Dcota

This place is amazing. For years I saw it from I 95 on my way back to Boca Raton from visiting my mom in Miami Beach. I always wondered what they had there. Now I know. DCOTA stands for Design Center Of The Americas. There are three connected buildings housing upscale businesses which work with designers and customers. The businesses covers so many areas of design. There were stores specializing in furniture, curtains, woven baskets, bathroom fixtures, doors, appliances, the list goes on and on. In two days Clyde and i covered three buildings and three floors.
I was so lucky to find out about a two day event called Wintermarket 2016. It was two full days of presentations with speakers, exhibits, demonstrations, food, and champaign. Each presentation was in a different showroom. Yes, we walked a lot. Speakers showed us designs, patterns, and fabrics. We listened to experts who knew the history of different prints, some dating back hundreds of years. After each presentation we were invited to stay for refreshments. Not just any refreshments but delicious catered food ranging from appetizers, sandwiches, fruits, desserts, a Moroccan High Tea, a showroom with different kinds of chocolates, and so much more. We drank mostly champagne, but there was also wine.
The first day ended with a grand opening party thrown by a business that sells doors.
During Wintermarket many more businesses opened their doors for us to look around and get some food and drinks, yes more food and drinks. One business had a raffle and Clyde won a beautiful hand printed tote bag valued at over $ 200. He even got to pick out the pattern he liked.
I learned so much and I had a wonderful time. If you’re thinking about decorating or getting furniture you may find something to buy. Just looking around will give you ideas.
It cost $ 3.00 to drive past the guard. Once we were in there was plenty of parking.

Dcota is the Design Center of the Americas. I was invited to great showroom programs at Dcota’s Winter Market 2016. They have three huge buildings with design stores on three floors. They all are huge showrooms of fabulous items ready to be installed into your home. I loved checking everything out. The owners presented their wares over two days all with tremendous enthusiasm along with demonstrations and food samples for everyone to have after the seminar at each open house.
The collections were of very valuable items of evocative prints, embroideries, bags, furniture, doors, window treatments and anything and everything you could think of for the home, all consisting of items of rich beauty. Diane and I had a great time, especially when I won a beautiful $ 200.00 Quadrille of New York carry bag in a drawing that one of the shops was offering!
We also enjoyed a myriad of beautiful treats– cookies, champagne, mimosas, hors d’oeurvres, and all sorts of desserts until I could eat and drink no more. It was a well run event timed almost perfectly to the minute. Incredibly beautiful design items were everywhere!
I had a terrific time! I hope to go again next year.

They have started towing cars that are illegally parked. Makes sense, except that their parking lot can not handle the amount of people who need to be in the building daily, forcing people to make their own spots. Yet they continue to lease offices to more companies. Greedy greedy.

Amazing place for design & decorating ! A beautiful building to walk through and have lunch in the garden café area, fresh designs, very nice customer service, make sure to go here when you have time because it takes a while to browse all the showrooms and products, just amazing selection, and very professional sales reps. Great place !

Your decorator will bring you here. If you don’t have one check in with your favorite real estate broker for a recommendation. DCOTA has the most beautiful home décor that you can buy for your home in South Florida and probably all of Florida. Be sure to go to Florense if you are looking for a new kitchen or furniture. DCOTA has everything you need to design your new home or renovate the interior of your existing home. I can’t wait until my home is built so I can buy a new Florense kitchen!

Do the valet parking, only 5 bucks and definitely worth the service. The third and fourth floor are really empty. The stores that are open are beautiful and definitely a one stop shop for high end interior design. You can also grab a meal in the restaurant in the atrium of the first floor.

The only yardstick I have of comparison are those other design specialty areas of South Florida, and as DCOTA stands against others in South Florida, it is outstanding and I think the best.
Some may question «But what about Miami Design District?» Well, that’s a «district,» and I rate that as five stars too, but it’s not a «center;» there’s a difference.
DCOTA, for those who aren’t acquainted with it is huge, as in really big. You can hardly get through it all within a day. Fortunately, it has its own restaurant facilities serving some rather decent food. The downside to the whole thing is that it is generally not open to the public, so be warned! If you just go there and expect to get into the DCOTA you may be in for a real let down. It’s a place the designers like to keep to themselves, out of the public eye and away from any average consumer who may be prone to do comparable price or value shopping, or so it would appear to me. Hence, I have the distinct feeling that the motivations of exclusivity and privacy in catering only to the profession are somewhat sinister at best.
On the good side, if you are willing to lie, cheat or do whatever as I am in order to gain access you are in for a real treat as it covers just about everything and has just about every display of kitchen, living room, electrical, bathroom, furniture or whatever dealing with interior design imaginable.

I regularly visit the Design Centers on the West Coast in California, and the New England Design Center… DCOTA is up to par with the East Coast trends, but the professionalism of the staff throughout needs to be polished. Overall a good resource for South Florida.