One of my great Twitter finds and friends of the last year is Veronika Miller. Veronika's an interior designer who's spent the last couple years developing an online design resource called Modenus. The site's been a beta for the last couple of months and Veronika's been kind enough to kick the tires and contribute a thing or two as she's brought her site to the ready for prime time state it's in now. Did I mention that it's free?
Here's an excerpt from the Modenus press release:
Modenus.com is a comprehensive product catalog and project management platform for the interior design industry launched this month. The catalog portion of the site is generally open to consumers and design professionals, but verified pros have the added benefit of getting access to a collaborative project manager, pro forums and trade only information posted by manufacturers.
The resource is the brainchild of Veronika Miller, who worked as a successful Interior Designer before turning her attention to digital media. She says designers need better tools to help them work profitably and efficiently - especially now.
Speaking about the launch, Veronika Miller says:
“No one needs to tell interior designers that times are tougher. We are launching Modenus to help them make the most of challenging business conditions by offering them free tools to work more profitably, a platform from which to network with peers and meet potential clients and a curated catalog of products from the US, Europe and beyond, putting new and exciting resources at their finger tips.”
“But it's not just about Designers. Manufacturers are entirely free to engage with consumers and designers and can set up distribution channels that best serve their business model. Manufacturers can list showrooms, retailers, E-commerce outlets and even design studios that carry their products to provide the consumer with the most sensible avenue to specify or buy.”
“But our efforts won't stop at products. We want Modenus to be a bridge that connects designers and consumers across continents. So many design professionals are now prepared to consult virtually or to travel for a great job, why not shake the geographic restraints and use a platform like ours to find a designer, a client or a product anywhere in the world. Business isn't what it once was but that doesn't mean there aren't new opportunities.”
If you're a homeowner and you're contemplating a project, I encourage you to spend a little time with Veronika and Modenus. In a nutshell:
- Consumers will find amazing products, connect with designers and be inspired by daily design blogs.
- Design professionals will explore new global resources, network with peers, feature their work and manage projects on the site's unique project management application.
- Manufacturers will engage with consumers and professionals in discussion forums, showcase their product collections in the curated catalog and communicate with their followers via a direct news feed to registered users who have selected to receive more information.
If you're a fellow design professional, there's even more on that site for you.
Welcome to the web Modenus!
Hi there anonymous,
ReplyDeleteThanks very much for your comment and the time you've spent perusing
our site. Let me just add a bit of clarification since you bring up a
number of topics.
1. Modenus is free to consumers and Designers. It's highly unlikely
that you will find a site that will allow you to post to forums or
save products without having registered. Why? Because we want to
ensure that the users of Modenus will not be inundated with spam or
worse and because you simply can't save a product to a non- existing
site user. How would we know it's you next time you come in and try to
find the items you've saved? I think that makes sense.
Note: we do not use your information for marketing purposes unless you
subscribe to our newsletter and we do not sell or otherwise make your
information available to anyone outside Modenus At the moment, the
only people who can see an email are manufacturers if you send a
written request for information. That information will be encrypted in
a few weeks time when our site wide messaging and chat is active and
then even manufacturers will not see your email.
We do understand anyone who is unwilling to reveal personal contact
information but then you always have the option to make a phone call
when a manufacturer has listed only himself as contact.
2. We cannot force manufacturers to enter a distribution channel. Many
do, some don't and a lot of our manufacturers are in the process of
uploading that information. We love it when they do because this way
we can ,in fact, get you to the best possible source for the product
but it's just not always possible. Why? Because manufacturers often
like to direct you to the correct retail location or showroom. Often
retailers will carry only a part of a line, so if you end up with a
list of retail stores and then still have to figure out if that store
carries what you need, you probably wouldn't be very happy.
I am sorry you are having a hard time working with our site and assure
you a lot of time and energy has been and continues to be invested in
making Modenus a site where consumers can locate great products and
designers are able to network , find resources and manage products.
If you would like us to make a specific product inquiry for you and
find a retail location for you please feel free to reply to this post
since I assume you are not willing to contact me personally and risk,
yet again, handing over your information.
Thanks again for taking the time to comment.
Veronika Miller