How this invite-only design network is looking to revitalize the industry
Published on BusinessofHome.com by Marina Felix
For those familiar with the members-only dating app The League, you know that its luster comes from its exclusivity. Get past the gatekeepers, and suddenly members find themselves interacting with a like-minded crowd. (The app’s slogan: “Are you told your standards are too high? … Join The League.”) When it comes to running a high-end interior design firm, day-to-day operations bring designers face to face with a host of challenges—and when looking for advice, that notion of tapping into a network of like-minded peers resonates too.
After 15 years amassing an international Rolodex, Los Angeles designer Genevieve Trousdale saw an opportunity to use her own A-list connections to create an exclusive information-sharing network. With the onset of quarantine, the near-erasure of in-person interactions (and the extra downtime) was the push that Trousdale needed to lay the groundwork for Circaphiles. The new invite-only community for high-end interior designers can be boiled down to three main components: a directory of vetted vendors, tradespeople, workrooms, and other service providers; an arena for online chat room dialogues; and an educational arm that currently provides how-to guides and webinars (and will eventually include master classes with well-known firm principals).
