Jeff Schmidt is an interior designer and owner of Domus Showroom, 533 E. Erie St., which sells custom-made home furnishings, cabinets and art. The business also provides services including reupholstering, remodeling, drapery fabrication, staging for real estate and consultation.

Domus, Latin for "house," opened in late October 2011.

"Domus' clients are people who appreciate quality over quantity," says Schmidt, who conceived his showroom to be more of a destination for his Milwaukee clients and less a retail space.

Schmidt likes the physical aspects of his showroom's Erie Street location, which highlight the full range of Domus' products and services in a well-apportioned, often naturally-lit environment. Because of large windows facing the street, Schmidt sometimes forgets to turn on the lights in the showroom.

Due to the custom-made nature of Domus' offerings, the items in the showroom are meant to be suggestive, showcasing talent and possibility, and offering a comfortable area for consultation and to generate ideas.

Schmidt hopes people will consider Domus as an alternative to Chicago's Merchandise Mart.

"People who shop at the Mart are paying for national ads, high rent and its brand recognition," says Schmidt.

The upholstered pieces in the showroom were made to be similar to those found at Merchandise Mart in order to showcase the capabilities of the upholsterers at David Robert's Custom Furniture.

Schmidt is the Milwaukee representative for David Robert's. The upholstery manufacturer is a fourth generation Wisconsin company whose largest customers are Burger Boat and Palmer Johnson, Wisconsin-based makers of yachts which start at $30 million.

Schmidt is also the Milwaukee rep for several fabric lines, V and A Cabinets, which is a custom cabinet maker in northeastern Wisconsin, and Stone Creations, a custom countertop manufacturer located in Shawano.

Schmidt says that Domus is for people who want to invest in pieces but not at investment prices. Schmidt maintains that David Robert's provides the finest quality furniture construction and he has two pieces of upholstered furniture in the showroom that he's taken apart to demonstrate. One is from the Merchandise Mart and the other from David Robert's.

Schmidt offers price quotations from the Merchandise Mart to compare with his prices. For example, wholesale price at Merchandise Mart for a sofa comparable to one Schmidt has in his showroom is $8,100. The Domus piece sells for $4,500 retail.

Schmidt has been in the interior design business since 1985, when he founded JLS Designs.

The Domus Showroom pieces come from the same sources he's been working with for years in his interior design business. Schmidt views Domus as an opportunity to feature these artists and craftspeople of Wisconsin. Everything in Domus has a Wisconsin connection (except the Chinese pieces, but they do come courtesy of a private Wisconsin collection).

"There's a tremendous amount of talent in this state and that was one of the reasons I wanted to do this. I know from experience that we're very fortunate to have them," says Schmidt, who has worked all around Wisconsin and in Atlanta, San Diego and Chicago.

Schmidt says he's done everything possible to bring Wisconsin workers into his projects.

"Wisconsin craftsman have a consistent standard of quality and they are much more affordable, even though they're traveling and have to pay for parking and so on," says Schmidt.

There are criteria that Schmidt sets on the quality of the pieces he'll carry, but he is actively seeking more craftspeople so he can consider carrying their goods.

"I hope artists and craftsman will find me, especially if they're not well-represented in the state," says Schmidt.

Current art pieces at Domus include paintings by Milwaukee's Kathleen Yanda, bronze sculpture by David Aschenbrener and Outsider art assemblage pieces by David Kwasny of Freedom, Wis.

Schmidt grew up on the east side of Shawano Lake in Cecil, Wis.

"The town has 300 people and seven taverns. You do the math," Schmidt says.

Schmidt has a brother in Shawano and sisters in De Pere and Elgin, Ill.; his parents still have a summer house on the Wolf River.

Schmidt graduated from St. Norbert College with a degree in psychology, which he has found immensely useful in dealing with elements of design.

"I approach design is an art form, one that I have continued to refine through the years," says Schmidt.

Schmidt also does a lot of architectural work for remodeling. Self-taught, his plans and blueprints can sometimes be found around the showroom. He currently has projects in De Pere and River Hills.

Domus Showroom is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Schmidt has an associate who manages the showroom when he is out at clients' homes. Domus is also open by appointment evenings and Sundays.