The Great Recession and the weak recovery that followed have changed how many designers operate and how people are approaching their own home design. Many designers, like Midtown’s Kerry Howard of Howard House Interiors, have changed their business model so they can better fit into smaller budgets.
“I deal with a lot of people on a tight budget, because everyone is on a budget, and what we do is a bible for a room and agree on one price and then they can do all the legwork,” says Howard, who is gay and was a contestant on “Top Design.”