Susan Dearborn Interiors, Inc.

I feel a face to face "meet and greet" is essential as a first step in determining if a client can benefit from  my services. Honest dialogue is the cornerstone of a designer/ client relationship, which phone conversations and emails do not achieve. My first meeting is complimentary and the scope of the project and how I work are discussed. 

I have a 4 year BA from Vassar Collage and an associates in Interior Design from Mt Ida. I have a 25 year service achievement award from the BBB, with no compliants having been filed

I personally have moved 6 times and renovated numberous homes, which gives me invaluable experience when working with my clients. One must "live it" to "understand it."

I work with a Letter of Agreement (LOA) which is quite standard within the industry. The LOA delineates my responsibilities and how I charge, whether remodeling and building and/ or providing design and decor services.

I charge an hourly fee while working as a consultant with builders and architects and/or while putting together a design plan for any space. Once a master plan as been accepted by a client, my hourly fees terminate.

I returned to Boston with my husband and two year old twins and wanted to pursue something that had always been of interest. We had lived in Asia and throughout the country and decided to attend an interior design school.

The business of design is complex and I wanted to feel comforatble with both the creative and business side.

I work with a myriad of clients from different backgrounds and locations. -I  love to help new home owners determine if a home has the potential they are looking for. I love to work with contractors and architects when a peron is building or remodeling. My clients include young families starting or raising school age children, who want to purchase quality pieces-middle age people who are either reinventing their lives in their existing homes or buying another residence. I also work with seniors who are moving into a smaller space and need help with changing their lifestyle and 

Recently a client hird me when they were moving from a large subrban home to anarrow city row house. They were very excited about a totally new lifestyle and may not have realized when purchasing their new residence exactly how tight the new residence was.The main door opened into a very narrow room that was to be hall entrance, living area and dining area. Clients were very fond of entertaining and did not want to sacrifice the feeling of a real dining room. The solution was to bisect the space by building a custom piece that would seperate the two areas and define the entrance. The piece had large open cubes to display the clients china collection and through which you could see the dining area. It was ceiling height in the rear and stepped down has it came forward.

There is a substantial difference in qualifictions between a designer and a decorator. The business of design today is filled with a "mine field" of poorly made goods sold at sale pricing and decorators who work for retail sources and don't know their product. A designer should hold a degree in design-can read floor and electrical plans and has the resources and knowledge to select quality products for their clients. A designer will stand behind their sources, provide quality work persons and know how to schedule and manage a project.

Interview two or three designers. Know the scope of what you want to do and the budget you feel comfortable with. Does a designer understand your lifestyle and needs? The real world is NOT HGTV. One can not rehab a kitchen for $15,000 in New England in 2 weeks. A new large kitchen will range from $45,000 to $75,000 depending on finishes and products and will take 12 weeks minimum with inspections. A living room or diningroom of quality all wood furniture, carpet lighting, painting and window treatment ect will cost $30,000. Be honest and realistic about what you want.