Settle down, friends, for I have a story about a genius design service and a mini makeover for my bedroom. It’s a love story, and there’s a happy ending, I promise. A couple of months ago, a very lovely lady from Hamlet reached out to me and asked me to try their home decor service. Best request ever. Turns out, Hamlet is a home decor service whereby you, wait for it, TEXT a stylist, and work with them directly over the phone! (Shout outs to my stylist, Adele, who was so sweet!). Although Hamlet did not expect nor request a blog post (just to be completely transparent), I love the concept and the service so much I knew I had to share it with you!
*Sample conversation.
How the process works: You text Hamlet at 646-586-2260. One of their stylists will respond to you within a few minutes. In the simplest terms, you tell them your home decor dilemma, and they resolve it with you over text by providing solutions that fit your budget. (That’s an important point for me, because when I think of working with any kind of stylist, I think piles o’ cash, which I do not currently possess. Let’s be real, right?) Your Hamlet stylist will work with you until you’ve found the perfect piece and then send you a link via email to purchase your item. Once you’ve purchased it, Hamlet takes care of shipping, handling and tracking your package. Genius, right??
But, Naushin, you ask, how is this different from shopping online myself? Well, with Hamlet you’re collaborating with a personal stylist – a professional with the eye, the experience, and the exposure to all sorts of designers and products from across the globe. That’s pretty priceless, considering it doesn’t cost you anything (other than standard texting rates!), and when you’ve got someone making great recommendations to you, it narrows your job down to simply saying yes, no, or let’s try something else. That’s winning, my friends.
When I worked with my stylist, Adele, I decided my living room needed sprucing up in the form of indigo accents. Adele suggested throw pillows, which eventually led to the beautiful hand-dyed, Shibori throw pillow covers from IndigoWares in the UK. Once I received them, I quickly realized they were far too pretty to be trampled upon by the crowds of neighborhood children constantly in and out of our living room, so I decided to hoard display them upstairs in our bedroom. At the moment, our bedroom consists of a rug and a mattress on the floor. We call it Minimalist California Vibes haha. Minimalist because, well, look at the Before. California Vibes because those indigo pillow covers are just the right Bohemian touch, and look at what they inspired… a mini bedroom makeover!
So beautiful, right? The indigo pops so perfectly against the white, and I happen to love that these pillows are one-of-a-kind.
Read on for a 10% discount off your first Hamlet order PLUS you can shop my entire bedroom mini-makeover at the end of this post.
Given all this goodness and my excellent experience with them, I reached out to co-founder Britt Caputo and asked her to share some of her thoughts on how Hamlet started. Read on for an exclusive code for 10% off your first Hamlet purchase!
1. Tell me a little about Hamlet and what prompted you to create the service.
Yes! Our inspiration is the friend you look to for advice on a particular topic. Most of us have the friend we ask for restaurant recommendations, or travel tips, or deals. We want to be that friend for any and all things decor — where to find the best local flea market, which dining chairs would pair with your table, or where to find that elusive ottoman you found in a Pinterest image. Our vision is to make decor accessible, easy, and fun. To make the experience as convenient as possible, you can buy items you like directly through us (but the service itself is free to use!).
2. Who is your target audience for the service?
Our customers tend to have a lot of style, without a lot of time to devote to the hunt. For them, we offer a convenient — and we hope fun! — alternative to plowing through the web for endless options, from something super considered like a sofa to a quick update like bed sheets. We help bridge the gap between Pinterest inspo and apartment reality, whether you’re starting from scratch or just putting on the finishing touches (aka when you finally get around to putting some art above your sofa!) or looking for an easy upgrade on your tabletop. That said, we always love chatting with fellow decor junkies — sometimes decorators even pass on some requests to us!
3. How do you vet the suppliers you work with? Do you have an existing roster of great designers? How do you find the people and products you work with and refer to your clients?
We’re always on the hunt for the best stuff. Mostly our buyers scour trade shows and design blogs to continue building relationships with new, core vendors. We love our current list, but it’s always growing so we can stay current! If you’re a vendor and you want in, let’s chat!
4. How important is it for you to work with independent designers and sustainable products? Is this part of your philosophy?
Our priority is recommending whatever we think is best for our customer. Sometimes that means the best price, sometimes that means the fastest lead time, and sometimes that means a unique or local piece. We love working with smaller scale artisans where possible — especially since we see ourselves as a small business too!
5. What are your current favourite interior design trends? Who are your current favourite Hamlet designers?
Our Stylists and merchandising team are actually full-time, in-house — and they’re amazing! Collectively, they have experience from Design Within Reach, Elle Decor, House Beautiful, One Kings Lane, Schumacher and more. Right now we’re really into anything and everything marble (paper, mâché, ceramics…you name it!). We’re also super excited about the line of “Hamlet” branded sofas we’re developing with a factory in North Carolina. The styles represent what we heard our customers need — and the prices are awesome because we’re developing them directly. Text us (646-586-2260) for more info on those… 🙂
6. Are there any design tips or ideas that you’d like to share with readers who aren’t sure where to start designing their spaces?
Start with a rug! That changes everything (for the better!). Don’t feel like you have to replace everything at once — it’s a process (and we’re here to help along the way!).
7. And lastly, is there an offer code my readers / first time Hamlet clients could take advantage of?
Yes! Mention SOFRESHSOCHIC10 for 10% off your first purchase, valid through September 1, 2016. (Huzzah! Thank you, Britt!)
Follow Hamlet on Instagram @hamlet_home, or text them at 646-586-2260 to get started.
Happy designing!
SHOP THIS POST
what a great idea! I can totally see myself availing myself of this service. Thanks for telling us about it!
That’s amazing! I can’t wait to see how they help you! Don’t forget the discount code for 10% off! 🙂