Have you ever looked at your house and wished you were waiting for Joanna Gaines to show you the “reveal?”
Lots of us would love to have her access to the coolest light fixtures, furnishings, and the homey touches that make her remodel memorable. Others (and we have to admit we, too) want to attack that three-tiered platter of pastries she usually places prominently on the granite counters.
Now we can reveal the secret (we’ve always wanted to say that) that you, too, can access for remodeling your home. Joanna might even use it herself. The Ballard Designs catalog is all about housewares, inside and outside, conservative and imaginative, homey and conventional, as well as custom housewares. Ready to see more? Then come with us for the “reveal.”
Related: Furniture Catalogs | Ethan Allen Catalog | Plow & Hearth Catalog | Mail Order Furniture Catalog | Lakeside Collection Catalog | Williams-Sonoma Catalog | Jonathan Adler Catalog | Frontgate Catalog
What Type of Catalog Is It: Print Or Digital?
Ballard Designs offers its clients both print and digital catalogs. The Atlanta-based company sends out upwards of 50 million print catalogs each month. Their digital catalog is viewed by many more millions.
How To Request A Catalog
The Request A Catalog page on Ballard’s website has space for both the physical address of the requestee as well as space for their email address. If clients would rather shop online, simply view the digital catalog on the website and fill up your cart. Just fill out the required fields and tap Submit. Tap here for the Request A Catalog page.
How Much Does The Catalog Cost?
Both print and digital Ballard Design catalogs are free.
How Does One Subscribe To The Catalog To Get Each New Edition Automatically?
Ballard Designs publishes a full-color catalog each month. When you order a catalog and type in your email address, you’ve subscribed to Ballard’s catalog. To unsubscribe, email Ballard your name and address. It takes upwards of 90 days to be unsubscribed. You can also call toll free 1-800-536-7551 to unsubscribe.
Is It A Good Catalog?
Since many people don’t own a car, they tend to do 99 percent of their shopping online. To catch most people’s eye and keep their business, online stores need to offer good prices, quality products, well-written product descriptions including assurances of the natural nature of the products some of us use, and return arrangements should we be dissatisfied with the product (it happens occasionally.)
In perusing Ballard’s catalog, we read about their Brooke Washed Linen Quilted Bedding. The product description described the bedding as “premium quality natural linen,” with the polyfill in the quilt the only non-natural ingredient. The filling won’t harm asthmatics or those with allergies or other breathing problems.
The price was reasonable, the quality unassailable, and there were printed return arrangements. We were impressed with the beauty of the product.
We also checked out Ballard’s lighting. We have a thing about chandeliers, and as we looked, we remembered Joanna Gaines and her amazing lighting choices. Ballard offers some of the imaginative pendant lighting fixtures she might have chosen.
For example, we could imagine Joanna choosing Ballard’s Adella Five Light Chandelier with its clear blue glass and black base. The glass globes are of different shapes and hang in different lengths. The price is good, and we can imagine this light fixture in our own home.
Furniture can be ordered in room arrangements or separately. Most homeowners choose room arrangements for the ease of it all. Those choosing separate pieces have to know if a sectional will fit in the living room, how many reclining easy chairs, ottomans, or occasional tables will also fit.
Will there be enough if you have guests? How large should your dining table be, and will it seat 20 at Thanksgiving dinner? You have to have a plan before you search for furniture. Ballard’s catalog walks you through these needs as well as offering tips and hacks for handling other circumstances stemming from your choices such as storage.
Some of these tips deal with recognizing your style as well as the personality of your rooms. Is it even time to replace your furniture? Ballard’s helps you determine if the life of your present sofa should be saved or give it to Aunt Laura.
Whatever your situation as well as your requirements for a “good” catalog, we think Ballard Designs can satisfy you and your circumstances.
Who Can Request A Catalog: Anyone, Professionals, Or Both?
Obviously, you can order a Ballard Design catalog, but what about professionals? What kind of professional would use such catalogs?
Home Stagers
The purpose of staging a house for sale is to give potential buyers a chance to see if their belongings will fit in your rooms. A living room attractively staged with a sofa, chair, coffee table, a painting on a wall, and a rug will give the room some structure. At the same time, buyers will get an impression of their belongings fitting well into space.
Dining rooms and bedrooms are minimally filled with attractive furnishings and bedding, perhaps throw pillows on the bed or a vase of flowers on the dining table. Think of every model home you’ve ever seen. That’s what’s meant by staging.
Interior Decorators
Interior designers were taught in school about composition, depth, perspective, and the use of color and texture in design. Many interior designers design the rooms with furniture pictured in home design catalogs. Wouldn’t it make sense to order their furnishings and accessories from home design catalogs?
Since Ballard Design offers upscale and high-end furnishings and accessories, interior designers tend to use them in their interior design. It’s not about the money, per se, it’s more about the color, texture, and quality textiles and other materials used in the construction of the pieces.
Cable Design Show People
Here’s where Joanna Gaines, the Property Brothers Jonathan and Drew Scott, and those like them on both sides of the pond enter the picture. Some, if not all, operate in conjunction with real estate agents when they find a home for a client and then remodel it. They, too, attended school to learn the techniques involved in interior design.
What we don’t see when we watch these shows is the time period involved in finding the home, closing on it, and the remodel. In a one hour show, time is compressed. We are shown the homes under consideration, the clients holding keys, aspects of the demolition, and aspects of the remodel. Then we see the “reveal” and the clients’ joy. Only the high points are featured in an hour show.
We mention this time factor to illustrate that one of the aspects of the interior design that we never see is where the designers get their furnishings and accessories. Sure, there are favorite local stores from which they can get furnishings, but we’d bet some of them come from design catalogs. Shipping takes time, so we, too, wait for the “reveal” to see the great furnishings and accessories.
Real Estate Professionals
These professionals are trained in knowing what buyers want and how to sell them a house that has it. They know that a house cluttered with personal belongings turns off potential buyers. They are aware that minimal furnishings in a freshly painted house will sell the house quicker and for a better price.
Thus, real estate professionals alert their home sellers that they should store their belongings. Renting a minimum of furnishings for each room will give potential buyers an aura of space which is one of the most important things in any home.
They, too, understand the need for color, texture, and quality in rooms’ furnishings. No one wants to see a room decorated in the 1950s motel room chic. Homeowners studying Ballard Design catalogs will see the same furnishings, albeit temporary, their potential buyers want to see. That makes all the difference.
Why Request The Catalog?
Homeowners remodeling their homes with the intention of aging in place and homeowners remodeling their homes to sell them view home design catalogs for many reasons:
- To know what colors are trending that year
- To view trends in lighting
- To gain insight into new storage ideas
- To gain inspiration regarding room arrangements
When you have your room ideas down pat, then you can order what you want from Ballard’s catalog.
How To View The Catalog Online
Simply visit the website to view Ballard’s designs online. Add items you like to your wish list and order when you’re ready.
Other Ways To Shop
Home Shopping Network has a home décor division called Cornerstone. Under this aegis are Ballard Design, Restoration Hardware, and other home design companies. These companies offer clients brick and mortar stores, online catalogs, as well as print catalogs.
Restoration Hardware offers clients a different view of home furnishings and accessories. Those wanting classics and authentic reproductions would have a good idea in visiting RH stores and catalogs.
How Often Is A New Catalog Released?
New catalogs are available monthly.
Does The Catalog Showcase Full Interiors Or Just Individual Products?
The catalog highlights both room arrangements as well as individual products.
Are There Any Restrictions To Requesting The Catalog?
There are none.
What Are Similar Catalogs?
There are dozens of home design catalogs, and you can see some of them here. These five impressed us:
1. Pier One Imports
This Ft. Worth TX home décor company offers clients brick and mortar stores as well as digital and print catalogs of their imaginative wares. If it’s one of a kind or unusual, Pier One has it. Shop for indoor, outdoor, seasonal, room by room, and inspirational items here.
2. Laura Ashley
From the paint and wallpaper on the walls to the furnishings and accessories, and from the men’s to the ladies’ and children’s fashions, and even to hotels and tea rooms, Laura Ashley is all about Victorian influences. The fabrics, textures, and colors of Victorian life imbue her creations with nostalgia and comfort. Visit one of their many stores, go online, or receive a print catalog.
3. Williams Sonoma
If there isn’t a mall or upscale shopping strip populated with a Williams Sonoma store, we’re not aware of it. While most people think Williams Sonoma is all about kitchenware and cookware, the truth is they make a wing-back chair and other furnishings as well as anyone and most times better. They offer clients brick and mortar stores as well as digital and paper catalogs.
4. Ethan Allen
If you’ve ever visited an Ethan Allen store, you’ve had your breath robbed by the stunning room arrangements. The quality of their wares is undeniable, while the selection is vast. Most home décor companies customize their furnishings for clients, and Ethan Allen is no exception. Visit their online store or receive a print catalog for your inspiration.
5. Plow And Hearth
For those homeowners wishing to transform not only the inside but the outside of their homes, this is the place to go. Plow and Hearth offer its clientele clothing and shoes, outdoor and garden items such as outdoor living furnishings, indoor furnishings including rugs and other indoor accessories, and seasonal items. Shop in one of their stores, order a catalog, or shop online.
Overview Of Ballard Design
In 1983, Helen Ballard won a magazine home decorating contest. When her Atlanta condo was photographed, it amazed her to see that over 500 people wanted to buy her home décor items. As a result, she gave up her job, sold the condo, and opened Ballard Design. She opened with a black and white picture of a wildly popular table with a dolphin base in a two-page catalog. The rest, as the saying goes, is history.
In a series of mergers in the mid to late 1990s and early 2000s, Ballard Design ended up under the umbrella of HSN’s home décor division Cornerstone. Ballard remained as CEO of Ballard Design until her retirement in 2002 and was also a board member of Cornerstone Brands.
Ballard Design sells anything home decor-related with several designers adding their expertise to the mix. Presently owned by the Qurate Retail Group, the company’s revenues are $15.5 million. The company is publicly traded (NASDAQ: QRTEA.)
