Welcome back to the Before You Build podcast! I’m your host, Carrie Barker – aka Caroline On Design – and I am SO excited about today’s episode because I’m sharing my honest DesignShop review with you.
I’ve been wanting to do this episode for a while because these products will be an absolute game-changer for you as you design your custom home.
I’m sharing my honest experience with you – the good, the not-so-good- and whether I think these samples are worth your money.
If you’ve been stressing about choosing materials for your home build, this episode is definitely for you.
This post is NOT sponsored by DesignShop. I paid for all products received, and all opinions are my own.
Affiliate links are used for your shopping convenience. Please read my full disclosure here.
Listen to this episode or read the full transcript below.
Links Mentioned in this Episode:
- DESIGNSHOP™
- SAMPLIZE REVIEW
- BEFORE YOU BUILD℠
- FREE HOME BUILD CLASS
- CUSTOM HOME BUILD START GUIDE (Free!)
Nervous about blowing your budget while building? Grab a seat in my FREE on-demand class, ‘The 3 Most Expensive Home Building Mistakes (And How to Avoid Them!)’.
Below is the full podcast episode transcript:
What Is DesignShop?
Okay, so let me start by explaining what DesignShop is, because you might be hearing about it for the first time.
Possibly you’ve heard me talk about Samplize in the past (Samplize sells premium peel-and-stick paint samples which are made SO well … here’s a link to my full Samplize review).
Well, DesignShop is their sister store. And as soon as I heard about it, I knew I had to try it out.
It’s an online platform where you can order real material samples and have them delivered straight to your door.
We’re talking countertops, flooring, wallpaper, tile, fabrics, cabinet doors, cabinet hardware … all the things.
So instead of trying to imagine how a countertop will look with your cabinets based on tiny pictures online, you can actually order samples of both and see them together in your actual space, in your actual lighting.
And here’s why this matters SO much when you’re building a custom home …
You’ll be making permanent decisions about materials that are going to be in your home for decades.
Expensive materials.
So you want to make sure you get it right, and what better way than testing combinations before you commit?
Why I Tested DesignShop
We’ll get into the details in a minute, but first, I want you to know why I decided to order from DesignShop myself (as soon as I learned about it).
My BEFORE YOU BUILD℠ clients often ask me about the best ways to visualize material combinations. They want to know how to determine if a cabinet color will work with a certain countertop? Or if their flooring will look good with their wall color.
And honestly, until now, my answer was always, “Well, you need to go to showrooms and try to see things together.” But even that’s not perfect because different brands are usually in different locations, so you’re still kind of guessing.
When I discovered DesignShop, I thought, “Okay, this could be exactly what my clients need.” But I won’t recommend something without testing it first. So I placed an order (just for fun) to see what the real experience was like.
What I Ordered from DesignShop
I didn’t need any samples because I’m not designing my house right now, so I just ordered random items to see what the quality was like.
I ordered fabric samples, cabinet hardware, countertop samples, carpet, wallpaper, paint samples – which, again, they partner with Samplize for paint samples, and I LOVE Samplize! I also ordered cabinet finish samples and tile samples.
In total, I ordered 13 different products. The prices ranged from $3 to $7 per sample, and my total order came to just over $82 with a discount code (and I believe the discount code is still available if you join their email list … which you should because they send a lot of great design inspiration).
Maybe you’re thinking that $82 is expensive just for samples, and that’s valid. However, you get to keep the samples and I look at it as a small investment into protecting your much bigger investment (your home).
Think about it this way … just one wrong material decision in your home build can cost you thousands of dollars. So spending $82 upfront to avoid a $10,000 or $20,000 mistake? Totally worth it.
Oh, and the delivery was SO fast! I had FREE overnight FedEx shipping … which I believe is available to you if you order over a certain dollar amount!
I ordered on a Saturday afternoon, and had the samples at my front door on Monday morning.
I don’t know about you, but I LOVE fast delivery of anything!
The Unboxing Experience
When my order arrived, I was immediately impressed by the packaging. Everything came in this beautiful, sturdy box, and all the samples were neatly organized and perfectly intact.
I could tell right away that DesignShop really cares about the customer experience. Nothing was damaged, nothing was bent or crumpled. It honestly felt like opening a gift!
And I know that might sound like a small thing, but when you’re spending money on samples, you want to feel like you’re getting your money’s worth.
The presentation definitely delivered on that.
Nervous about blowing your budget while building? Grab a seat in my FREE on-demand class, ‘The 3 Most Expensive Home Building Mistakes (And How to Avoid Them!)’.
Sample Quality and Size
Now let’s talk about the actual samples – because this is what really matters.
You can tell they use real product samples … especially for the tile, wallpaper and fabric.
This isn’t some cheap reproduction or a printout of what the material looks like.
The countertop sample felt like actual stone.
The tile samples were real tile pieces.
The cabinet hardware was the actual hardware you’d install in your home.
The wallpaper samples were cut from the actual wallpaper product.
Now as far as size goes, the samples were “big enough” – they’re not huge, but they’re definitely enough to get a real sense of the material.
(I will say … the cabinet door samples could definitely be bigger!)
But … everything worked well to test combinations with other samples.
So for example, I could lay the cabinet sample next to the countertop sample and the backsplash tile sample to see how the colors would work together in real life.
And let me tell you, this is something you simply can’t do when you’re shopping online or even in most showrooms because they won’t let take you take a bunch of samples home.
So this is a real advantage to be able to play around with different samples in your home.
And you can find photos of the samples I ordered in the show notes.
Brand Selection
Alright, let’s talk about brand selection – because this is both a pro and a con.
On the pro side, DesignShop carries several premium brands.
I was really excited to see brands like Ann Sacks, Kravet, Benjamin Moore, Sherwin-Williams, Kohler, and Trex.
However, on the con side – and this is to be expected – not every brand is available.
I mean they can’t carry everything so that’s understandable.
So if your heart is set on a specific brand that’s not represented on DesignShop, you might be a little disappointed.
But here’s what I recommend: just order similar samples from brands they do carry.
The goal here isn’t necessarily to test your exact materials – it’s to see how colors, textures, and finishes work together. So if you want a specific cabinet stain but that brand isn’t available, find a similar color from a brand they do carry. That’ll still give you the visual information you need to make confident decisions.
And as DesignShop grows, I’m sure they’ll keep adding more and more brands. I really hope so!
But for now, what they have covers most design styles and preferences really well.
How I Used the Samples
Okay, let’s talk about how I used the samples.
I spread all 13 samples out on my dining room table and started testing different combinations.
Remember I was just playing around with random samples … I didn’t order anything for a specific design I was working on.
I put the cabinet hardware on the cabinet sample. I laid the countertop and backsplash tile samples next to it. And I added a paint sample to see what the wall color would look with the materials.
And here’s what I discovered: being able to see these materials together in my actual lighting conditions was invaluable.
Some colors looked completely different than they did on my computer screen. And some combinations I thought would work together … didn’t. But then other combinations I hadn’t even considered looked absolutely amazing together.
This is exactly the kind of testing you need to do BEFORE you build – not after you’ve already committed to materials and signed contracts.
Because let me tell you, changing your mind mid-build is expensive. Like, really expensive.
But testing materials beforehand with real samples can save you thousands!
The DesignShop Ordering Process
Let’s talk about the ordering process because it was SO easy.
The website is super user-friendly. I found the samples I wanted easily, added them to my cart, and checked out without any issues. The whole process took maybe 10 minutes tops.
What I loved:
- They have curated rooms that you can pick and choose materials from
- The product photos were clear and accurate
- There was easy filtering by category and brand
- The pricing was straightforward – no hidden fees
- The discount code worked!
- And like I mentioned earlier, there was free overnight shipping (always a plus!)
The whole process was really easy.
DesignShop Pros
Alright, let me give you a quick rundown of all the pros – all the things I loved about DesignShop.
PRO 1: YOU SEE MATERIALS IN YOUR HOME
You’re seeing real materials in your actual space and lighting conditions. That’s huge.
PRO 2: IT’S SUPER CONVENIENT
Everything is delivered to your door the next day! No spending your entire weekend driving from showroom to showroom.
PRO 3: THE SAMPLE QUALITY IS EXCELLENT
These are real products, not cheap imitations.
PRO 4: THE SHIPPING IS FAST!
The shipping is fast – and free on orders over $25, which is incredibly generous.
PRO 5: THE PACKAGING IS STURDY
The packaging is also beautiful and feels like unboxing a present. It really does feel like a premium experience, not like you’re just ordering some random samples online.
PRO 6: VARIETY OF BRANDS AVAILABLE
They have a wide selection of premium brands across multiple categories – countertops, flooring, tile, hardware, wallpaper, paint… all the things you need. And I’m sure they’ll be adding more brands as time goes on.
PRO 7: SIZE OF SAMPLES
And the samples are large enough to test material combinations together, which is really the whole point.
DesignShop Cons
Now let’s talk about the cons – because nothing is perfect, right? Luckily, there aren’t nearly as many cons as pros.
CON 1: NOT ALL BRANDS ARE AVAILABLE
If you have your heart set on a very specific brand, it might not be available. Although, like I said earlier, you can usually find something similar and that at least helps you visualize what your materials will look like together.
CON 2: THE COST CAN ADD UP
At $3 to $7 per sample, if you’re testing many different options, it can get a little pricey. Although again, I’d argue it’s still worth it to avoid costly mistakes.
But honestly? These are minor cons compared to allllll the pros.
Tips for Using DesignShop
Before we wrap up, let me give you a couple of quick tips for using DesignShop effectively.
TIP 1: TEST SAMPLES IN DIFFERENT LIGHTING
Test samples in different lighting throughout the day. Move them around your home.
See how they look in morning light, versus afternoon light, versus evening light. Colors can look completely different depending on the time of day.
And if you’re building and your kitchen will be south-facing, for example, make sure to see what the products look like in a south-facing room in your current house.
TIP 2: ORDER SIMILAR OPTIONS IF NEEDED
If your exact brand isn’t available, order similar alternatives. Like I said, the goal is to see how colors and textures work together, not necessarily to test your exact products.
My Honest DesignShop Review
Okay, so here’s my honest, final verdict on DesignShop.
I think DesignShop fills a huge gap in the custom home building market.
For years, I’ve watched my clients struggle with material decisions because they couldn’t visualize how everything would work together.
Yes, we’d make virtual design boards, but there’s nothing better than having real products in your home.
DesignShop solves this problem. Yes, it costs money upfront, but it’s such a tiny investment compared to the cost of choosing the wrong materials for your entire home.
The sample quality exceeded my expectations.
The shipping speed was impressive.
The packaging made the whole experience feel special.
But most importantly, being able to test material combinations will give you confidence in design decisions that you wouldn’t otherwise have.
So yes, I absolutely recommend DesignShop to my BEFORE YOU BUILD℠ clients and now I’m recommending it to you too.
Oh, and I’ll definitely use it myself for future projects.
If you’re ready to order some samples, go for it! You won’t be disappointed!
Click here to shop DesignShop samples!
Thanks so much for listening, and I’ll talk to you soon!
