Domain by Laura Hodges Studio won its first ARTS award this January, but it is not the first time the Baltimore design studio has been recognized; Hodges was named a “Next Wave Designer” by House Beautiful in 2019 and appeared in Architectural Digest’s “Best Home Stores in America” in 2020.
Her home store reflects her interior design business — consumers can purchase nearly everything they spot in one of her project galleries at Domain.
“It’s always in the back of every designer’s head to have a beautiful showroom with products to pick from,” said Hodges. So, she and Tim Hodges, her husband and business partner, bought a building on Frederick Road in Catonsville, Md., and in 2018 opened Domain. “That keeps the consistency between our shops and our projects.”
Interior designer Laura Hodges has won many accolades for her work.
“The shop has become our go-to for sourcing for accessories, whether they are well-priced throw pillows or baskets and boxes. It’s a great way to connect with our local community,” Hodges said. For those who might not hire Laura Hodges Design Studio for a design project but love the design aesthetic, shopping at the store is a way to be part of that world. “Domain is relatively reasonably priced. It’s a good entry point if you are not a client.”
Hodges also uses it as a space where she can source the locally made goods and sustainably sourced or Fair Trade items that she prefers to stock the store with; either she or her boutique manager is always on hand to explain to customers why they carry the product, who made it, where it came from and how to style it.
“Because we are small and because I do like to be sustainable, we always want to make sure the products we are selling are part of the brand messaging,” Hodges said when asked about current business challenges. “We have to be across the board with everything. That means if a brand we carry starts being sold at a big-box retailer, it is harder for us to maintain a good price point because we can’t buy in that volume. Sometimes we have to move on. But there are always new makers coming up.”
Domain took its business online in 2019, spurred by the mention in House Beautiful, and it now ships a decent amount of goods around the country, Hodges said.