Douglas Elliman Enlists TALD to Match Clients with the Right Designers, Architects and Builders for Any Project
by ELLIMAN INSIDER TEAM
September 2026
TALD is a curated online marketplace that connects people across the U.S. with trusted interior designers, architects, builders and landscape designers for home projects of any size. Now, through a just-launched partnership with Douglas Elliman, TALD will be what its founder, Emily Shapiro, calls “the on-call concierge” to the brokerage’s agents and clients for their design and architecture needs.
Shapiro launched TALD in 2024 as a kind of matchmaking service for homeowners and interior designers, enabling them to connect through a complimentary introductory call, paid virtual consultation, home appointment or inquiry — all instantly bookable. With a membership community that now includes more than 200 interior designers, architects, builders and landscape designers, TALD estimates that the connections it has facilitated between high-intent customers and vetted design professionals have led to some $150 million in purchasing decisions made through the platform (the company collects a percentage of the cost for consultations but not a percentage of full-service projects).
We spoke with Shapiro about how TALD works, how the platform will support Elliman agents and clients, and how a shared focus on elevating the client experience is at the heart of the new partnership.
What problem is TALD solving for consumers looking to transform their living spaces?
At a high level, TALD helps people to hire architecture and design professionals for projects of all sizes, whether they’re looking for 30 minutes of expert advice or a trusted team to build ground-up. The architecture and design industry has historically been challenging for consumers to access because you have thousands of small- and medium-sized businesses that are running lean, and it's hard to determine what types of projects they take, what their fee structure is, and what the investment looks like. TALD offers transparency and connection between a curated community of professionals and potential clients at the moment when they need these services most.
How does TALD determine which designers and other professionals to include as platform members? Is there a particular design point of view you look for?
We don’t impose our point of view because we believe there's a match for everyone. When we're evaluating new studios for our platform, we look at years of experience, as well as training because some of our members have trained at different firms and then gone off on their own.
We do look for a clear point of view in their work because we want to make sure there's a throughline in their portfolio that a client can connect with before they start working together. That makes for a higher chance of satisfaction. That throughline could be anything from a color scheme to a way they use materials. It's not necessarily about fitting into a box or only delivering a certain aesthetic.
Professional photography is a must; it helps you separate the professionals from the hobbyists.
And then there’s what we refer to as the “Good People” factor — we check references and reviews to ensure that past clients have had positive experience working with our members.
How do consumers use the TALD platform?
The platform works in two ways: There's the tech, which is self-serve and enables anyone to submit an inquiry, book intro calls, consultations and home appointments. We also have a service called the Renovation Concierge, which is a one-on-one, white-glove project matching service.
We’ve built the experience, from a technology standpoint, to be similar to the way Resy or OpenTable provide a booking layer for the restaurant industry. Many industries have been transformed by a combination of access and algorithms; the architecture and design industry is among the last to benefit from greater access and convenient hiring options.
So, when you visit the TALD website, you can search by vertical — interior design, architecture, custom home builders and general contractors or landscape design . You can also skip to “Hire a Professional” and will start to see the different types of professionals that are available on the platform. You can sort by location or service offering, whether you’re looking for an intro call, a full-service project, a virtual consultation or home appointment. You can sort by price for a virtual consultation or by the size of your project, your all-in project spend, and the style you prefer.
This is the information that was not readily available on the internet previously. TALD pulls it all together to make it your dashboard for design. You can save images and add them to your Pinterest. You can go to a designer’s page and review all of the work in their portfolio. If it fits your budget, then you can go ahead and book an intro call or a virtual consultation, so the platform creates convenient access to for those points of connection.
There's also an educational element to the site where people can learn about the hiring process and what to expect from each service offering.
How will this partnership help Douglas Elliman agents to leverage the TALD platform?
We’re looking at supporting Douglas Elliman from a few different angles. Pre-sale, we help by sharing guidance on feasibility, design, budget and other factors that go into any work to be done on the space. During the sale, we help by providing access to a trusted expert who can walk agents and buyers through the potential for a space and what improvements might look like. Post-sale, we help new buyers to find the right partner to bring their dream home vision to life. There’s a dedicated contact at TALD to help Douglas Elliman agents every step of the way.
In short, TALD will be the on-call concierge to Douglas Elliman for architecture and design matters of any measure.
Can you share any examples of how this is already playing out?
We’ve worked with an agent who was bringing a condo on the Upper West Side to market and needed to understand the feasibility for the outdoor space. We connected her with one of our members who practices both architecture and landscape design, and was able to help the agent prepare to sell a great, feasible vision. Another example is a couple that was recently looking at a home in Rye, New York, who had some ideas for the space and wanted an architect's eyes on it before they sealed the deal. So, we had her on the phone with an AD100 architect in a matter of hours. That's the type of access that you cannot get if you’re just searching online.
We worked with another buyer who had just closed on a two-bedroom overlooking the Frick Museum and reached out to her agent for an interior designer referral. She had very good taste but a limited budget, and we were able to match her with interior designers who previously worked at prestigious firms and had gone off on their own. Within 24 hours, she was able to interview three interior designers and hire one. This process often takes weeks. Because we evaluate the members of our community, we know the caliber of trained professionals who are going to ensure that clients will have a great experience.
What makes Douglas Elliman the right partner for TALD?
I think it comes down to the level of care for clients and the knowledge and expertise around individual markets that Elliman agents bring. They understand how people want to live. And they understand that buying a home is a major investment. The same goes with the architecture and design professionals across TALD. Their clients are trusting them, sometimes with their life savings. We want to make sure that connection is right. Buying a home or improving your living space aren’t just commodities or transactions. It's the level of care and the capacity to understand and support their clients that really sets these professionals apart.
Are you personally in the midst of any design or architecture projects right now?
No, we did just finish our backyard, but nothing more for now. I prefer to focus on everybody else's projects!
TALD x DOUGLAS ELLIMAN DESIGN CONCIERGE ACCESS
Email: elliman@tald.co
Text: (404) 919-1929
Find out more at www.tald.co.
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