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Change your world with an interior 're-designer'

SpaceTransform will help you reinvent your home using your own stuff

By Natalie Bow

April 16, 2007

NWsource shopping columnist

SpaceTransform
SpaceTransform
A living room before being redesigned.

 SpaceTransform
SpaceTransform
The same room after the redesign.

Channel-surf on a rainy Sunday and you are bound to come across a dozen home décor shows with jaw-dropping before and after shots of Ikea-heavy dorm rooms turned into palatial, Architectural Digest-worthy parlors. More often than not, the designer is able to make this transformation with a meager allowance and a few buckets of paint. But without the benefit of the HGTV production squad and a celebrity designer, turning your own home into a design masterpiece is a major challenge.

Enter Gwen Williams of SpaceTransform. Taking a unique spin on interior decorating, Williams considers herself an "interior re-designer." Without the benefit of a swatch book or paint chips, Williams uses the furniture, art and accessories you already own to help create a harmonious space. "Not everyone is interested in hiring a traditional interior designer for a more involved and expensive makeover," says Williams. "But everyone wants a home that looks and feels amazing."

During a typical session, Williams spends time discussing the client's needs for the space. She then rolls up her sleeves, begins clearing out clutter, rearranging furniture, re-hanging art, and sometimes even pulling items from other rooms. The result is a redesigned room that feels brand-new — but at only $75 per hour (or $400 for a 6-hour session), the cost is significantly less than that of your HGTV interior designer.

If you have a shop, sale, event or great product tip you'd like to share, e-mail seattleshopping@nwsource.com.

Copyright © The Seattle Times Company

Comments

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Anne Blair04/18/2007
10 Stars for getting the word out about Gwen Williams. Wish we had an individual with her talent in my area of the U.S. If there is someone interested in redesign here, they are not being highlighted in the local media. I really enjoyed reading the article on-line! Hopefully, time will bring this much needed service into greater popularity among present designers as well as design students
Natalie04/19/2007
umm... she moves around some furniture, takes off the ugly blanket you've got lying across your sofa and makes a cat sit on a chair before she takes the "after" picture and viola! $600! I could do that. Yeah, she makes rooms look better- but anyone with an eye for design and detail could have tidied and spruced up those rooms the same. I'm not so impressed.
Karen Bush04/21/2007
I've actually used Gwen's services and she is fantastic. I'm a Realtor and Accredited Staging Professional but was at a loss with what to do with my own awkwardly-shaped living room. It's one of those situations wherein I can see more clearly when arranging and re-arranging someone else's home but couldn't quite cut through the sentiment, etc. in my own space. Anyway, in came Gwen, and within a few hours had figured out the nagging problem of furniture arrangement that we had played around with for 6+ years. Using Gwen's knowledge of Feng Shui and lots of trial and error, we worked together and came up with a space that FINALLY works. We love it and the whole family has used that room more than we ever had before Gwen came in to help us. It truly takes someone who knows what they're doing to properly transform a space, and at a fraction of the cost of an interior designer.
Robyn04/22/2007
I hired Gwen to redesign my apartment last year and was so happy with the results. I had arranged and re-arranged the stuff many times before, but Gwen brought in a whole new perspective on what was possible in my space. What I loved best about what she did was the way the space felt when she was done--her talents lay beyond creating a visual presentation, but in actually re-energizing and enlivening a space while keeping things highly functional. Having participated in several community events together, I've been in several of the spaces that Gwen has transformed, and everyone says the same thing, something along the lines of "Wow...it's so beautiful and a little bit enchanted in here, Gwen must have been here."
Grace04/22/2007
Gwen restructured my office space and was amazed by her skill, efficiency, attention to detail, and very importantly, her avoidance of adding to our environmental destruction by not forcing me to purchase MORE STUFF. I often cringe when an artist is working at an hourly rate, but she was in and out of there so quickly that it was hardly a burden. And the changes - stunning. Everyone who's seen the before and after has commented on its new spaciousness and life. All I know is, I tried it myself and couldn't do it. I hired her based on other spaces that I had seen that she had restructured that made me never want to leave. She's honest, genuine, and creative. We need more like her.
Dan McComb04/22/2007
My wife and I often disagree about how to decorate the house, but we agree that hiring Gwen to transform our living space was a great move. I love the simple elegance of her approach, and the fact that she uses your existing furniture means I didn't have to stress about how we were going to pay for the new look. It's amazing what simply rethinking and repositioning what you've already got can do for your home. So if you're looking to do a lot with a little, Gwen's your go-to girl.
amy woidtke04/22/2007
from one designer to another, i can say that gwen is mostly definitely talented in the ways of re-design. she is genuine and open to sharing her design brain not only with clients but with other designers as well. we are blessed to have her in the design community.
Lara Feltin04/23/2007
Maybe you *can* do something well, but there's still times when it's appropriate to bring in an expert - if for no other reason than the getting someone's help on seeing the forest through the trees. I'm a professional visual artist (graphic design, photography and painting) and an an amateur interior decorator) with strong opinions on how I want my space to look at feel. I've hired a "redesigner" twice in the last 8 years and have LOVED what they've done with my place. It's MY stuff afterall, all they did was make my stuff stand out better and feel more like home. On one occasion, hiring a redesigner for a day saved me from purchasing a new couch and made our dining room table a place I set flowers and we actually sit and eat at. One designer pulled my grandmother's old writing desk out of an extra basement bedroom and put it near the front door with a lamp on it. Keys, sunglasses, wallets and spare change go in the desk drawers now, and the light helps the house feel more welcoming when we come home. May not sound like much, but we lived with a darkened entry for 3 years with keys and wallets on the kitchen counter, and we may be still, if an expert had not said, "Have you ever thought of..." Hiring Gwen or someone like her is some of the best $400 you'll spend.
suzi holland04/23/2007
To Ann Blair: What part of the country are you in?? I am a redesign specialist in california, Just checking to see if you might be nearby. If not, I may be able to help you find someone in your area. Warm Regards, Suzi

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