BDI is at the fall High Point Market with a new president at its helm and a relaunched to-the-trade program for interior designers, plus a new bedroom line, reinvented consoles and additional finishes.
Design News Now caught up with company President Sol Garay to talk about BDI’s push to service interior designers and what shoppers will find in the company’s showroom (IHFC, Design Center D724) this market.

BDI, founded 40 years ago in Chantilly, Virginia, focuses on well-designed, functional furniture, including bedroom and home office.
In her new role with the company, Garay says her “top priority is to develop a robust growth strategy. … I think there’s a combination of growing our customers and our customer base, growing the categories we play in, and growing the business we do with designers and the trade.”
Garay, who started her new job in September, has more than 25 years of experience managing home furnishings and consumer goods businesses. Before joining BDI, she was vice president of global creative and brands at McCormick Inc. She’s also held posts at Williams Sonoma Home, Pottery Barn and Gap. At BDI, she oversees business operations, including strategic planning, product development and brand management, and reports to Bill Becker, founder, CEO and design director.

Garay declined to say how much of the company’s current customer base is made up of interior designers but says BDI would like to double sales to designers in the next three years.
A first step in doing that has been revamping its trade program. “BDI has always worked closely with designers … (and) we really wanted to make sure that we meet the needs of the design professionals, so we are adding tools and resources that we think will meet the demands of their clients more effectively,” Garay says.
Key parts of the program include:
* Exclusive trade pricing.
* A quick-ship program (in-stock items ship within five days).

* Real-time inventory access tools.
* Personalized, dedicated sales service and support.
* A revamped resource hub with product imagery to allow designers to incorporate pieces into renderings and models.
* A new samples program with wood and metal finishes, glass and also the mesh fabrics from the company’s office chairs.
* Early access to product launches.
Even before the relaunch of the trade program, Garay says, BDI had been growing its business with designers.
“We’ve seen a lot of increased traffic at High Point Market and interest in our product because of specifically that intersection of great-looking product and functionality, and an increased awareness of the BDI brand among designers, so we thought it was time to revamp our offerings for them,” she says.
New product
At this market, BDI is making a number of introductions.
The company is launching a new bedroom collection called Kava. “Think of a beautiful resort in the desert of Arizona,” Garay says. “That is the look of Kava.” The line is available in Washed Oak. “We see a big trend in these warm neutrals,” Garay adds. “I think designers will really enjoy seeing how we interpreted the trend in our new collection.”
And BDI is building on its LINQ bedroom collection with the addition of contoured cushions, available in performance fabric or leather, to customize headboards. They coordinate with the upholstered pad on top of the LINQ storage bench, with a spacious storage cavity accessible through two sliding doors. LINQ beds include outlets and/or USB-A and USB-C charging ports in the headboards.
BDI has also updated its Elements collection of media and storage cabinets, available in three finishes, three door designs and two base options (one with hidden wheels). “The idea of Elements … is that it’s customizable to the spaces and tastes of our designer customers,” Garay says.
The company is offering new Serif tables in its home office line. The height-adjustable mobile laptop table now features a solid wood top and is available in three finishes. (Designers who visit the showroom, snap a photo of what inspires them and share it on social media tagging #BDIDesign can enter to win one of the Serif tables, Garay says.)
BDI is also expanding its range of wood finishes, adding the lighter Washed Oak and Toasted Oak to its existing choices of Natural Walnut, Chocolate Stained Walnut, Charcoal Stained Ash and Ebonized Ash.