PRESS ROOM


Design House® Celebrates 150 Years with Donation to Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity

Event Details

Date/Time: Saturday, October 1, 2022 – 1pm CST

Visual: Loading of Habitat for Humanity truck with cabinets, furniture and home improvement items during employee picnic with tent and group of about 100 people

 

Mequon, Wis. – Oct. 1, 2022 – Design House®, local seller of home décor and improvement products, celebrates its 150th anniversary Saturday, October 1 with an employee picnic and donation to Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity. The donation of about $3,000 in bathroom cabinets, furniture and other home improvement items such as lighting and plumbing fixtures will be donated to ReStore, Habitat for Humanity’s resale stores/donation centers.

Design House was originally Butter Hardware and then the Butter Company through the late 1980s when it launched the Design House brand. The company remained in the Butter family, led by Gustav A. Butter’s son, grandson and great-grandson, before being sold to its current ownership group, DHI Corp.

The company’s assortment also transformed over the years, including appliances and hardware staples, locks and garage doors, molded plastic shutters, bath surrounds, licensed home security products and ceiling fans, and now its current lineup of furniture, cabinets and cabinet hardware, plumbing, bath accessories, lighting fixtures, area rugs and more.

The company owned various facilities including manufacturing at several locations throughout the Milwaukee area before landing in its current headquarters on Donges Bay Road in Mequon.

“It has been a privilege to preserve the Butter Family’s legacy, which has provided support and resources to our team of over 100 employees and given back to the Greater Milwaukee community,” said JP Drevline, CEO of DHI Corp.

About DHI Corp.

DHI Corp. (dba: Design House, Design House Inc., Today’s Design House, Leick Furniture, Leick Home) provides a variety of home products to create living spaces consumers love at prices they appreciate. DHI offers quality products for every room of the house at affordable prices, with its headquarters in Mequon, Wisconsin. DHI Corp. also has a warehouse and distribution facility in Summerville, S.C. Its website is www.todaysdesignhouse.com.


Design House® Celebrates 150 Years in the Milwaukee Area with Milwaukee County Historical Society Anniversary Accolade

Mequon, Wis. – May 24, 2022 – Design House®, local seller of home décor and improvement products, was recently honored for its 150th anniversary by the Milwaukee County Historical Society. The accolade came at its annual awards dinner May 11, 2022, at the Pfister Hotel.

“We have been so grateful to be able to continue the tradition of quality that Gustav A. Butter established when he opened his tinsmith and hardware business in 1872 in the Walker’s Point neighborhood of Milwaukee,” said JP Drevline, President and CEO of Design House®. “The business has evolved over the past 150 years into a dynamic e-commerce and wholesale business serving customers across the country.”


Design House® Opens Summerville, S.C. Warehouse

Mequon, Wis. – November 16, 2021 – DHI Corp., the parent company of Design House® and Leick Home® brands, celebrated the opening of its new Summerville, S.C. warehouse today. The new location adds distribution to the Southeast United States, serving parts of the country that represent 45-50% of the company’s historical shipping volume.

“Not only does this location, our third warehouse and distribution center, increase speed and decrease both cost and environmental impact to deliver our products, it also allows for lead time improvement by providing nearby access to an expanding and efficient port in Charleston,” said JP Drevline, President and CEO of DHI Corp. 

The new distribution facility is located at 300 Trade Zone Boulevard, Summerville, S.C. The $627,000 investment will bring 40 new jobs to the community.


Design House® Acquires Leick Home® to Expand E-Commerce Home Décor Presence

Mequon, Wis. – January 23, 2020 – Design House® today announced it acquired Leick Home®, a Sheboygan-based furniture company. This acquisition deepens the product portfolio for Design House® and expands their customer base, while injecting new thinking into the business.

Leick Home® is a family-owned and operated business with four generations of furniture making experience that uphold a simple family tradition – deliver more than the customer expects, for less than they expect to pay. This aligns with the Design House® business model of providing their customers with quality products at affordable prices.

“We are excited about the opportunity to add this well-established furniture brand to our offering of products. We see this this acquisition as the merger of two, great Wisconsin-based companies, each with over 100 years of proven expertise. The combination of Design House® and Leick proves a natural step in the evolution of the Company. Their focus on the E-Commerce channel and home décor products makes them a great addition to Design House®’s business. We are two companies who have grown with the times and see equal value in continuing to expand on that opportunity. I look forward to working with and learning from the Leick team,” said JP Drevline, President and CEO of Design House®.

Design House® is a privately held company based in Mequon, Wisconsin. They employ 81 people in their Mequon office and warehouse, and have an international office located in Shanghai, China with sourcing and quality-focused associates.

About Design House®

Founded in 1872 and based in Wisconsin, Design House® provides a variety of home products to create living spaces you’ll love at prices you’ll appreciate. We offer products for every room at an affordable price, because we believe that upgrading your home shouldn’t break the bank.

About Leick Home®

Four generations of furniture making experience uphold a single family tradition – deliver more than the customer expects, for less than they expect to pay. While customer tastes have evolved from library tables and piano benches to flat screen TV consoles and recliner wedge tables, some furniture features never go out of style – a silky smooth finish, and study, wobble-free solid wood. At Leick Home®, we know TV cabinets, coffee end table sets, home office, counter and bar stools, and stand-alone accent tables inside and out. Building real wood furniture designed for your home and built to last…for more than 100 years.