What is a designer receiving warehouse?

A designer receiving warehouse is a dedicated facility that accepts, inspects, and stores furniture and finishes on behalf of interior design firms. Instead of freight arriving at a client's home over months and cluttering an active construction site, every piece is delivered to the warehouse, documented, and held under your firm's account until install day. On that day, the entire project is delivered and placed in a single coordinated white-glove appointment.

What is a sidemark, and why does it matter?

A sidemark is the project identifier your vendors print on every shipping label. usually a short reference like "Belle Meade Renovation / Firm Initials." When freight arrives at DWS, the sidemark is how we route each piece to the correct project, even after every box is opened and inspected. Consistent sidemarks are the single most important thing a design firm can standardize; they prevent misroutes, speed up receiving, and make monthly billing crystal clear.

What does receiving cost?

Receiving is billed per piece, tiered by weight, and confirmed with each firm during account setup. Storage is billed per square foot per day, with the first seven days included at no charge to allow inspection and inventory. Waste haul and white-glove delivery are quoted as separate line items on your monthly statement.

Services › Receiving & Inspection Services

Receiving & Inspection

Freight received, inspected on arrival, and documented for your firm.

Overview

What this service covers.

Every incoming shipment is received at our dock, inspected against the packing list and packaging condition, and routed by sidemark to the correct project on your firm's account.

When damage is identified during receiving, we photograph the piece, note it on the intake record, and notify your firm in a timely manner (same day when volume allows, within a business day or two on heavy freight days) so a vendor claim can start without delay.

How it works

A quiet, considered process.

Freight arrives

Full-truckload, LTL, and small parcel are all welcomed weekdays during business hours. Sidemarks route each piece to the right project on arrival.

Inspected against paperwork

Each shipment is checked against the packing list and packaging condition. Piece counts, cartons, and crating are verified before anything is signed.

Documented and photographed

Damage, if any, is photographed and logged to the intake record. Concealed damage found later at uncrating is documented the same way.

Reported to your firm

You receive the intake note, the photos, and our recommended next step in a timely manner, so a vendor claim can start without delay.

What's included

Line items on the account.

Dock receiving of freight, LTL, and small parcel during business hours
Sidemark routing to the correct project on your firm's account
Piece count and inspection against the packing list
Photography of any damage or discrepancy identified on intake
Timely notification to your firm with photos and notes for vendor claims
Billed per piece, tiered by weight, confirmed with each firm at intake

Ready for your first shipment.

Opening an account is a considered process. We review firm details, project scope, and billing together, share the full rate sheet privately, and welcome your first shipment within one business day.

Open an Account