Design details

QUINCY — Wild Willow Interiors owner Sherri Van Diest said her design business started during a conversation with a good friend who was in the process of building a new house.

“I ran into her one day and she was excitedly telling me about the new home that she was building. Then she said to me that she was afraid because she wasn’t good at picking anything out and she didn’t know how she was going to get it done,” Van Diest said.

She offered to help. She got a good response from the business owners she met during the process, and that showed her there was an opportunity for a design business.

Her friend’s dilemma is a good illustration of the challenge that designers help try to solve, she said.

“A lot of people know what they like, but they don’t know how to pull it together. They know the colors they like, they know the styles they like. But as far as pulling everything together or putting a room or a house together, they need help with that,” she said.

“Sometimes people overthink things, and they’re trying to make everything perfect when it really doesn’t have to be,’ she said. “Some people just need help with finishing touches. And some people are starting from scratch, and they don’t know where to start.”

Van Diest said she has assisted people with a single element of design, such as picking paint colors, and helped others design entire houses. She offers a program she calls “Designer for a Day,” which illustrates another design strategy.

“I will use most of what the client already owns in terms of furniture, accessories, rugs, etcetera,” she said. “And I’ll just go in and redecorate. Sometimes I’ll eliminate things. Sometimes I’ll bring in a few new things. And the results and response to that are incredible, because people (say), “I never thought of that. I never thought of moving it that way, or putting furniture like this.’”

Big or small, the design process starts with some analysis. Van Diest said clients are encouraged to find illustrations of rooms, colors and objects that they like.

“We use a lot of what I call inspo pictures,” she said.

The next step is to analyze the pictures and pick out the elements that appeal to the customer.

“So I will help them break that down. Let's talk about that picture. What do you like about it? Why do you like that - do you like the pattern, do you like the color? Do you like the shape? Once people analyze it, break it down, then we’re able to focus more clearly on what’s going to work for them,” she said.

But it’s also important to know what doesn’t work.

“If I present something to someone, whether it’s furniture or whatever, and they say, ‘No, I don’t like that.’ When we get down to ‘why don’t you like that,’ and the specifics of that, then we can move forward and that helps me go on and directs me to what they do like,” she said.

There are trends in design just like there are in clothing or food, and Van Diest said she tries to keep current with them. There are also fads in home decorating, just as there are in clothing and on TikTok. People can use trends, and even fads, in their decorating as long as they choose with care.

“Let’s do it in such a way that when you’re tired of it and want to change it, you’re not going to have to take out a second mortgage on the house to do it. Because you can bring that trend in without having to remodel your house,” she said.

People can find home accessories that are part of those trends - pillows, rugs, decorative items like vases — that won’t cost a lot to replace when the homeowner gets tired of them.

“Trendy accessories are great and very fun,” Van Diest said.

The potential to bring in bits and pieces that don’t require major investments to change also applies to more permanent design choices like cabinets and flooring. Van Diest cited the case of a customer who loved the look of painted wood kitchen cabinets but wanted something timeless.

“I said, ‘If you want a timeless look, the answer for cabinets is wood.’ And she agreed. And I said, ‘Let’s paint the island, and leave the rest in wood.’ That way, when you’re tired of the painted island you can either repaint it to a different color, or you’re switching out an island and not an entire kitchen,” she said.

Ultimately, the best design is what works for the homeowner, whatever that is.

“Almost every single one of my clients, I say, ‘If you love it, we’ll find a way to make it work.’ A lot of people have things they’re emotionally attached to, something very meaningful to them,” she said. “It might not have anything to do with the rest of the decor, but we will find a way to make it work because it’s your house and that’s what’s important to you.”

People who want more information on the services available from Van Diest can contact her via the Wild Willow Interior website, www.wildwillowinteriors.com, or through her profile on the website Houzz.com.

Van Diest said the goal is to help her clients get the look they want.

“I do everything within my power to ensure the outcome is what they’ve dreamed of,” she said.

Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at cschweizer@columbiabasinherald.com.