From Better Home & Gardens to HGTV to Instagram influencers, it seems like everyone is telling you that you can decorate (or redecorate) your home yourself “to the tens” on a minimal budget. But, let’s face it, there’s a lot of time, effort and money spent in shopping, woodworking, painting and crafting — and sometimes, you simply don’t want to “DIY.” If you need help furnishing a new home, refreshing your walls, artwork or carpets, or setting up a special look for the holidays, consider calling Debbie Demboski and her daughter Sara Nelson at Decorating Den Interiors.
Established in 1969, Decorating Den Interiors has nearly 300 franchises across the U.S. and Canada. The company covers everything when it comes to home décor — inside and out. Decorating Den designers offer design ideas and sell furniture, lighting, window treatments, bedding, paintings and artwork, as well as carpeting and rugs, patio furnishings and more.
Whether you need help with one room or your entire home or office, Debbie and Sara offer a free, no-risk (or obligation) consultation and they will bring their design studio to you. They each travel with a Decorating Den van filled with thousands of design samples — wallpaper books, color swatches, fabrics, blinds and sample designs from other successful projects.
After parking their studio in your driveway, Debbie and Sara begin by touring your home and asking questions to get a feel for your decorating vision and budget. Then, Debbie and Sara will get to work on a new design right then and there. They will take measurements, share samples and sketch out the sizes, shapes and colors of possible new designs.
“With the two of us, you will get two different approaches,” Debbie says. “I am more traditional, so I still use pen and paper, but Sara is handy with technology so she’ll often use her Apple Pencil and iPad for her sketches.”
She adds, “With our first visit, our goal is always to get it right the first time, so that the next time you see us will be for product delivery and installation of your new look. Sometimes, we will come back for a second visit to put together new design ideas or show a personalized design presentation, but I’d say about 50% of the time, we can help you choose your new design at the first appointment.”
Decorating Den negotiates directly with more than 130 design suppliers through its LIVV Home Collection and passes on the savings to its clients.
“Because we’re such a big interior design group in North America, we have tremendous buying power,” explains Debbie. “We buy wholesale directly from the manufacturers at very competitive rates and then sell at affordable retail prices to our clients. Of course, if you are looking to buy just one or two things, you may find them somewhere else at a similar or lower cost. But, for designing multiple things, instead of spending the time looking, price-comparing and negotiating at many different stores, we can save you time and money.”
Debbie also says that people often don’t know that Decorating Den can even help them buy custom pieces.
“We work with many name-brand manufacturers, such as Lexington, but we can also help you design and order custom, one-of-a-kind furniture, upholstery and bedding too,” says Debbie.
The best part, she says, is that if you buy through Decorating Den, you don’t have to pay an hourly consulting fee to Debbie or Sara. Their compensation is derived from each item they sell.
“Our model actually depends on us negotiating the best possible wholesale prices from manufacturers because we are then able to sell at prices that include our fees but still stay below suggested retail prices,” shares Debbie.
The strength of their franchise is the amount of repeat business they receive through word of mouth/referrals. For example, Debbie has worked on Kay Morgan’s home in New Tampa as well as her daughter’s home and a friend’s home on Harbour Island. Sara also has many repeat customers, such as Vicki Reese, who have worked with her multiple times.
“Working on the Harbour Island home was very satisfying,” shares Debbie. “The client selected a few things, went up north for the winter, came back for summer and everything was done. She didn’t have to deal with any of the stress and she came back to a brand-new-looking home.”
Three Generations…
Tampa Bay native Debbie Demboski has been a Decorating Den franchise owner since 1989. After earning her Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in Fashion Merchandising & Business from West Virginia University (WVU) in Morgantown in 1976, Debbie worked for several retail companies, including Montgomery Ward. About 34 years ago, she learned about Decorating Den from a friend and decided to buy her own franchise location when Sara was only 9 months old.
Debbie’s mom Phyllis came to help care for Sara and found herself working with Debbie as a regional secretary and office manager as Debbie’s business and role within Decorating Den grew. As one of the company’s most successful and longest-tenured franchise owners, Debbie also is the Regional Director of Decorating Den’s Central Florida franchises and has the master license of all 13 franchises across the area from St. Pete to Melbourne.
“Each franchise runs independently, but I do help them get started and check in with them one-on-one and with events, like our holiday parties,” explains Debbie. “Recently, a new location opened in Windermere, so the owner and I worked together to set up a Grand Opening event and I spoke there as well.”
Debbie has received many corporate accolades, including Decorating Den’s Region of the Year three times, President’s Club sales award and 2020 Franchise of the Year. Many of her designs also have been published in national design contests.
“Debbie Demboski has decorated three homes for me now,” says Debbie G., a long-time client. “Thanks to her, they have all been beautiful and tasteful. The best thing is that she comes to you, and brings all of her books and materials. Debbie listens carefully to what you like, and creates beautiful rooms from your direct input. She will hunt until she finds just the right furniture, blinds, curtains, fabrics, flooring or accessories for your home. Debbie is the best!”
It should come as no surprise that Sara caught the interior design bug from her mom — eventually. Sara graduated from the University of South Florida (USF) with a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in Journalism and certification in business management. After graduation, Sara continued working with the “As Seen On TV” company that she started working with as an undergrad and worked all the way up to becoming Regional Manager for the Tampa Bay area.
But, in 2014, she decided to join forces with her mom and pursue her own creative interests with Decorating Den. Sara completed a year-long internship with Debbie before starting on her own projects. She also went to training offered by Decorating Den in Texas, where she earned a window treatment certification and the prestigious Decorating Den Certified Designer (DDCD) certification.
Structured to align with the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID)’s national standards, the DDCD exam is given over three days with a written test and practical design portion. By earning the DDCD certification, Sara joined the ranks of only 5% of all Decorating Den employees.
Now with nearly ten years of experience at Decorating Den herself, Sara is a design pro in her own right, especially with window treatments, and she takes on the majority of new consultations. She also tackles social media and marketing for the franchise. While Sara is well poised to take over the business someday, Debbie says she isn’t ready to hand over the reins just yet.
“People often ask me if I am thinking about retiring, but then I point to my mom,” shares Debbie. “She’s 92 years old and she’s still working. So, I always say, I can’t think about retiring until Mom does.”
But the real reason is simple — Debbie just isn’t ready to give up her love of designing.
“Sara has grown up seeing my business evolve and expand from the very beginning,” says Debbie. “Still, there are so many challenges to deal with, such as unique projects and back orders. I work hard to stay up to date with design trends and I hope to work for as long as I can. I always tell Sara, ‘Franchises allow you to be in business for yourself, but not by yourself,’ and that we’re lucky to have a strong team with each other and with Decorating Den as a whole.”
To schedule a free in-home or in-office design consultation with Debbie and Sara at Decorating Den Interiors, call (813) 817-2264, e-mail debbied@decoratingden.com, or visit DebbieD.DecoratingDen.com.
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