Cheryl Eisen Expands Her Interior Design Empire

She’s known as the oft-featured interior designer of “Open House NYC” on NBC, but behind the scenes, Cheryl Eisen is focused on expanding her design empire much more than perfecting her on-screen presence.

Eisen’s firm, Interior Marketing Group (IMG), stages some of the most coveted luxury properties in the U.S.—from Manhattan’s Billionaires’ Row, where $100 million penthouses overlook the city, to Miami’s Billionaires’ Row, where modern and art deco waterfront palaces line the coast.

But long before IMG’s rise, Eisen was in her mid-thirties, unemployed and sleeping on her mom’s sofa. Her entrepreneurial journey began with the launch of her first company, executive search firm FindNetwork, at 24 years old. It was the height of the dot-com boom in the 1990s, and her firm was thriving placing C-suite executives in the tech space. But then, the bubble burst, and FindNetwork became an instant casualty of the dot-com crash. The episode shaped Cheryl’s approach to business. “The most important lesson? Never rely on just one revenue stream,” she says.

By the early 2000s, Eisen was a frustrated real estate broker watching luxury properties sit on the market far too long. “Buyers weren’t just shopping for square footage. They wanted a fantasy, a future,” Eisen recalls. “No one was staging high-end properties with intention.”

So, without resources or a formal design background, Eisen staged her first property on a hunch—and it sold fast, at full asking price, in cash.

“In a world where perfection and speed rarely meet, my brand is built on the concept of ‘magazine-worthy design in record time’” says Eisen.

This launched the foundation of IMG in 2007. IMG remains a private company and has redefined what staging means for the luxury market, blending art, design, and marketing into a seamless experience that moves multimillion-dollar properties. Her clientele is a who’s-who of moguls and billionaires, including Jeff Bezos and Kim Kardashian.

“This wasn’t a Cinderella story,” Eisen says of her journey. “There were no industry mentors or trust fund lifelines. Every client, every staging contract, was earned by continually proving myself in a fiercely competitive market.”

Redefining Luxury, One Room at a Time

Interior Marketing Group doesn’t just furnish properties—it curates immersive experiences with signature details, from custom upholstery to modern art from private collections. Previously available exclusively to staging and design clients, Eisen’s art and design picks will be accessible to the public with the launch of her e-commerce, Art Loft, this year. The platform will offer curated, high-impact artwork to a wider audience.

Her creative eye has propelled Eisen as an industry leader, often featured on “Open House NYC,” NBC’s long-running real estate and design series. IMG’s work has also been showcased in nearly every scene of Netflix’s “Owning Manhattan,” “Selling the City,” and Bravo TV’s “Million Dollar Listing New York,” as well as scenes in HBO’s “Succession.”

“It’s never just about filling a space—it’s about creating an emotional connection, a story that makes buyers fall in love.”

Since launch, Interior Marketing Group has grown to 100 employees, with an expanding footprint in Miami and Los Angeles. The firm now stages upwards of 200 properties annually, ranging from $10 million penthouses to $100 million estates.

In addition to Art Loft, Eisen has also made strategic moves with IMG’s main business arm, Eisen Design House, which offers full-service interior design, in March 2024. She also runs LaunchPad, providing 360-degree property marketing.

“These milestones represent years of hard work, risk, and reinvention,” Eisen says. “It’s never just about filling a space—it’s about creating an emotional connection, a story that makes buyers fall in love.”

With IMG based in New York, Eisen is establishing a bigger presence across other luxury hotspots. In South Florida, she’s setting new market standards.

IMG’s staged properties have driven bidding wars and record-breaking sales, including a $49 million Palm Beach mansion that marked the largest contract of the week, a $48.5 million Palm Beach estate that followed suit, and a $35 million condo in The Continuum on South Beach that sold fully furnished. Now, Eisen is reshaping Miami’s new design narrative with high-profile projects launching at the Aston Martin Residences, Miami Beach’s 5 Park, and Missoni Baia, fusing tropical ease with IMG’s fashion-forward approach.

“Miami’s design aesthetic is a dance between streamlined minimalism and organic warmth,” Eisen explains. “The challenge has been crafting spaces that feel connected to the city’s vibrant landscape while meeting the expectations of ultra-high-net-worth buyers accustomed to New York’s sophistication. We’ve successfully struck that balance in our South Florida projects.”

Meanwhile, on the West Coast, IMG was the design-eye behind Los Angeles’ largest Hollywood Hills sale of the year, a $62.8 million, 23,000-square-foot estate perched in the coveted Bird Streets. Boasting expansive views, resort-style amenities, and a striking architectural presence, the home exemplified LA’s ultra-high-end market, driven by IMG’s custom staging.

Eisen continues to expand IMG’s global presence with her first overseas project, a private residence in Ghana.

“This momentum underscores IMG’s ability to thrive in different luxury markets while staying true to its core ethos of strategic, aspirational design,” says Eisen.