60 | Business World Magazine |
April 2014
“Our business allows you to be in busi-
ness for yourself, but not by yourself.”
The company was founded in 1969 by an
Indianapolis-based fabric salesman whose
goal was to provide affordable custom win-
dow treatments directly to homeowners, a
niche he believed was not being filled in the
marketplace. Bugg’s parents – his mother
was an interior designer and his father had
a background in real-estate franchising with
Century 21 – purchased the business in
1984.
Bugg joined the company out of college
and helped evolve the endeavor from a shop-
at-home window treatment business to more
of a full-service interior decorating opera-
tion. Expansion into carpeting, area rugs and
wallpaper was the first move in that direc-
tion. Furniture and accessories were added a
few years later – and now make up 35 per-
cent of the overall product mix.
Also playing a large part: The tidal wave
of design shows on cable television.
“Throughout the ’90s and from 2000
on, the interest by the masses in home fur-
nishings and decoration has been incred-
ible, and a lot of that was certainly sparked
by HGTV and the decorating magazines,”
Bugg said. “Decorating, prior to that, was
believed to be something accessible only to
the very, very elite and wealthy. My mother
always believed – in her own business before
we joined the company – that interior design
is a service, and being a service, it should be
made affordable to those that desire that ser-
vice, and not just for the top 3 percent of the
income bracket.”
Decorating Den’s corporate model is sup-
ported by agreements it’s entered into with
national brand-name vendors, from whom
individual franchisees can buy products di-
rectly at a company negotiated wholesale
price. The franchisees are able to sell the
products to clients at a competitive retail
price and able to maintain a profit margin
without the need for showrooms or other as-
sociated overhead costs.
Among those vendors is Chino, Calif.-based
Darafeev Fine Furniture, a company whose
beginnings trace back to its founder, Mikhail
Darafeev, building furniture in his garage in
the late 1950s.
“Our flexback chairs and stools are quickly
setting new standards in comfort,” said Paul
Darafeev, the company’s owner. “Our dealers
often share their client’s comments like ‘This
is the most comfortable chair I have ever sat
in.’”
Design services are complimentary as
part of the individual client projects, which
