What DesignSmart does

DesignSmart, formerly The Smart Designer, is a Boston, Massachusetts-based software company founded in 2010 that builds customizable project management software for interior design firms. The product is built on the FileMaker platform and provides domain-specific capabilities for design project workflows, including spec sheet handling, vendor and product libraries, project status tracking, document management, and integrations such as QuickBooks for accounting. It serves small and midsize interior design practices across multiple sub-verticals including residential, commercial, hospitality, and lighting design, and extends into adjacent operational functions through barcode/QR-code asset labeling, a client-facing portal, and a hardware-integrated Raspberry Pi barcode printing add-on.

The company monetizes primarily through per-seat SaaS pricing of $62/user/month on annual billing or $69/user/month on monthly billing, supplemented by optional modules priced at $19-$99/user/month (including an International Version, custom QuickBooks integration, and Priceless Pricetags/QR-code functionality). A complementary sub-brand, DesignSmart Services, offers back-office support as a services revenue line. The business is bootstrapped and privately held under founder Will Bullard, with no disclosed external funding. Recent strategic emphasis has shifted toward AI-augmented features (Spec Sheet Extractor, Background Image Removal, Webclipper) introduced in 2026, suggesting a planned evolution from a workflow/records management tool toward an AI-assisted design operations platform.

Go-to-market appears primarily direct and referral-driven, with public testimonials from named SMB design firms and no enterprise logos disclosed. The 2024 rebrand from The Smart Designer to DesignSmart reflects an effort to clarify product identity and broaden market positioning within the niche vertical SaaS category for interior designers.

Name

DesignSmart

Legal name

DesignSmart, LLC.

Website

https://designsmart.tech

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

DesignSmart, founded in 2010 in Boston, provides customizable FileMaker-based project management software for small and midsize interior design firms across residential, commercial, hospitality, and lighting verticals, monetizing via per-seat SaaS pricing and optional add-on modules.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Interior Design Project Management Software

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

Industry-Specific Low-Code Platforms (Vertical App Platforms) (HDAEAKAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Process & Case Management Low-Code Platforms (HDAEAKAE)

Keywords

• Interior design software
• Project management platform
• QuickBooks integration
• Specification management
• Design firm operations

Headquarters

HQ city

Grandville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Annual License Subscription: Core SaaS subscription for access to the DesignSmart platform, including monthly updates, free technical support, and hosting. Annual contract required. Priced at $62/user/month. Additional revenue from upselling optional modules (QuickBooks Connector, Hospitality, Inventory, Private Hosting, Project Cost Monitor, Change Orders, Progress Invoicing, Phase Tracking, International Version) ranging from $19–$99/user/month depending on the number of modules and licenses.
2. Monthly License Subscription: Month-to-month SaaS subscription without an annual contract. Includes the same core platform, updates, and technical support as the annual plan. Priced at $69/user/month, offering flexibility for firms not ready for a long-term commitment.
3. Optional Modules: Eight optional add-on modules priced at $19–$99/user/month depending on the number of modules and licenses purchased. Modules can be added at any time, enabling incremental revenue expansion within the customer base.
4. Training Services: One-time training fee of $299, providing unlimited live training and assistance for two weeks from the date of first training. Additional training can be purchased separately.
5. Custom Accounting Integration Development: Custom integration development for non-QuickBooks accounting systems. Offered at a discounted rate (up to 75% off standard rate) for firms purchasing at least 5 licenses. Requires login to the firm's accounting system for development and testing, plus an annual maintenance fee after go-live.
6. DesignSmart Services (Back Office Support): Professional back-office services including project management by experienced interior designers, administrative support, purchasing, invoicing, and time tracking. Charged per hour of productive work, eliminating overhead costs of full-time employees for design firm clients.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

DesignSmart sells a customizable project management SaaS platform purpose-built for interior design firms, covering the full project lifecycle from proposals and specifications through purchasing, invoicing, and client communication. The core platform is extended by optional add-on modules including a bi-directional QuickBooks Connector, Hospitality room-matrix module, Inventory module, Project Cost Monitor, Change Orders, Progress Invoicing, Phase Tracking, International multi-currency support, and a Client Portal with Stripe-powered online payments. The platform is delivered via cloud-hosted shared servers, private cloud servers, or on-premise installation on the customer's own FileMaker server.

Product overview

DesignSmart is a single customizable project management platform designed specifically for interior design firms. The core platform handles the full project lifecycle (proposals, specifications, purchasing, invoicing, client communication). It is extended by optional modules including: QuickBooks Connector (bi-directional accounting sync), Hospitality Module (room matrix and distribution for hotel projects), Inventory Module (three tiers from retail POS to multi-warehouse), Project Cost Monitor (pulls costs from QuickBooks), Change Orders Module, Progress Invoices Module, Phase Tracking Module, International Version, Client Portal, and AI Tools (Spec Sheet Extractor, Background Image Removal, Webclipper). A DesignSmart Companion browser extension is included for pulling vendor data. The platform supports residential, commercial, hospitality, and lighting design disciplines. Pricing is $62/month (annual) or $69/month (monthly), with optional modules priced at $19-$99/month per user.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• DesignSmart Services: Professional interior design back office support services including project management, accounting assistance, and administrative services to help design firms reduce overhead and focus on core competencies.

Products and services

• DesignSmart Core Platform Customizable project management SaaS platform for interior design firms covering proposals, specifications, purchasing, invoicing, inventory, time tracking, change orders, progress invoicing, client presentations, and financial reporting. Includes Kanban boards, Executive Dashboard, and free monthly updates with technical support.
• QuickBooks Connector Optional module providing bi-directional data synchronization with all desktop and online versions of QuickBooks, pushing and pulling client deposits, payments, purchase orders, invoices, vendor bills, accounts, credit memos, journal entries, and more. Includes Executive Dashboard for at-a-glance financial visibility.
• Hospitality Module Optional module for hospitality interior design projects. Creates a room matrix for guest rooms, assigns individual spec items to multiple rooms via room distribution, and exports Excel spreadsheets listing items by room or by floor. Includes customizable specification text.
• Inventory Module Optional inventory control module with three tiers: Entry Level (single location, basic barcode printing), Retail Level (mobile app, POS Lite, client loans, advanced barcode printing), and Advanced Level (three inventory location levels, mobile cycle counts, three included licenses). Includes QR code pricetag generation.
• Private Hosting Optional hosting module delivering a private DesignSmart cloud server or on-premise server installation (Mac mini/Mac Studio or Windows/Linux) so firms can control update schedules and host data on their own infrastructure.
• Project Cost Monitor Optional module that pulls all project-related costs from QuickBooks (including travel, local purchases, and warehouse expenses) into DesignSmart and aggregates hundreds or thousands of cost line items into an easy-to-understand on-budget/off-budget format.
• Change Orders Module Optional module that automatically computes the cost impact of change orders including items, freight, and sales tax, clearly shows additions and subtractions from the agreed contract amount, and calculates the new final contract amount.
• Progress Invoices Module Optional module enabling line-level detailed progress invoices based on actual item costs. Tracks invoiced totals per item, allows reallocation of payments for reselected items, and passes additional charges like freight to clients.
• Phase Tracking Module Optional module allowing firms to define default phases and tasks, customize them per project, and track actual hours against estimated hours. Includes single-entry and weekly time tracking forms, with hours exceeding estimates displayed as red alerts.
• International Version Optional module supporting multiple currencies with automatic and historic exchange rate pulling. Allows purchase orders to be issued in the currency of choice while maintaining base currency accounting. Dates and paper sizes can be modified per project.
• Client Portal Optional client-facing portal where clients can view and approve proposals, post questions, pay invoices online via Stripe, and invite colleagues to view designs. Supports up to two contractual documents with two signatories each.
• DesignSmart Services Professional back-office support services including project management, administrative support, purchasing, invoicing, and time tracking by experienced interior designers. Charged per hour of productive work, eliminating overhead costs of full-time employees for design firm clients.
• Custom Accounting System Integration Discounted custom integration development service for non-QuickBooks accounting systems with REST API. Typically takes 1-3 weeks after requirements are defined. Requires minimum 5 DesignSmart licenses and includes annual maintenance fee post-launch.

Quantifiable outcome

• Eliminates dual data entry between project management and QuickBooks accounting
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

AI capability4 records

Feature17 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Intuit (QuickBooks)coreTechnology or IntegrationDesignSmart's flagship integration is its bi-directional QuickBooks Connector, which works with all desktop versions (Pro, Enterprise) and QuickBooks Online. The connector eliminates dual data entry by pushing and pulling client deposits, payments, purchase orders, invoices, vendor bills, accounts, credit memos, journal entries, employees, and more. It includes the Executive Dashboard providing at-a-glance QuickBooks financial data. QuickBooks is described as used by over 90% of small businesses in the US, and the connector is the primary reason many design firms choose DesignSmart.
• StripecoreTechnology or IntegrationDesignSmart integrates with Stripe for online client payments through its Client Portal. Clients can pay invoices online, and the platform supports letting clients pay the credit card processing fees. Stripe is specifically recommended over QuickBooks' built-in payment features for its better security.
• FileMaker (Claris)coreTechnology or IntegrationDesignSmart is built on the FileMaker platform (now Claris). The software can be installed on FileMaker Server for macOS or FileMaker Server for Windows and Linux. On-premise installations require FileMaker Server. The company's customization capabilities leverage FileMaker's development framework for report customizations, layout customizations, and coding customizations.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• DesignFiles: DesignFiles offers project management, proposals, mood boards, and product libraries specifically for interior designers. It targets the same residential and commercial design firm segments as DesignSmart with a similar SaaS subscription model and direct sales motion.
• Ivy (formerly IvyMark): Ivy (rebranded from IvyMark) provides business management software for interior designers, including project management, procurement, invoicing, and reporting. It directly competes with DesignSmart for residential and commercial design firm customers.
• Mydoma Studio: Mydoma (formerly Mydoma Studio) is interior-design-specific business management software covering proposals, purchase orders, invoicing, time tracking, and client portals. It is a direct competitor in the same SMB interior design vertical served by DesignSmart.
• Fohlio: Fohlio is specification and product library software for interior designers and architects, with FF&E schedules, product data, and project workflows. It overlaps with DesignSmart on specification management and design firm workflows but focuses more heavily on product/spec data than accounting integration.
• Studio Designer: Studio Designer is a vertical SaaS project management platform purpose-built for interior designers, covering proposals, purchase orders, invoicing, time tracking, and client management. It competes head-to-head with DesignSmart in the same customer segment (residential and commercial design firms) with a similar direct sales model.

Emerging players

• ClickUp: ClickUp is a horizontal productivity and project management platform with broad customization and AI features. Its low entry pricing and aggressive feature releases make it an alternative SMB design firms may consider when comparing general-purpose PM tools to DesignSmart's vertical offering.
• Monday.com: Monday.com is a horizontal work operating system used across professional services and creative agencies. It competes for project management dollars in SMB design firms but lacks interior-design-specific workflows like room matrix, hospitality distribution, and QuickBooks-style deep accounting integration.
• Smartsheet: Smartsheet is a horizontal work management and project collaboration platform increasingly used by professional services firms including design consultancies. While not interior-design specific, it competes for the same SMB knowledge-worker project management budgets and could add templates or connectors that erode DesignSmart's vertical advantage.

Others

• QuickBooks (Intuit): QuickBooks is both DesignSmart's core integration partner and a potential adjacent competitor for SMB business management. Intuit's continued dominance in US small business accounting (90%+ adoption cited by DesignSmart) underpins DesignSmart's positioning, while Intuit could expand features that reduce reliance on third-party PM tools.

Broad incumbents

• Houzz Pro: Houzz Pro is a broader business management suite for home professionals (designers, contractors, remodelers) built on the Houzz marketplace. It overlaps with DesignSmart in project management and client engagement but operates as part of a wider consumer marketplace platform rather than as a focused interior-design PM specialist.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@DesignSmart
• Facebookfacebook.com/HelloDesignSmart
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/designsmart-software
• Instagraminstagram.com/designsmartofficial

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about DesignSmart