(NAPSA)—Many creative women and men are finding a lucrative and rewarding career working at home—helping others improve their own homes. These people are turning to professional decorating. They’re finding a career they love, a job that is exciting and different every day, and one that lets them set their own hours to fit in with their own schedule. Building a home-based interior decorating business can be both easy and fun. You don’t even need business or design experienceto start. People who want to becomeinterior decorators can find franchise opportunities with a companycalled Decor & You. You provide an interest in homedecorating and a desire to work for yourself. Decor & You provides training and instruction at free seminars held at various places around the country. Enrollees can learn how to become a franchisee and realize their dreams while providing beautiful, productive and nurturing environmentsfor individuals, companies, and organizations. Hereis a glimpse of some design tips provided by Decor & You thatwill help you see how a homedecorator works and decideifit’s for you: Good interior design is as much about practicality, comfort and detail as it is about mood and style. Start by assessing what you really need: * Do you feel that in general the overall space is adequate for your needs, or would be if only you knew how? Partition walls can be taken down or put up quite easily to expand or contract space. You might find more living space in theattic, the basement, or even the garage. Here’s s an attractive idea: you may be able to becomeaninterior decorator and work for yourself. Is it possible to makethe best of existing furniture, furnishings andflooring? You can paint, strip, lacquer, dye, or stencil pieces and wood or cement floors, recover and reupholster furniture to give a room a whole new look. Do you expect to stay in this homefor a long time? Are there, or are there likely to be, children or pets in the house? This will makeall the difference with regard to surfaces and textures. Are there any elderly personsliving or staying for any length of time? If so, you will need to think about good lighting for stairs and corridors, and easy to reach bedside lighting. Bathroom floors must be non-slip, and grip rails and seats in a shower are a good idea. Where and how often do you entertain? Many people look at houses with a view to entertaining when they seldom actually do. Answers to these questions will help you to determine the way a home functions and how it should look. To find out when there’s a seminar nearbyor to get more informa- tion, go to www.decorandyou.com or call (800) 477-336.
