Today we’d like to introduce you to Gil Breef
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I am Gil Breef, founder of Shades By Design. I moved to New York City from Israel in 2000 at the age of 18, arriving as an immigrant with no knowledge of the language or financial resources. My early days in the U.S. were challenging yet transformative.
My brother and I started a carpet cleaning business out of our two-bedroom apartment in Brooklyn. Our first office was our minivan, and we dried wet carpets in our living room—a humble yet ambitious beginning.
Our introduction to the window treatment industry happened by accident. A client asked us to clean a shade, but unfortunately, we damaged it. To fix our mistake, we opened an account with Hunter Douglas to purchase a replacement. This moment led us to discover a new business opportunity. We pivoted to window treatments, expanded our services, and launched NY Window Fashion in NYC, eventually opening a showroom and working with some of the industry’s top architects and designers.
By 2012, we had completed several high-end projects in Florida, and I recognized the opportunity to establish a strong presence in the South Florida market. In 2014, I founded Shades By Design in Miami, catering to luxury residential and commercial clients across South Florida, the Caribbean, and Latin America.
We quickly built a reputation as industry leaders in custom window treatments and automation solutions, working with top brands like Lutron and Crestron. In 2020, we expanded further into custom outdoor shading solutions, including pergolas, awnings, and umbrellas.
In 2023, we opened an 11,000 sq ft facility in Miami, which features a 4,000 sq ft showroom displaying our extensive range of products. My journey from arriving in the U.S. with nothing but determination to leading a premier shading company reflects my commitment to hard work, innovation, and customer satisfaction.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The road to success was far from smooth. Being an immigrant in a new country, I had to learn the language, navigate a new culture, and build everything from scratch.
Starting as a small business in Brooklyn, my brother and I faced financial struggles, working out of a cramped apartment and using our living room as a workspace. In the early days, every project was a learning experience, often involving trial and error.
The transition from carpet cleaning to window treatments was not planned, but we embraced the challenges and learned on the go. Damaging that client’s shade turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as it opened doors to an entirely new industry.
Expanding to Florida came with its own set of difficulties—building a new client base, gaining industry recognition, and competing in a new market. Over the years, managing growth, scaling operations, and adapting to industry trends has required resilience and constant reinvention.
Despite these challenges, I have always believed that persistence, adaptability, and a commitment to excellence are the keys to long-term success.
We’ve been impressed with Shades By Design, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Shades By Design specializes in luxury window treatments, motorized shading systems, and outdoor shading solutions for residential and commercial spaces.
What sets us apart is our commitment to quality, innovation, and personalized service. We partner with architects, interior designers, and builders to create custom solutions tailored to each client’s unique needs.
We take pride in our white-glove service, ensuring that every project is handled with precision, professionalism, and care. Our trade partner program offers exclusive benefits to designers, architects, and builders, allowing them to provide their clients with the highest-quality shading solutions.
We are proud to have grown into an industry leader, trusted by high-end residential clients, luxury hospitality brands, and commercial developers across Florida, New York, the Caribbean, and Latin America.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
What I love most about Miami-Dade and South Florida is its diversity, energy, and international market. It’s a city that attracts visionary designers, architects, and entrepreneurs, making it the perfect place for a luxury-focused business like Shades By Design. The beautiful weather, thriving hospitality industry, and luxury real estate market make it an ideal location for our custom shading solutions.
However, one challenge of doing business in Miami is the fast-paced, transient nature of the market, which can make building long-term relationships more challenging. Additionally, logistics and permitting processes can sometimes be complicated.
Despite these challenges, Miami continues to be a hub of innovation and design, and I am grateful to be part of a growing industry in such an exciting city.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.shadesbydesign.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shadesbydesign/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ShadesByDesign
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/shadesbydesign/
- Twitter: https://x.com/ShadesByDesign
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTQVgFGuAzIe64kI9CtEziA
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/shades-by-design-boca-raton-2?osq=shades+by+design&override_cta=Request+pricing+%26+availability
- Other: https://www.pinterest.com/shadesbydesign/
