Flash sales giant Gilt Groupe has acquired home decor site Decorati. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Founded by interior designer Shane Reilly, Decorati launched in 2009 as an online platform for both interior decorators and consumers who are looking for professional design advice and guidance. Decorati essentially aims to democratize the interior design community by bringing the trade industry online.
For example, the site pools furniture manufacturer data online and made it searchable across type, price, and lead time. The site has furniture listings from over 500 manufacturers who typically show only in design center showrooms. And with Decorati’s platform, consumers can shop for these products without needing a professional license, which was previously a barrier in the industry.
Decorati also has a database of over 20,000 designers across the U.S. and allows consumers to search for interior decorators by location and type of design. Consumers can submit a project inquiry to Decorati’s Design Advisors program and Decorati will match them with up to five designers that match the consumer’s style and needs. Decorati received funding from a number of well-known investors including Peter Thiel.
For Gilt, Decorati will turn its home and furniture sales business into a more interactive platform. Gilt says that it will unveil its new Home offering later this year, which will be a mixture of full-price merchandise, one-of-a-kind items and antiques, daily flash sales, community and social tools, and will include a channel specifically for the designer.
Of course, this expansion means that Gilt is going head to head with One Kings Lane, a popular and fast-growing home and interior flash sales site. OneKingsLane is also planning to expand its platform with more design and content features and recently acquired design firm Helicopter.
This isn’t the first channel Gilt has invested heavily in. Gilt’s travel channel, Jetsetter, has become one of the leaders in the luxury travel flash sales space and the company has also been actively building out its men’s clothing and accessories vertical.