Arriving in South Florida
For the longest time, well since early 2000s, I wanted to head where the interior designers shop in south Florida. My husband Jim and I went on an impromptu trip to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, which is about four hours away. The primary purpose for our visit was to explore the Design Center of the Americas located in Dania Beach, Florida. Our first stop though was Fort Lauderdale which is known as the Venice of the Americas with its many canals. Our first night there, we took a stroll down to ride the Water Taxi and took a leisurely boat ride for the evening. We learned about the neighborhood and who owned which home and which yacht. It was a cool breezy evening and the lovely owners along the way waved to us in a friendly manner as they, too, were enjoying the evening.
Visiting DCOTA (Design Center of the Americas)
The highlight of our trip was on the second day though when we headed a bit further south. Have you ever wondered where interior designers shop for fabric, art, furniture, etc. for their beautiful creations? For many years, prior to my attending Seminole State College to learn about interior design, I spent a lot of time reading Architectural Digest and Florida Design magazines. A good majority of the articles in these two publications referenced DCOTA, the Design Center of the Americas, as the source for the objects d’art, fabrics and materials found in the magazines’ beautiful designs.
Map of DCOTA to Help Designers Shop
Things We Saw Inside while Exploring DCOTA
It was fascinating roaming around inside the DCOTAs. We saw many interior designers partnered with their clients shopping. Additionally, we saw many interior design products including art, furniture, cabinets, rugs. You name it; it was there… everything perfect to decorate your home interior: Gilded furniture, custom covered furniture, off-the-chain lighting, specialty fabrics, wall art.
About DCOTA
DCOTA has been in Fort Lauderdale (Dania) for about 30 years. The building complex has four floors, two of which are design store fronts. The remaining floors are either vacant or leased as office space. The fall of the economy left many companies no choice but to close. Even with what remains, the interior design of this building complex is stellar. I especially love the Brazilian tigerwood. Here is an amazing photo of this wood.
Designers Shop for Kitchen Cabinets in DCOTA
There were two stores in particular that caught my attention: Eggersmann USA and PPM Collections. Eggersmann, which origins in Germany, had fabulous kitchen cabinets as well as closet configurations. Eggersmann kitchen cabinets are unique in that the cupboard doors open like mini garage doors, a very cool concept. I’m sure this reduces the damage of running into the corners of cabinet doors with your head and prevents many injuries because the cabinet doors are above you. Eggersmann’s work is all custom; you select the finishes desired for your project. Aren’t they just stunning?
Designers Shop for Lighting Options in DCOTA
PPM Collections had a vast array of luminaries (lighting), furniture and accessories. The David Trubridge Lighting Collection captivated my attention. I briefly spoke to Corey Williams at PPM Collections. He was very helpful and provided literature so that I could learn more about David Trubridge’s lighting collection. Of Mr. Trubridge’s collection, Nikau is my favorite. Here is an excerpt from Mr. Trubridge’s web page so that you can learn more about this interesting luminary (light).
“Nikau (2005/2013) is the only indigenous palm tree in New Zealand, named apparently because unlike the coconut palm familiar to Polynesians, it has no nuts. The fronds from the palm were traditionally used for thatching and weaving. It has a large bulb at the top of its trunk and its leaves overlap in the criss-cross patterns which inspired this light.”
I hope you are now up to speed in where designers shop. This, of course, is one of many options. DCOTA is a fabulous place to take a client as you can get a real feel for the products used in home interiors. We certainly enjoyed roaming through DCOTA and hope to soon return to south Florida to have another amazing adventure.