The Ins & Outs of Luxury Flooring & Design

Jim: Welcome to Home Ideas. I'm Jim Lather, and today we're joined by Kearsen from Couture.

Kearsen: Yes.

Jim: Did I get that right? Couture. Spell that for me.

Kearsen: C-O-U-T-U-R-E.

Jim: All right, let's start there. Tell me about the name.

Kearsen: When we were opening our business, I was contemplating different ideas for a store name, and I kept coming back to Couture. It's traditionally a French word for fashionable clothing, and it has kind of morphed into fashionable textiles, at least that's how I view it. I felt like it matched the type of business we do, which is a higher-end, fashionable look in homes. And I paired it with "Luxury Flooring and Design Studio," because Couture by itself might be confusing. Luxury Flooring and Design Studio encompasses our full offering.

Jim: Without question. Now, you've been in this space for a while professionally, correct?

Kearsen: Yes.

Jim: So before you decided to start your own business, how did you take the risk to get into that niche? Sometimes when you say "luxury flooring," it's very intimidating. But you guys are killing it over there.

Kearsen: Thank you. I've done this for over 20 years. I love helping people, and I love having parameters, whether it's a budget or an inspiration, like a travel inspiration or a picture. I've worked at different levels of budgets, and my preference is a more curated home, something that takes a little more time, where I can use my own ability, paired with inspiration from the designer or the homeowner, to bring a project full circle.

Jim: I get it. It's more fun to work on bigger stuff. But we were talking before we started about how you'll work with really any budget. And the thing I love about your philosophy, which you told me when we taped the TV segment, is that you won't use any material that's not high quality. There are different price points of quality, but with 20 years in the business you really understand the products inside and out. And I don't mean this to be disrespectful, but most of us homeowners don't understand what LVP really is. We kind of get it because you tell us. But the difference between LVP, which is luxury vinyl plank, and a true wood floor often comes down not just to price point but to usage. That's something else you're really good at. Tell me more about that.

Kearsen: I agree. Often when homeowners come in, they're undereducated or unaware. In their mind, wood is wood, whether it's real wood, engineered wood or a wood-look product. So as a staff, we try to narrow down what the actual usage will be. Maybe they have pets, maybe they have an active lifestyle, maybe they're retired and turn the temperature down in the winter when they go south. There are a bunch of variables that affect their options. And sometimes homeowners are influenced by social media or something a friend told them to look at, with no idea whether that product is the right fit for them. It's our job to educate them, so they feel they've made an educated choice before they make that kind of investment in their home.

Jim: Absolutely, education is the key. You're in the woods, right? You're among the trees. Me, I'm not going to build ten homes in my life. The average owner has three, four, five homes over a lifetime. That means three, four or five times I'm picking flooring, so it's unrealistic for me to be an expert. And it's very risky to get all your information online or through AI. You can walk into many retailers in and around Sioux Falls and get the same question: how can I help you? And the answer is, I really have no idea. I want someone like you to tell me what I should have, because you can tell me what's going to fit my situation. Your showroom is beautiful, and so is the design you bring, not just to the flooring but to the tile work. I went through the Parade of Homes recently, and the work that has your name on it in town is stunning. You should be very proud of that, and I'm not just saying that because you're on the show. So how do you get that to come together?

Kearsen: I don't have a bundled response for that. Part of it is experience, part of it is passion. It does help to have some inspiration from the end user, whether it's a color scheme or a budget. Some people come in with a couch cushion. It helps to have something to go off of; otherwise, where do you begin? But it's really getting to know the customer, their style and their tastes, because not everyone has the same taste, or they don't even know what their taste is. For us, it's about learning the personality of the client. We care about them as people and about their lifestyle, because it affects how the home is showcased.

Jim: This is a tricky question. I know you have a favorite style, but do you think there's a style you're really, really good at? And what is your favorite style?

Kearsen: I wasn't prepared for that question. Honestly, I often struggle with my own style. It's hard not to like what you see on TV shows or in magazines; that's where we gain some of our inspiration. I certainly appreciate mid-century modern or eclectic, but I probably play it a little safer. Right now, and I hate the word neutral, it's a combination of creams, beiges and grays, with a splash of something. Some people are afraid to take a chance on something so permanent. But when you do those neutral things, you can afford to do something fun, because it isn't overwhelming the space. It almost becomes a piece of artwork in your home.

Jim: That's what I love about what you do. I see it in some of the bathroom surrounds and vignettes in your showroom: every one of them has a little bit of wow. As we walked through that Parade home, that's what caught my wife's eye. This particular home had a really unique flooring, and you had to take some very conventional flooring on the stairs and match it to this high-end look, and it went together really well. Let's talk about design in South Dakota. In the Sioux Falls area, we're moving away from one look and coming back to a look that's been around a while. Let's talk about the tone changes and how things progress. I've always wondered: what's the life cycle of a trend?

Kearsen: Trends are generational. People who lived with golden oak back in the '90s don't want to live with it again in the 2020s. But the new generation of homeowners maybe lived through it only in childhood. Now it's a little softer. Oak is very much back, but not so much that caramel golden oak; it's a softer version. You can't always just bring a trend back and have it feel current. That's how people make money, right? They update the trend just enough that you have to change it from 20 or 25 years ago.

Jim: You're preaching to the choir. We just did a remodel, and they don't call it golden oak, they call it white oak. I looked at it and said, this is golden oak.

Kearsen: Part of it is verbiage, and part of it is the stigma: "Oh, I can't have golden oak again." But if you use a different word and showcase it in a new way, it looks entirely different.

Jim: The thing I have a hard time with when it comes to design is that I like everything to match. My wife calls me "a matchy guy." That's not design these days. Contrast and variety are what you do really well. I want to talk about the tile patterning you do in bathrooms. It's really an art, and I know you take a lot of pride in putting together mood boards. Tell us about that process.

Kearsen: That's one of my favorite things to do. As a matter of fact, I was an art major in college.

Jim: I knew it.

Kearsen: I definitely feel it has helped me in my working career. My intention is for every homeowner to feel they have a very curated, unique space. I don't want it to be cut and paste. I get excited when new products come into the store, and in my mind I'm constantly brainstorming: what could I mix that with, what could I pair that with, how could I use it without it feeling overwhelming? Part of that is just inherent. Everyone has their own gifts, and I feel it's something our staff does well. We're passionate about it.

Jim: You can't fake it. To me, passion is the most important thing. Having worked with you for a few years now, I can tell you're going to dig in until it's exactly what the homeowner wants. It's not a transactional experience; it's an experience. When we taped last time, I walked in and you had a charcuterie board and a couple of glasses of champagne, and I thought, this person likes to have fun and work with people. Plus you have all these different products. We've only talked about tile and luxury and wood flooring. What else do you carry, and how do you make the whole space come together?

Kearsen: The way I'd put it is anything that gets permanently fixed in your home. For floor covering, that's vinyl plank, hardwood, laminate, carpet and ceramic tile. Then different wall surfaces: a tiled shower, a backsplash, an accent wall, an accent ceiling. We even do wallpaper. Wallpaper is making a big comeback.

Jim: Huge.

Kearsen: And if you want a whole overhaul of your primary bathroom, maybe without touching the rest of the house, we'll do cabinets and fixtures as well, so you don't need a third party for a small add-on to the overall project.

Jim: Tell me more about how that works. You don't run construction crews, but you work with hand-selected contractors. When you're in the trades like you are, you know the best of the best. Do you supervise the job? How does that work?

Kearsen: It varies with the level of work. Yes, we supervise the jobs as much as we physically can. Whether it's an installer or a contractor, we try to educate them. We can do a 3D model of the space so they can see what they're doing. We keep a very open line of communication with the homeowner and the contractor or designer, if they're involved. We don't just sell a product and walk away. That's not our model at all.

Jim: I love that about you. Not every project goes perfectly. We hope they do, but they don't. The peace of mind that you'll make sure everything is exactly the way the homeowner wants it, and the way you want it, is huge. Now, you're on the east side of town off Veterans Parkway, in a brand-new, beautiful showroom. That's a great place to start. And with interest rates the way they are, people are definitely doing more with their homes. A great place to start might also be online, to get a feel for what you do. What's your web address?

Kearsen: Our web address is couturestudiosf.com.

Jim: C-O-U-T-U-R-E.

Kearsen: Correct.

Jim: Because guys like me who don't see the sign wouldn't know how to spell it.

Kearsen: I know. Sometimes I kick myself for naming it that, but it's OK.

Jim: No, I think it's fantastic, and it speaks to who you are. I can't emphasize enough how impressed I am by your body of work. You're doing great work, Kearsen. Everyone I talk to, whether a contractor or a subcontractor who's worked alongside you, has nothing but great things to say.

Kearsen: Thank you. I appreciate that.

Jim: You bet. Thank you for being on today and telling us more about Couture.

Kearsen: Thanks so much, Jim.