Introducing the platform: why we built it and what it is for

Every platform begins with a problem. The problem that led to the creation of this one is simple to describe and surprisingly difficult to solve.

The European design industry is home to some of the most talented interior designers, architects, contractors, furniture makers and creative professionals in the world. They are spread across every country, every city, every specialism and every style. And the overwhelming majority of them are almost impossible to find unless you already know their name.

This is not because they are not doing remarkable work. Many of them are doing work that deserves international recognition and a client base that extends far beyond the city or country they operate in. It is because the platforms that exist for professional discovery were not built with the design industry in mind. General business directories treat an award-winning interior designer the same way they treat a taxi company. Social media platforms give visibility to the work that generates the most immediate engagement rather than the work that represents the most professional achievement. Word of mouth, while powerful, is by definition limited to existing networks.

The result is a market failure. Homeowners, developers and hospitality operators who want to find the right professional for their project cannot find them efficiently. Professionals who have built exceptional bodies of work cannot be found by the clients who would value them most. Both sides of this transaction are worse off than they should be.

We built this platform to address that failure directly. Not by creating another directory where professionals list themselves and hope to be found. But by building a genuinely curated discovery platform, one where every profile is reviewed before it goes live, where the search and filter tools speak the language of the design industry, where the editorial content that surrounds the profiles gives clients the context to make informed decisions and professionals the credibility that comes from being part of something they are proud to be associated with.

The platform is for homeowners and property developers who are looking for design talent they can trust. It is for hospitality operators who need a design partner who understands the specific requirements of their industry. It is for interior designers, architects, contractors and creative professionals who want to be found by exactly the right clients rather than by everyone. And it is for furniture brands, lighting brands and material suppliers who want their products in front of the designers and specifiers who are most likely to work with them.

It is, in short, for the European design industry. The one that exists, with all its talent and diversity and geographic spread, rather than the one that gets written about in the same six publications and the same six cities every year.

This is the first post in The Edit, our editorial platform and the content home of the European design industry. We will publish project features, studio profiles, trend reports, material guides, city guides, practical advice for homeowners and professionals, and honest commentary on the state and direction of the European design market. We will publish content that is worth reading rather than content that is optimised for a metric. We will feature the professionals on our platform in depth rather than simply linking to their profiles.

If you are a design professional who is not yet on the platform, your profile may already be there as a free listing. If you would like to claim it, upgrade it or join from scratch, join here.

If you are a homeowner, developer or hospitality operator looking for design talent, the platform is open and free to browse.

We are glad you are here.