More than 30 Calgary companies involved in some facet of the real estate design community met earlier this week to trade business stories and learn more about what each of their firms can offer the Design Association of Calgary, an innovative business group launched five months ago.

The brainchild of interior designer Elizabeth Nandee, the Design Association is an industry alliance. What makes this organization special is the sheer diversity of its membership - and the expressed clarity of its primary focus, business referrals.

"Of course it's about making money," says Elizabeth O'Hearne, an interior designer with Smart Home Systems, a Calgary-based Design Association member company that sells home theatre systems and all aspects of home automation, from lighting to security and computer networking.

Unlike organizations developed along strict professional or product lines, the Design Association was established to bring together a variety of companies involved in some aspect of interior design. Members include flooring companies, specialty retailers, general contractors for residential and corporate construction and renovation, real estate agents, a marketing group and a company that supplies built-in vacuums.

Dave Olecko, Business Edge
Nicole Hargreaves, left, and Elizabeth O'Hearne, with Elizabeth Nandee, front, founder of the Design Association of Calgary, a not-for-profit networking group.

It's all about the desire to grow strong, independent businesses with good connections to other reputable suppliers, explains Nandee, the owner of Basic Black Designs. An interior design firm with offices in Calgary and Miami, Basic Black was incorporated in 2001 before Nandee completed her interior design program at Mount Royal College, where she now teaches in addition to running her own firm.

Established as a not-for-profit organization, the Design Association of Calgary carefully vets businesses prior to approving membership. Members can offer similar products, but must not be in direct competition, notes Nandee. One of the two real estate agents who joined the association in its earliest days, for example, focuses on condominium sales and purchases. The other deals mostly in used homes, making the two memberships compatible with independent business pursuits.

Information from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. (CMHC) shows why real estate agents need to be savvy to interior design. According to the most recent CMHC statistics (2003), "sales of existing homes are a leading indicator for renovation spending.”

CMHC data say Canadian households "generally undertake renovations within the first three years after buying a house."

Using a screening system to handpick Design Association members ensures companies join the association to give as much business as they get. "We're looking at doing referrals. We don't just network," says Nandee, who admits the organization has turned away prospective members because they weren't able to convince membership screeners they wanted to belong for the right reasons. "This is about 'us.' Not just you and if you're not going to give anything, you're not going to get anything."

Nicole Hargreaves of Kensington Floors likens that company's membership in the group to "working with another chain.”

Monthly meetings give her a chance to talk to companies who refer their clients to flooring companies and to educate them about products and price.

As the organization evolves, Hargreaves expects its marketing will educate the public and the construction building industry about Calgary's design community.

O'Hearne agrees. Much of what Smart Home Systems does focuses on technology. But form and function are critical, since the technology needs to work within living spaces that are functional and great-looking. She says some consumers are surprised by the kind of interior design planning demanded by technology upgrades.

Nandee admits the Design Association concept is a first for the city, but she's convinced it will work. A quick look at Nandee's background - and her energy and enthusiasm - shows why Hargreaves predicts the Design Association will succeed.

A 2000 graduate of Calgary's Bishop McNally high school in northeast Calgary, Nandee started taking interior decorating courses before she graduated. When she incorporated her company prior to college graduation, it was to accept an invitation to participate in Calgary's Designer Showcase to benefit the Kids Help Phone, a project she's supported ever since. This past year, her company also participated in Homes for the Holidays 2004, which benefited the same organization.

"The design industry is growing so much, which is really good for us," adds Nandee. Although no one's sure what precipitated rising interest in home interior design, as witnessed by the explosion in television programs, books and adult education seminars, clients definitely understand "it's not just a luxury anymore."

In addition to undertaking complete interior design projects in residential and commercial spaces, Nandee has clients who seek her approval for virtually all home accessory purchases - and others who pay her just to hang pictures. She expects the city's design community will be especially busy in the coming months as Imperial Oil employees move west to Calgary and buy previously owned homes they want to personalize.

Down the road, Nandee envisions the Design Association opening a kind of one-stop shopping interior design boutique to showcase the services of its members. Individual clients could choose where they want to buy goods and services, but would benefit from the chance to work with Design Association members headquartered in the same building.

(Joy Gregory can be reached at joy@businessedge.ca)