Decorating Ideas for a Lingerie Store

Now that you've got the capital to get your lingerie store afloat, it's time to focus on designing it. While some of the products you sell might fall into the "seedy" category, this doesn't mean your store has to. A lingerie store should be warm and inviting-a place where women can spend their time perusing your racks. Your store design should also be suggestive, where display racks and shelves are filled with merchandise that compliments one another. Women and men will look to you to give them ideas on what to buy.

Decorating Ideas for a Lingerie Store

When merchandising your lingerie store, remember your theme. Why do men and women frequent lingerie stores? Hopeful boyfriends and husbands buy lingerie for the promise of something more. Women buy it to feel sexy, beautiful or confident on a first date, their lingerie worn under a sexy dress; or on a date night with their husband of 20 years, their lingerie the only item worn. Your displays should reflect this.

Decorating Ideas for a Lingerie Store: Displays

For a customer, lingerie looks much better on a shapely model than on a hanger. Your lingerie store should feature a variety of models wearing your most popular merchandise. Victoria's Secret, for example, always features pictures of their models throughout the store. While this approach clearly works (who doesn't love looking at VS models?), you can take it a step further by using themed pictures that include both men and women. Ideas include a man about to propose, a couple on a date in their hotel looking out at the Eiffel tower, or a married couple lying in their backyard, about to kiss beneath the stars. Then place the lingerie featured in the pictures nearby.

Decorating Ideas for a Lingerie Store: Furniture

The right furniture can help define your theme. Decorating ideas include boudoir décor, shabby chic, vintage or French style décor. Place soft, oversized sofas or vintage chairs near your fitting rooms and in the center or your store, over a large, soft rug. Use a vintage vanity table to merchandise your accessories or bath and beauty products. Use glass wardrobe closets to house your hung items. Other decorating ideas include placing floor mirrors and wall mirrors in fitting rooms or throughout your lingerie store. Decorate a claw foot tub by draping robes along it or placing folded robes within it. Use romantic wallpaper and curtains in your fitting room, behind your cash wrap or on a poster display behind mannequins in your store front windows. Construct a faux fireplace. Use spot lighting to enhance displays in corners throughout your store. Dangle a chandelier over the center of your store. Use warm lighting towards the back using clever lamps made of out vintage lingerie.

Avoid crowding your store. Always put your clearance rack towards the back or your store.