What does a ‘Whole Home Experience’ look like? Get ready to find out

This paid piece is sponsored by Montgomery’s.

When they say “Whole Home Experience” at Montgomery’s, it’s anything but a catchphrase.

“It means one person, one place you can go for everything,” senior designer Sara Weger explained.

That overwhelmed feeling you get when considering home design? Or even walking into a home furnishings store? It’s gone once you experience this.

“You can come here and start with flooring, move on to window treatments and consider everything in between, or you can just be here looking for a single piece of furniture or a mattress. Our approach is the same,” Weger said. “You’re going to get to know your designer or sales team member and build trust knowing this person is in your corner no matter what you’re addressing in your home.”

We sat down with Weger to learn more about what to expect with a Whole Home Experience.

First, how unique is it for businesses in your industry to offer this kind of approach?

We’ve been in business 136 years, family-owned and locally based, and I’ve been here over 10 years, and this is the only company I know that can do the Whole Home Experience. It’s so rare to be able to access flooring, windows, furniture, mattresses, lighting and so much more in one place and with in-house design expertise.

So how does it actually work?

Just stop in any one of our showrooms, or go online and browse our design team to find someone you might like to work with. All our designers are trained and happy to begin by coming to your home, so we can listen to your needs, see your spaces and understand what might be best for you. From there, we’ll show you ideas we’ve come up with to fit your budget and work through it together.

Speaking of budget, how much does all this expert help cost?

Nothing. It’s complimentary at Montgomery’s. We offer this because we want to serve you and make sure you’re getting the best experience with your project.

Do I need to come in with a major home project? A full room remodel or more?

No. We can accommodate any scale of project. That’s anything from a new recliner to a full living room or bedroom to a complete remodel. And if you’re not sure what you might like to do in your home, that’s fine too. We’ll look at your home, ask about your favorite pieces or if something specific is bothering you. It may be as simple as a ceiling light that’s decades old and needs to be freshened up, or sometimes it’s a rug or new pillows. We often do calls where the furniture ends up staying and we spruce up the home decor, so it’s not like you need to replace everything.

Are there areas you typically are asked to help with more often than others?

We get asked for help with decor a lot. Sometimes people are good about finding furniture but not the placement, or they don’t know how to finish a room. We get asked to help customize as well. Maybe you’re looking at a sectional and we can help with everything from size to color and shape.

And then, we also get many inquiries about window treatments. That’s something people don’t know a lot about, and we have lots of expertise. Plus, our designers collaborate continually, so you’ll receive the expertise of our whole team and may even have multiple designers assigned to your project depending on the scale of it.

What if I’m building a new house? Can you help with that?

A lot of our designers are trained and experienced in building from the ground up. We’ll work hand-in-hand with your contractor, beginning by looking at blueprints and design, where things are placed early on and helping you choose finishes. We even have a new Contract Design Team that specializes in finishing touches on a new build. It absolutely will take stress off of you.

Will you even help when customers are looking for a home?

We will. We work with real estate agents frequently, so if you’re buying a house and maybe it needs some updates, we can talk with you about the possibilities and then help you through the project. Realtors have called me to go look at prospective homes with customers, and I’m happy to do that. You’ll also see our work throughout the semiannual Parade of Homes events because we work with many builders to help furnish their homes.

Do you find anything Montgomery’s offers tends to surprise people?

People are surprised we have flooring and by how much flooring we have. We can do flooring, backsplash tile and even custom showers. It’s great when you’re building or doing a remodel because flooring, lighting and window treatments go hand-in-hand, and people are so surprised and happy they can have free assistance with all of it in one place.

Is there anything new at Montgomery’s homeowners should know about?

Lighting. We just came back from market, and there are great new trends in lighting. We have lighting in all our showrooms, and you’ll find a lot of fun, interesting options in Sioux Falls.

How does Montgomery’s continue to help as the project concludes?

We’re highly involved in installation and delivery. You get the Whole Home Experience there too, with white-glove delivery. Our delivery teams are so talented that they can work together with your designer for placement of furniture, or if needed, our designers will accompany them on a delivery.

What kind of feedback do you receive from customers?

No matter the size or scale, people love having a designer come to their house. You build a sense of trust and know the person is in your corner. I still have clients from 10 years ago call me. Because I have been to the home, they may need something as simple as a new end table, and I can see in my head where it will go and what they need. Having an expert by your side really helps alleviate stress and allows you to bounce ideas off someone. It makes people very appreciative.

To begin your Whole Home Experience, stop in any Montgomery’s location, or start by clicking here.