"We've been re-envisioning our Design Centers over the last couple of years," Paccione said. "We want our clients to see more than just a gallery of furniture; we want them to see a full-scale design resource center." 

Like other new locations, the Atlanta store is laid out in a clean, modern aesthetic. Workstations throughout the store with oversized wall-mounted touchscreens help clients work with store designers to create their perfect interiors. Paccione said Ethan Allen began deploying touchscreens to locations in 2010 and added the Surface Pro tablets in 2013.

With the touchscreens, clients can, on their own, explore the website, use web-based tools to design furniture with custom options for finish and fabrics, and use the 3D, 360-degree viewer, a new technology that launched in conjunction with the company's Disney product collection, which debuted on Mickey Mouse's birthday last November 18. 

Designers, meanwhile, use the touchscreens to view design projects that they work on with their Surface Pro tablets via a program called Interiors Plus, which designers can use to help their clients create and furnish a replica of one of their rooms, beginning by building a floor plan that is laid out exactly to the customer's specs, including details like fireplace, doorways and windows. 

"The screens, particularly at the workstation, make the experience more immersive for our clients," said Paccione. "Scale matters a lot; looking at a floor plan on a laptop doesn't have the same 'wow' factor as looking at a floor plan on a large, high-quality wall display. Clients especially love to see the 'before' and 'after' photos of their home on the big screen. They say, 'Wow, is this really our place?'"

The Surface Pro tablets, meanwhile, have helped staff stay organized with a multitude of functions. Designers can sit at a workstation and use the touchscreen function to interact with designs or floor plans for a client, and then pick them up to walk through the store assembling an order or calling up product specs on the website, as well as tote them to home calls. The keyboard, meanwhile, can be used to prepare documents or access email.

Ethan Allen Buckhead's Kathy Vigoda, designer (foreground), and Adrian Gay, design center manager, review a client's project at the new Atlanta location.

Kathy Vigoda, a designer for the Buckhead location, says the new technology, coupled with home calls and other hands-on services, has helped increase sales and satisfied customers. 

"With home calls, the percentage is so much higher for closing sales and higher total sales," she said. "We're able to take measurements, photograph the space, and get a better sense of direction. I can bring [samples of] fabrics and finishes and really complete the space." And as for the floor plan software, Vigoda said, "I would not do a room without it. I feel very confident, knowing it will all fit."

After a meeting or two at the client's home and in the store, the designer is able to pull together swatches, finish samples, a rendering of the layout, and options for furniture and accessories. 

Added Adrian Gay, design center manager for the Buckhead store, "Once designers present it all together, the client usually says, 'Wow, I have to have the whole look!' We're not just a furniture store. We're really about design."

When it comes to area rugs, Ethan Allen execs say that floor coverings play a significant role in sales and the design of the overall room. 

"Rugs are the foundation of any room design, both literally and conceptually," said Paccione. "They anchor space and bring all the elements together. People feel more comfortable purchasing rugs when they see them as a part of a bigger design idea, so it definitely helps them to talk to a designer and see how the rug works in the room."

The company offers rugs that have a versatile look, i.e. they can be used in both casual and formal settings, depending on the rest of the furnishings. In the Buckhead store, as in other design centers, rugs are integrated into vignettes throughout the store, while a swatch library and sample rack show the breadth of the company's assortment. 

Paccione said area rugs are the company's largest accent category. All Ethan Allen rugs are designed in-house and are exclusive to Ethan Allen. A broadloom program offers 68 different rug patterns and custom configuration, giving customers the ability to get a rug that fits their specific dimensions. Because the majority of the rugs are made in the U.S., they can be ready to ship within 2 to 4 weeks.

In recent years, the company has transitioned several of its most popular hand-woven rugs to its Quick Ship lineup. "Clients like rooms to come together quickly, and we're finding they're really open to the Quick Ship rug as a fast finishing touch," said Paccinone.

In the new Buckhead store, a section of vignettes is devoted to one of Ethan Allen's latest furniture and accessories collections: Ethan Allen | Disney. This collection is intended to help Ethan Allen connect with Millennial consumers who are just starting families and will appreciate the nostalgic appeal of the familiar Disney characters, as well as the practicality of some of the pieces, such as a family-sized sectional and accessories that help busy families stay organized. "We really played with shape, got inspired by retro Disney designs, and brought out signature Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse details," said Paccione.

From the Ethan Allen | Disney collection, a rug called 'Not Your Traditional Rug' has hidden Minnie Mouse shapes in the design.

This collection includes ten area rug designs, most of which are available in a range of colors. Among the options is a design called Not Your Traditional Rug; it is a pink rug that features a traditional-looking pattern which, upon closer inspection, has hidden Minnie Mouse shapes throughout the design (read story).