Since 2010, Ladue’s Savvy Surrounding Style has been providing St. Louis with all things home: from gorgeous couches to lively holiday décor to dynamic artwork. The store has also been a full-service design firm since its inception, working with clients to help create their dream spaces.
In 2018, though, Savvy is honing its focus on its design services. The Savvy team is currently in the process of completely updating and remodeling the showroom, and the new and improved space will be unveiled in mid-May.
Savvy owner Diane Fogerty is excited for what this revamped effort will be able to bring to the area. She notes that since Savvy added commercial design last year, its design services have really taken off, which led the Savvy team to dial back on the retail end and emphasize another aspect.
“We’ve revamped our showroom with new lines that aren’t generally available anywhere else in St. Louis,” Fogerty says. “We’re going to have a lot more product that will enhance the experience. We offer very unique pieces to enhance our customers’ homes. Sometimes that key element is all you need to complete a project.”
The new and improved Savvy will feature a brand-new design library and facility where Savvy designers will be able to interact with their clients and to present design plans, including renderings and 3-D models to help with visualization.
“The updated studio will make the process easier for our clients through the selection and decision-making process,” she says.
When customers step through the doors of the remodeled space, Fogerty hopes they’ll be inspired by the atmosphere it provides. She’s traveled all over the country seeking the best pieces for the new showroom and is enthusiastic about what she’s found.
“Our first goal for this new space is to bring new looks to the St. Louis marketplace, which is why I traveled so much looking for lines of furniture and accessories,” Fogerty says. “When you visit the West and East coasts and realize there’s so much out there that isn’t readily available [in St. Louis], we’re looking to bring the newer trends to this area.”
She notes the incorporation of metallics and faux hides in Savvy’s new pieces, along with “great pieces for mantels and bookcases, coffee tables and exciting new lighting.” Fogerty even found a light fixture made out of feathers in Las Vegas.
“The use of color right now in design is exciting to me,” she says. “It used to be the neutrals weren’t very interesting. You had your beige, your ivory … Now there [are] so many new neutrals, like navy and even metallic.”
She’s seeing this resurgence of color on ceilings, in patterns and in wallpaper – which she notes is making a huge comeback.
“It’s unbelievable what you can do with wallpaper,” she says.
Fogerty also notes the importance of lighting, saying it’s “not just a function, it’s a design element.”
“There are so many ways to enhance a room by lighting it correctly,” she adds.
When it comes to overall style and themes, Fogerty says the trend of mixing styles has become a revolution.
“Not everything has to be the same style,” she says. “Choose pieces you love, and put them together. You don’t have to fit in a box.”
To celebrate the store’s reopening, Fogerty and her team are planning on hosting a grand opening event, along with an invite-only open for past clients.
“We’re so excited about the opening,” she says. “Everyone wants to update their look in spring and summer and dust everything off. It’s a great time for us to be reopening.”
Savvy will be taking walk-ins for design services from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Wednesdays and Fridays and by appointment the other days of the week. The team features three full-time designers, two full-time projects managers, a design assistant and a full-time manager and accountant. Fogerty also hopes to hire an intern this summer, too, citing that she likes to work with up-and-comers in St. Louis’ design community.
When it comes to design services, Fogerty says Savvy is able to stand out because it doesn’t have a “look.”
“Our look is our clients’ look,” she says. “A lot of firms have a specific look, but ours is whatever the client wants it to be. At the end of the day, someone else is going to enjoy it, so we want it to be what [he or she] is looking for. You just have to help them find it.”
This story was originally published at laduenews.com. Read it on LN’s website here.
Robyn Elizabeth Dexter 