The Expert
The Expert is a curated e-commerce marketplace aggregating 200+ high-end furniture and décor brands for professional interior designers and design-savvy consumers, offering trade pricing, consolidated multi-vendor ordering, video consultations with AD100 designers, and a proprietary furniture collection.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2021
- HeadquartersLos Angeles, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What The Expert does
The Expert is a high-end e-commerce marketplace and design services platform that aggregates more than 200 curated furniture, lighting, rugs, vintage, art, and décor brands into a single procurement surface for professional interior designers and design-savvy consumers. The platform's core offering pairs a multi-vendor shop with a Trade Program that surfaces the best trade discount on every product, enables a consolidated cart across vendors, and provides unified order tracking—addressing the fragmented sourcing workflow that designers typically manage across dozens of separate vendor relationships. A secondary service layer offers 1:1 video consultations via Zoom with curated top interior designers, including AD100 and ELLE Decor A-List talent. The company also operates The Expert Collection, a proprietary furniture line designed by co-founder Jake Arnold and sold exclusively through the platform.
The Expert makes money through marketplace commissions on product sales between designers/consumers and the 200+ vendor brands, supplemented by transaction fees on booked designer consultations. Pricing follows a pay-as-you-go model: non-trade customers pay standard retail unit pricing (items range from hundreds to thousands of dollars, e.g., sconces at $1,850, mirrors at $1,600), while Trade Program members receive brand-specific trade discounts displayed on each product page. Go-to-market is primarily product-led through the e-commerce storefront, supported by community credibility from the designer network, content marketing via the Stories/Blog, and email/newsletter engagement. The company was acquired by Havenly Brands in an all-equity transaction announced February 17, 2026, marking Havenly's sixth furniture and decor deal in under four years, with plans to integrate Havenly's consumer-facing technology and vendor network into The Expert's procurement tools.
The Expert firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Expert
- Legal name
- The Expert Inc.
- Website
- https://theexpert.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2021
- Operating status
- Acquired
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- The Expert is a curated e-commerce marketplace aggregating 200+ high-end furniture and décor brands for professional interior designers and design-savvy consumers, offering trade pricing, consolidated multi-vendor ordering, video consultations with AD100 designers, and a proprietary furniture collection.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where The Expert is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Los Angeles
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
The Expert business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Product Sales Commission: The Expert generates revenue through marketplace commissions on product sales between designers/consumers and vendor brands. The platform aggregates 200+ Expert-approved brands offering trade discounts.
- Designer Consultations: The platform enables video consultations with top interior designers (AD100, ELLE Decor A-List designers), generating revenue through consultation bookings.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Standard consumer pricing |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Trade Program pricing |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
The Expert product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Expert operates an e-commerce marketplace aggregating 200+ curated high-end furniture and decor brands, offering consolidated multi-vendor ordering, trade pricing, and order tracking. It complements this with paid 1:1 video consultations connecting customers to top interior designers (AD100, ELLE Decor A-List) via Zoom, plus a Trade Program providing professional designers with trade discounts and procurement tools.
Product overview
The Expert is a high-end e-commerce marketplace and design services platform for interior design. The core offering consists of the Shop (offering furniture, lighting, rugs, vintage, art & décor, dining & entertaining, bed & bath, and fabric & wallcoverings from 200+ curated brands), paired with Design Consultations (video sessions with top interior designers via Zoom) and a Trade Program for professional designers. The platform also features proprietary products through The Expert Collection (designed by Jake Arnold), an editorial Stories/Blog platform, seasonal shopping collections like The Outdoor Shop, virtual Expert Showrooms, and New Arrivals/Vintage collections. The company was acquired by Havenly in February 2026 in an all-equity transaction.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- The Expert Collection: A curated furniture collection imagined by Jake Arnold and designed to be made your own.
Products and services
- The Expert Shop E-commerce marketplace offering furniture, lighting, rugs, vintage items, art and decor, dining and entertaining, bed and bath, and fabric and wallcoverings from over 200 designer-curated brands for both trade members and general consumers.
- Design Consultations Paid 1:1 online video consultation service connecting customers with top interior designers (AD100 designers, ELLE Decor A-List designers) via Zoom for design advice and project guidance.
- Trade Program Membership program for professional interior designers providing access to exclusive trade discounts, consolidated ordering across multiple vendors, and centralized order tracking from a single platform.
- The Expert Collection Proprietary furniture collection designed by Jake Arnold, offering foundational pieces intended to be customized and sold exclusively through The Expert platform.
- Vintage Shop Curated collection of vintage and rare home furnishings ready to ship, sourced from vendors such as PRB and Eneby Home.
- The Outdoor Shop Seasonal curated collection for outdoor and summer living, featuring outdoor furniture, dining, and decor.
Quantifiable outcome
- Time savings: Designer reports saving time through trusted brand curation
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use The Expert
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
The Expert technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
The Expert partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- HavenlycoreHavenly acquired The Expert in an all-equity transaction. Havenly CEO Lee Mayer met The Expert's CEO Lee Anne Blake through a professional connection. Following the acquisition, Blake will join Havenly as chief commercial officer. Havenly plans to integrate its technology and vendor network into The Expert's platform to build stronger procurement tools. This was Havenly's sixth furniture and decor brand deal in under four years.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
The Expert competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Expert social profiles
Digital presenceThe Expert financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Expert leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
The Expert funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors9 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Expert M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Expert
What does The Expert do?
The Expert operates an e-commerce marketplace aggregating 200+ curated high-end furniture and decor brands, offering consolidated multi-vendor ordering, trade pricing, and order tracking. It complements this with paid 1:1 video consultations connecting customers to top interior designers (AD100, ELLE Decor A-List) via Zoom, plus a Trade Program providing professional designers with trade discounts and procurement tools.
Is The Expert a public or private company?
The Expert is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently acquired.
When was The Expert founded?
The Expert was founded in 2021. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is The Expert based?
The Expert is headquartered in Los Angeles, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Expert make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Product Sales Commission is the primary driver. The others are designer Consultations.
Does The Expert have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Expert.