Trade-only showrooms house cutting-edge décor

DEAR DESIGNER: How do designers find the exceptional and cutting-edge fabrics used in casinos and model homes? I shop all over town and rarely seem to run into the upscale and unique things the designers are coming up with. -- Andrea.

DEAR ANDREA: Sometimes unique fabrics and treasures are found in the most surprising places at the most unexpected times. Unfortunately, that's not a reliable way to find that perfect and clever fabric at the very time you need it. In order to complete a job in a timely fashion, designers have their tried and true trade resources. These wonderful resources are called designer and trade showrooms.

Designer showrooms are open to the design trade only and not to the general public. These "trade only" showrooms allow designers to bring their clients in to see the latest products on the market. There are several types of designer showrooms here in Las Vegas.

Many residents are aware of the large World Market Center located near downtown along Interstate 15. Although its primary purpose is to accommodate the furniture markets held twice a year, it also houses the Las Vegas Design Center. The first two floors of each building are open all year for designers to shop and view the latest furniture, rugs, accessories, lighting and art. Designers use this great resource to shop alone and with their clients.

What many residents are not aware of are the smaller designer showrooms around town that keep extensive libraries of the latest fabrics, rugs, wallcoverings, furniture, lighting and art.

In the past, designers paid great overhead costs and spent lots of time managing their own fabric, furniture and wallpaper libraries. Not only was it a great expense to the designer, who had to pass these overhead costs on to clients, but it was a burden to the manufacturers who had to send out numerous representatives to keep all the books up to date. Designer showrooms came as a great relief to designers everywhere. They are like megalibraries that any registered designer can reference.

Area West, managed by Diana Della Iacono, is one of the largest fabric and wallpaper showrooms in town. This designer showroom has been in Las Vegas for seven years. The owner, Leslie Farcy, has been in the design center business for more than 20 years with another showroom located in the Chicago Mart.

One of the benefits of utilizing Area West as a designer resource library, in addition to the thousands and thousands of fabric, trim and wallpaper samples in every price range, is its way of helping designers find the things we are looking for. Designers work hard and when we save time, our clients save money.

Here, designers are always greeted with a smile, a coffee corner and a bowl of candy, which I am rarely able to resist. When asked what I am looking for, I tell them I am looking for a zebra print that has some pink in it, suitable for upholstery. Staff members are not fazed. Well, sometimes they are. They know how to laugh and roll their eyes like we all do, but they take me to their designated display of animal print fabrics and start digging through them right by my side. Then out of nowhere they add, "I'll be right back, I think I remember seeing something like that in another vendor book."

Area West is a terrific resource for designer fabrics, wallpaper, custom rugs, unique furniture and trim.

Another trade showroom designers love to frequent is the Gerrity Group. Jan Gerrity promotes her showroom as a high-end textile, furniture and lighting resource to the trade. Gerrity Group is a helpful place for designers to find unique and wonderful things that impress and dazzle.

Gerrity Group displays several exclusive, custom-furniture lines that are not represented at the World Market Center or other showrooms. It now features local furniture artists, giving interior designers an even greater edge.

Designers make up a powerful purchasing group. It is important to manufacturers that designers be given special access to certain products. Each trade showroom has exclusive rights to certain manufacturers, which makes it completely ideal for several trade showrooms to exist in one city. Access to these tremendous resources is one of the many benefits of working with an interior designer.

Area West and Gerrity Group are only two of the many trade showrooms and resources that designers have at their disposal. To gain access to these spectacular, cutting-edge designer products, call your local interior designer and let her/him show you the wonderful resources that are available around town.

Cindy Payne is a certified interior designer with more than 25 years of experience, as well as a licensed contractor. E-mail questions to her at deardesigner@projectdesigninteriors.com or send them to her at Project Design Interiors, 2620 S. Maryland Parkway, Suite 189, Las Vegas, NV 89109. She can be reached online at www.projectdesigninteriors.com.