interior Designers?
If you have read the above with interest, and believe your art is a good fit for the design market, you are a great prospect to read How to Sell Art to Interior Designers. It is a new book written by my good friend, Dick Harrison and me.
It is easy to see from the great interest in previous related posts on how to sell art to interior designers that many readers of this blog want more information on how to get their work into the interior design market. Now you have a new resource to help you get started quickly while avoiding costly pitfalls.
IT’S TIME TO LEARN THE SECRETS TO PROFITABLE SALES IN THE DESIGN MARKET
You will discover easy, effective ways to locate, approach and sell art to interior designers, corporate art consultants, and other residential and commercial design professionals
WHO SHOULD READ THIS BOOK?
Visual artists who create paintings, photography, sculpture, and other fine art who desire ongoing success selling art into the interior design market.
ART SALES POTENTIAL IN THE DESIGN MARKET IS HUGE!
Interior design professionals purchase millions in art sales annually. Whether for single residences or giant commercial projects, they have a constant need to include art in their finished designs.
LEARN HOW TO LOCATE DESIGNERS
Readers will learn low-stress ways to locate and approach designers. You will find easy-to-follow instructions so you know what to say, and what to expect when you make contact.
CLICK HERE to order your copy today!
CREATING WORK FOR THE DESIGN MARKET
Making work that sells well in the design market comes from understanding designers’ needs. You will learn how to gain invaluable insights on what kind of art designer’s need by following the authors’ suggestions for establishing mutually respectful, and profitable relationships with them.
INSIDER TIPS TO PRESENTING YOUR WORK
Selling art to designers is different from selling to galleries and collectors. They usually are quite busy, know what they need, and are quick to decide. You will gain insider knowledge and pick up useful tips on how to become proficient presenting to designers.
PROSPECTING DESIGN CENTERS & CORPORATE ART CONSULTANTS
Knowing how the entire design market works help artists choose the best prospects for their business model. Corporate art consultants often place multiple works in commercial design projects. Design centers have businesses that cater to designers and offer potential wholesale sales opportunities. If you have the desire and can produce the work, you can enjoy success selling your artwork in all these channels.
GET STARTED TODAY! DISCOVER HOW LUCRATIVE THE DESIGN MARKET CAN BE FOR YOU!
Now is the time for you to start successfully and regularly selling your artwork to interior design professionals.
I like the idea of selling art to interior designers. My question is, would this be viable for artists in Ireland and the United Kingdom to sell in this region?
If you are asking whether artists from overseas can sell in the U.S. market, the answer is yes. That said, if you are serious about doing this, I suggest finding representation in the U.S. I don’t know how interior designers operate in Ireland or the U.K., the principles are the same in terms of contacting them. How they make buying decisions is something you would need to research.
Tried to order with penny shipping but the shipping charge was 19.99. What gives? I would like the book if the shipping is a penny. Mary
I am sorry you are having a problem ordering the book. Were you ordering more than one copy? Please clear the shopping cart by clicking on the minus sign (-) in the shopping cart and try again. If you continue to have a problem, I will send you an invoice for $20. Just let me know. Many thanks for your interest in my book.
P.S. The URL you gave for your website is misspelled. Think it should be weebly as opposed to webbly.
Barney
I ordered two books week before last and waiting for them to arrive. One is for my daughter who works in sales at one of the leading art framers on the Qld Gold Coast. She works a lot with interior designers and often tells me what they buy. I’ve sent the information on our book to over 40 artists in my region.
I just got this email about your new book about selling art to interior designers. Among my passions are art and interior design. I have pursued art as a great hobby and worked in an interior design company in New York. Does the book address someone who does not produce art myself but loves it for its own sake?
Joyce
Hi Joyce,
The book is for anyone who wants to make an income selling art to interior design professionals. Dick Harrison, my co-author, worked more than 20 years representing the work of many artists to interior designers in Florida. Although he did carry his own work, under a pseudonym to avoid embarrassing unnecessary conversations when his art was not selected or criticized, I believe he would have had great success without selling his own work. If you are interested in learning a different side of the interior design business, or think you would like to start your own art rep firm, this book is for you even if you do not create your own art.
I am interested in connecting with interior designers in the near future. I am aware that I need to create more work to market to them. If I am presenting a portfolio to an interior designer, at least how many samples of art would you suggest I have readily available for showing?
Good question. There is no set amount. It just needs to look like you produce enough work that lends credibility to your seriousness about your career and to the design market. I would advise have a dozen or more pieces to show.
Sounds great. Thank you Barney.
Ordering is still not smooth. Cant yet complete to paypal.
Sorry you are having a problem. Please try using a different browser. For instance, if you are using Internet Explorer, try Chrome. If you are using Safari, try Firefox or Chrome. If all else fails please let me know, I will email you an invoice for the book. Thanks for your interest.
Can’t wait to read this book! just waiting for the kindle edition as I live in Australia. I have enjoyed your other books Barney and found them very helpful. Thank you.
Barney, as your co-author for this book, these are excellent questions – the answers are in the book. It is a worldwide market. Just google Interior Designers for any country or city in the world and see the number that are listed. I googled “Interior Designers Dubai” and found that major firms with offices in other countries had offices there, tapping into oil rich clients. Designers “follow the money” and with your tips on marketing through the Internet an artist’s market is anywhere. Forbes puts out a list of “most expensive zip codes in the US. Expensive zip codes are where IDs have their offices.
Another positive I found traveling thousands of miles to hundreds of design firms is that these are honest people. In 20+ years I was never “stiffed” my an ID. I sold some IDs art work year after year once they knew what sort of art I carried. One top designer I met when she was just staring out began looking at art sitting at the dining room table in her home, Years later I was still selling her art, meeting in the plush office she had established in the high rent district of Palm Beach. Her assistants sat in and picked art for projects they were working on.
Dick Harrison, (Because I’m caregiver for my wife of 60 years, I’m now a writer. Look in on http://www.lovestoread.info)