FAQ
What are the benefits of using Remote Stylist?
Shopping for furniture is generally frustrating, very time consuming and expensive. Remote Stylist tackles all three of those points with our online furniture platform. We eliminate the frustration and time spent by offering talented stylists to do the footwork of shopping for you. They will guide you through the process of decorating a space, from furniture to lighting and everything in between. To get started simply tell them about your needs, tastes and budget and let them go to work. Our platform is free to use and accessible from anywhere. Perfect for those with little free time, we guarantee it will be convenient, affordable and fun!
What's a Stylist?
It's a real live person with a great command of what makes a space look good. In our case, Stylists are all fully schooled, trained and talented designers who excel at quickly translating your needs and likes into a functional reality. We call them Stylists not only because it's cool and current—and really who doesn't love having a Stylist in their life—but more so to avoid any negative perceptions associated with the word “designer”.
Why should I have a Stylist in my life?
To save you some serious hassle! We'll save you time, give you great professional advice and make your home a place you can be proud of. Our Stylists will give you several options that will work in your space and for free, 24/7; no appointments necessary. See something you love in your travels? Have a question that needs an answer at 10:30 pm while installing furniture? Fire it through to our inbox and we will answer promptly.
Why should I buy furniture from RemoteStylist.com versus a traditional retailer?
Quite simply: price and time! Gone are the days when you wanted to spend evenings and weekends running around town. Similarly, a simple Google search leads to a plethora of paths and a ‘where do I start?’ result. When you can lean on the expertise of a professional Stylist to guide you in the right direction, do it from wherever you’d like to and don’t have to incur any cost doing so, why wouldn't you at least try it?!
And really, who wants to overpay? Your local stores generally mark up their products significantly because they own and inventory the items before selling them to you. We operate remotely and work directly with the manufacturers; we don't order it from them until you give us the go-ahead and there is no warehousing of products. Your furnishings go directly from their warehouse to your door. We're all about the deal and think you should be too.
How do I see the furniture in person?
You can’t. Our competitive advantage is in not having showroom space. We will gladly ship you upholstery, stain and finish samples should they be available from the manufacturer for you to see, touch and feel. Otherwise the only opportunity you’ll have to see products that we have access to, is at our rotating Pop-Up stores in Canada and the USA. (To get advance notice of where you can find us in person, become an RS Insider to stay in the know.) The good news it that our Buying team has tried and tested most of the products out there – they do spend their days travelling around the world only choosing the very best – for you!
Should I still go look at furniture at my local stores?
If you have time, absolutely! Look, test, review options, take measurements, snap photos...then start to compare. If we can get you the same or similar product for less and save you the hassle in doing it, it's a win-win situation. It never hurts to shop around.
How can Remote Stylist get furniture faster than a store?
Let's preface this with: obviously if the item is actually on the store floor and you can cash & carry the item, we can't do it faster than you hitting the checkout and taking it home (but that's when you need to question the price). However, retailers are notorious for 'minimum orders' meaning they wait until they have a number of orders prior to shipping to avoid higher shipping fees. This means you have to wait because they are still rounding up customers. Nothing drives us crazier than a retail store clerk telling us it's going to be 12 to 14 weeks to get our furniture. We can't stand waiting and are all over manufacturers to make sure your product arrives at your door quickly. Now obviously, if it's a custom job and they are making the sofa from scratch to your specifications then we have to allow them time to do that, but once it's ready to roll, rest assured our truck is sitting at their warehouse with a driver who’s looking for your package and we're watching its every move until you have it.
How does RemoteStylist.com work?
You either 1) know exactly what pieces you want or 2) you haven't decided that yet.
- If you know what you want, fill out a furniture quote detailing what you’re after and we’ll provide you the best pricing – quickly. If you like it, you order it through us and we deliver it to your door.
- If you're not sure what you want or need, build a profile and send through a few photos to show us what we’re dealing with. A Stylist will translate that into a look book of ideas for your space, personalized to your taste and budget. When it’s ready, it’s emailed to you to mock up (Did we get it right? Did we miss something? Do you have something to add?). Once you approve the final look, we’ll place your order.
What is a Style File?
This look book of furnishing ideas is compiled by a Stylist based on the information you supply when youBuild a Profile. It’s a visual translation of what you’ve indicated you’ve wanted, and from here you whittle down the options and together decide on the best options. It is structured as an ‘open document’ in that you have the ability to make editing comments for your Stylist to read and allows for communication with them until you’re satisfied with the end result.
How much does a Style File cost?
There is absolutely no cost – it’s free. If you want to tip your Stylist by all means do so here.
How long does it take to get a Style File?
The average turnaround time is 3–4 business days.
What if I don’t like the options I am given?
Style Files come with the ability to make changes. It's simply a place to start, and we hone in from there. We do however pride ourselves on being exceptionally talented in this field so we don't anticipate more than two versions per space.
How do I pay?
We accept Visa, Mastercard, American Express and PayPal. Your Stylist will put the desired items into your cart and you will check them out, ensuring all shipping specs are as detailed as need be. At this time you will see what items require full or partial payment; please note custom orders require a 50% deposit and the balance once ready to ship. Please note, all prices are quoted in $US Dollars.
How long does it take to get my furniture?
Orders are placed as soon as payment is received. Shipping times vary on what you've ordered, but you will receive an email confirming your order with an estimated shipping time based on the manufacturer’s input. For some items it takes days, for others weeks and if there are boats or custom-work involved it generally takes months, but not that many! Factor in that we have zero control over things like tornados, hurricanes and snowstorms, nor political unrest, pirates or strikes but we'll sympathize and do our best to keep you updated if the situation presents itself.
Who delivers my furniture?
RemoteStylist.com will arrange for shipping and delivery to your door. It's imperative we know in advance if there are any delivery challenges (narrow staircases, elevators, 3rd floors, no one regularly home, etc.) so we can make appropriate accommodations. Re-deliveries cost money so we appreciate all the intel upfront to do it correctly the first time. Delivery options are to your door, inside your door and where it’s going or fully unpacked and assembled. Rates vary depending.
What is an Insider?
We spend inordinate amounts of time travelling and scouting product. We'll use the analogy, “after you've seen 5 churches on the European tour you've seen them all”. Exactly the same thing happens when we look at furnishings in mass amounts—our eyes glaze over. But every so often an insanely amazing thing catches our attention, we fall madly in love after hearing the back story and then we try and test for ourselves. Fortunately for you, we CAN'T stop talking about this once it happens. As an RS Insider you'll be the first to know about it, and you'd better believe we've gone back to the source and struck a deal so you can share in the excitement too.
If you have further questions that weren't answered above, please don't hesitate to contact us.
