Even though Windsor Dalton’s clients in North Carolina’s Piedmont Triad live in the “Furniture Capital of the World,” the interior designer believes many don’t have easy access to the luxury home furnishings brands that he loves to use in his projects.
He’s trying to change that by opening a showroom in downtown Winston-Salem this spring. The space, named after his design business Windsor Dalton Designs, will be open by appointment only to start.
“Rather than having to wait for the furniture market, (with the showroom) I can have a client come in at any time and see the upholstery that we would suggest, to see the rug samples and examples of lighting. I try to work primarily with North Carolina-based brands, and the quality is so much greater than many people realize. You really can’t understand that through photos,” Dalton says. The showroom, he adds, will help his firm “elevate the client experience.”
Dalton’s inspiration for his new showroom is upholstery brand Verellen’s space in High Point. “Their showroom is like stepping into another world,” Dalton says. “My mom (who was previously an interior designer) is obviously well-versed in the design world but she’s a little bit more frugal than I am and she’s always saying, ‘I bet we could find something similar for less.’ The day I took her to the Verellen showroom she was speechless, had goosebumps. She looked at me and said, ‘I don’t care what it costs: I’m getting to two Verellen sofas in our next house.”
Dalton continues: “I want people to walk into my showroom and say, ‘I’ve never seen (furnishings) like this. I have to work with this person because I want my house to feel like this.” He’d also like the space to become known as a place where locals know they can purchase a quality piece for their homes.
The 1,800-square-foot showroom, displaying case goods, upholstery, lighting, rugs and accessories, will be designed around room vignettes. “So, it will showcase pretty much every element of your home outside of kitchen and bath,” Dalton says.
In addition to Verellen, the space will feature home furnishings from Coley Home, Jaipur Living, Made Goods, Regina Andrew Detroit and Visual Comfort. (Dalton was recently named a brand ambassador for Regina Andrew Detroit.)
The space will also include items from Dalton’s own licensed collection with Post House. The line, inspired by a trip to Paris, launched in the spring of 2025, and includes several patterns available in fabrics, pillows and rugs. The patterns are offered in Dalton’s curated colors but can be customized.
That Paris trip also was a source of some of the art that Dalton will showcase in the new showroom. “But artwork is all over the gamut — new, antique, in all different types of mediums,” he says.
One specific category Dalton hopes to introduce to showroom visitors is cordless lighting. “It’s really coming into the industry in a more sophisticated way and it’s such a game changer to not have to worry about cords and outlets,” he says.
A believer in community engagement and connecting people, Dalton also will open the space for public events. “I want to do either monthly or bimonthly events at the showroom, to bring people in and show them things they’ve never seen before,” he says. “We’ll have candles and little things that people can buy as one-offs, but the main thing is to develop relationships.”
The origin story
With a mother who was an interior designer, Dalton grew up in the world of design.
“She was the queen of DIY before DIY was a thing. We grew up walking downstairs and my mom would have a sledgehammer in her hand, saying ‘I want to open up this wall.’ … When I was 7 years old, I was decorating for the holidays,” Dalton says. “Knowing that I could do things with my hands that made people feel something was the coolest thing in the world to me.”
Dalton describes his personal aesthetic as “very cozy, moody, a little bit more masculine.”
He lived in Boston for a time and then Los Angeles, starting on the marketing side of the furniture and design sectors. He moved back to his hometown of Winston-Salem in 2000 and launched his residential design business.
“With Covid, I had extra time on my hands and I thought, ‘You know, design has always been a passion of mine and if I had all the resources in the world (and didn’t need to work), that’s still what I’d be doing.’ So, I thought, ‘I’m going to give it a shot, create Windsor Dalton Designs and see what happens.’”
What happened is that he quickly built the business, starting with advising people on furniture selections and then expanding to room redesigns and then whole house renovations. He also launched an online store, Maison Trouvée, featuring hand-selected bowls, planters, sculpture, artwork, books and other accessories. Dalton describes Maison Trouvée as “a collection of pieces that carry a story, are rich in history and every piece exudes timeless French style.”
The bulk of Windsor Dalton Designs’ projects are in North Carolina, but the firm also has clients in Connecticut, Florida, New York and Ohio. Some of those clients have found him via Instagram and TikTok.
He’s gotten especially good traction with TikTok videos in which he walks quickly through a Home Goods store, a frequent source of quick, final touches on installation days. “I say, ‘I’m going to show you my designer-approved items,’” he explains. “And I just say yes and no to things. I’ll walk through and pan the camera, and I’m like, ‘This is a no. If you have this throw it away.’ ‘This is a yes.’”
Just the right size
Dalton appreciates his success thus far but has no desire to grow his firm into a large business.
“I’m doing this for the love of it,” he says. “Some people do this because they have a passion, but they also want to build a huge business with six junior designers and all this staff. I’ve never wanted that. I would rather always stay boutique and wrap my hands around every aspect of a project. I’ve never spent a dollar on posting an ad … It’s mostly been word of mouth. I think people value the experience and the relationship I build with them.”
