Design Lead

Marais Home; Lexington (KY); On-site; USD 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Employee discounts

Job summary

Marais Home in Lexington, KY seeks a Design Lead to run residential projects end-to-end from concept through install, collaborating with clients, vendors, and our showroom team.

The senior, full-time role requires a strong portfolio, Revit skills, and a track record mentoring junior designers. You’ll visit client homes, lead presentations, and uphold our livable, curated design standard across whole-home interiors.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of residential interior design experience or an equivalent senior portfolio.
• Strong portfolio showing furniture-forward and finish-driven work.
• Clear, consultative client communication and mentoring experience.
• Revit proficiency and strong visual presentation skills.
• Availability on-site in Lexington and for local client home visits.
• Valid driver’s license and reliable transportation for consultations and visits.
• Comfort with sourcing, lead times, margins, and installation in showroom setting.

Responsibilities

• Lead residential projects from discovery through install, from single rooms to renovations and whole-home programs.
• Run in-home consultations, concept presentations, revisions, and project check-ins.
• Develop concepts, floor/furniture plans, elevations, finish and FF&E specifications, sourcing lists, and budgets.
• Specify and sell furniture, lighting, textiles, and finishes using showroom and trade resources.
• Mentor and review junior designers’ work, assign tasks, and improve quality and process consistency.
• Partner with ownership on design direction, client priorities, and studio standards.
• Coordinate vendors, custom upholstery, freight, installation schedules, and punch lists.
• Maintain organized project files, timelines, and client communication.
• Support showroom vignettes and represent Marais professionally with clients and trade partners.

Skills

Leadership

Client communication

Mentoring

Project management

Presentation skills

Team collaboration

Education

Interior design degree

NCIDQ / ASID

Tools

Revit

Job description

Marais Home is a furniture store and interior design studio in Lexington’s Chevy Chase neighborhood. We design custom interiors for how people actually live, curate a showroom of luxury furniture, lighting, textiles, and small-batch makers, and ship select pieces nationwide. Most projects start in person — walk-ins and in-home consultations — and grow into single rooms, renovations, or whole-home programs led by a small, hands-on team. We’re hiring a Design Lead to strengthen our design practice: lead complex residential projects, mentor junior designers on the team, and partner with clients from first conversation through install — with the showroom as a working design tool.

Role Overview

This senior, full-time role leads residential projects end-to-end and delivers a polished client experience across furniture selection and whole-home interiors. You’ll run consultations and presentations, develop concepts and furniture plans, source and specify product through our showroom and trade partners, coordinate vendors and installers, and uphold our point of view on livable, curated spaces.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead residential projects from discovery through install, from single rooms to renovations and whole-home programs.
• Run in-home consultations, concept presentations, revisions, and project check-ins.
• Develop concepts, floor/furniture plans, elevations, finish and FF&E specifications, sourcing lists, and budgets.
• Specify and sell furniture, lighting, textiles, and finishes using showroom and trade resources.
• Mentor and review junior designers’ work, assign tasks, and improve quality and process consistency.
• Partner with ownership on design direction, client priorities, and studio standards.
• Coordinate vendors, custom upholstery, freight, installation schedules, and punch lists.
• Maintain organized project files, timelines, and client communication.
• Support showroom vignettes and represent Marais professionally with clients and trade partners.

Must-haves

• 8+ years of residential interior design experience, or an equivalent demonstrated senior portfolio, with complex multi-room or whole-home work.
• A strong residential portfolio showing furniture-forward and finish-driven work.
• Clear, consultative client communication and experience mentoring junior designers, interns, or project support.
• Revit proficiency and strong visual presentation skills.
• Availability on-site in Lexington and for local client home visits.
• Valid driver’s license and reliable transportation for consultations and site visits.
• Comfort with sourcing, lead times, margins, and installation in a showroom/studio setting.

Nice-to-haves

• Interior design or related degree and/or NCIDQ / ASID affiliation.
• Experience in a furniture showroom/design studio or high-end residential firm.
• Custom upholstery, millwork, and renovation coordination.
• Retail or design sales experience, including proposals, deposits, and product follow-through.

Location & Schedule

Full-time, primarily on-site at Marais Home, 882 E High St, Lexington, KY 40502, with client home visits across central Kentucky.

What We Offer

Competitive salary based on experience, a supportive creative small team, the opportunity to lead projects and mentor designers, and employee discounts.