Business gives new look to existing home decor

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Donna Miller has always known that she has an eye for what works well together in a room.|ret||ret||tab|

However, she did not put her talent to use as an interior decorator; instead, she decided to become a professional interior arranger.|ret||ret||tab|

Interior arranging is a design service that uses the furniture and accessories a person already has and "partners them in fresh new ways," Miller said.|ret||ret||tab|

"I never realized that this could be a career," she said. "It's almost instinctive for me."|ret||ret||tab|

Miller began Room for Improvement, her interior arrangement company, four years ago when she was "looking for a change." |ret||ret||tab|

She researched information about the Interior Arrangement and Design Asso-ciation and took its training courses to increase her confidence in starting up a business.|ret||ret||tab|

After her training was complete, Miller was required to put together a picture portfolio of her work and submit it to the IADA. Soon after, she was accepted into the association.|ret||ret||tab|

Although Miller has been in the business since 1997, she has only been in Missouri since February. She grew up in the San Diego area and lived in Califor-nia until reuniting with her high school sweetheart and moving to Lebanon this year.|ret||ret||tab|

"I don't find (southwest Missouri) all that different," she said. "The pace is a bit slower here, but I feel that some of the social courtesies are lost out West."|ret||ret||tab|

After a prospective customer calls Miller, she previews the home for about an hour to see how the house is furnished and arranged. |ret||ret||tab|

Afterward, she talks to the customer about what rooms in the house are used the most, what they like or dislike in the rooms that are being made over, and most of all, what they would like to achieve in the house.|ret||ret||tab|

Miller said the most common problem with a room is the lack of artwork and insufficient lighting.|ret||ret||tab|

"The arrangement comes off the architecture of the room," she said. "Acces-sorizing and lighting make a huge difference."|ret||ret||tab|

Miller begins by completely stripping the room and starting from scratch. Then she "shops" the rest of the house to find accessories and other pieces of furniture that will work together. She often finds accessories in places a customer would not think to look, such as the patio or garage.|ret||ret||tab|

"A lot of people don't understand what is involved in the process," Miller said. "I basically play with the space they have it's a treasure hunt to find what they've got (in the rest of the house.)"|ret||ret||tab|

Miller said another frequent error in arrangement that is easily corrected is lining the walls with furniture. "You shouldn't live on the outskirts of the room, you should live in the room," she said. |ret||ret||tab|

By doing this, a person can create "pockets" of space and give the room a more expansive feel, Miller said.|ret||ret||tab|

Miller does not allow her customers to remain in the house while she is working. |ret||ret||tab|

With only herself and her assistant there, it allows her to work more efficiently and gives her the opportunity to surprise her clients upon completion of the task. |ret||ret||tab|

She said that it is like "opening a gift" for her clients when they see their newly arranged room.|ret||ret||tab|

Miller's clients are typically two-income households whose residents are between 35 and 55 years old. But, she said that interior arranging is very affordable and often much cheaper than interior decorating.|ret||ret||tab|

One thing Miller encourages prospective customers to utilize is her Web site at www.rearrangeit.com. "Since interior arranging is a new design concept, the Web site helps explain to people what it is and how it can benefit their home," she said.|ret||ret||tab|

The site contains helpful hints and several before and after photos so customers can see Miller's work.|ret||ret||tab|

"Doing this is really a treat for me," she said. "It absolutely changes how people live."[[In-content Ad]]