Beyond MySpace, FaceBook and YouTube:

In our continuing series of looking beyond the big social networks, we take a look at Decorati a focused social network for interior design.

Decorati.com is an online resource for high-end furnishings and products for the interior design industry.  The site consolidates a diverse range of nearly 400 top trade-only manufacturers and showrooms into one efficient shopping site.

Decorati’s collections include icons of the design industry such as Dakota Jackson, Holland & Sherry, McGuire, Stickley, and Todd Hase, among others. In addition to trade-only manufacturers and showrooms, Decorati also features exclusive products, antiques, sample sales, and interior designers’ own private collections.

“Decorati was originally developed for designers with the goal of reducing unnecessary paperwork and calls to showrooms, leaving more time for design,” says Decorati Founder and CEO Shane Reilly. Ms. Reilly, a successful interior designer continues, “The site also opens a whole new way for consumers to have a more fluid interaction with their designers, and for the first time be able to view the best interior design products online.”

Decorati’s community is very active.  Interior designers can post portfolio images (and tag the items in them) to generate new clients.  They can also list their previously-owned items for sale.  Showrooms and manufacturers can also list floor samples and antiques.  Consumers can find a designer in their local area and browse designer items for sale.

Decorati’s focus on interior design makes it an excellent vehicle for marketers that are looking to capture this high-end demographic.  A focused social network can provide more qualified traffic than the mass appeal of a larger, general social network site.