One-Day Decorating

Interior

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Jan Girouard of Newport sits in the living hall of her 1883 English arts and crafts home on Everet Street in Newport. Girouard's business, All About ReDecorating, specializes in one-day decorating using items already in the clients' homes.

Same old stuff, fresh new look Lois Lang had been thinking about changing her living room for some time but couldn't decide how to improve it. Then she saw an article in the newspaper about a new interior decorating service in Newport that could give a room a fresh look--in one day. So she hired Jan Girouard of All About ReDecorating to redo the living room of her home on Eustis Avenue. “She is very easy to be with and she knows exactly what you want for your home,” Lang said of Girouard. “She did a really good job.” As many people do, Lang had set most of her furniture around the edge of the room. Girouard pulled pieces away from the wall and arranged the furniture so it would emphasize the fireplace as the focal point of the room. “I was very pleased with the results,” Lang said. “It is very pleasing for myself and my guests. ” And the new look was achieved without buying any new furniture. The idea of using the existing furniture in a room is a central theme to Girouard's service.

“This is a unique concept in one-day decorating utilizing existing furniture.” Girouard said of All About ReDecorating.

As a consultant, she meets with clients in their home and she could be dealing with one room or the whole house, she said.

“Many times people have beautiful things,” Girouard said. “Each element is beautiful. But maybe the furnishings aren't positioned properly.”

“In most cases she works to rearrange the furniture and looks into the lighting, the window treatments, the wall covering and color, the flooring and even the way things are hung on the wall.

“I try to make their home more pleasing, more harmonious and in balance and with their style and personality.” Girouard said.

At the end of the day, she will also make recommendations for future improvements and of furniture that should be added. That might include matching lamps for each end of a sofa, new pillows or even wall art. If a client decides later to buy a sofa, Girouard said she would refer them to different businesses in the area.

“Many times people have beautiful things,” Girouard said. “Each element is beautiful. But maybe the furnishings aren't positioned properly.” —Jan Girouard interior designer

“I try to make a lot of referrals and help businesses in the area because I like to have that relationship,” she said. “They may know someone who needs my assistance, so I want to help them and they can help me.”

Girouard said she charges by the length of the room, not the hour. The fee for a typical size room up to 19 feet long is $235. She can also be hired by the hour for shopping or other services.

Girouard has been involved in advertising sales for magazines for 20 years but her passion has been in interior decorating. Girouard said the idea for the business began after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. She started to think about what she would really love to do and began to look into decorating.

She read a book “Use-What-You-Have-Decorating” by Lauri Ward, the president of the Manhattan-based interior decorating service of the same name. Eventually Girouard went to New York to be trained in Ward's concepts for redecorating. The training qualified her to be part of Ward's Interior Refiners Network. Girouard emphasized that Ward trains all applicants individually.

Girouard said she could also work on an hourly basis to prepare a home for sale or to help a family set up a home they are moving into.

Another fun service is the before-and-after hosting party, she said. A client will invite five or six friends for coffee and muffins in the morning. The friends heave and come back for a cocktail party after the room has been redecorated and the get to see the changes.

Girouard said she enjoys working with the clients and having them with her during the process. "It's a lot of fun," she said. “They are there with me and I want them to learn from me and to understand what I have done.&lrdquo; Girouard said she could work with any style and with any budget. “Someone in a $1million home may not like the way their living room looks, but someone living in a 1,200-square-foot apartment could have the same problem,” she said.

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