Local interior design franchisee hosts ribbon-cutting ceremony in Easley

Grace Shetrompf with Gracious Living Design hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Greater Easley Chamber of Commerce on Friday, February 24. Gracious Living opened as a franchise of Decorating Den Interiors, North America’s largest home furnishings and interior design franchise company. She joins nearly 300 other franchisees throughout the U.S. and Canada.

Ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Greater Easley Chamber of Commerce, Friday Feb 24.

“We are pleased to have Grace join our interior design family,” said James S. Bugg, Jr. CEO of the Easton, Md.-based company. “She brings solid business experience and was very impressive as we got to know her.”

Grace Shetrompf of Gracious Living Designs

Grace became a Decorating Den Interiors franchise owner after progressing through an extensive qualifying process and completing the company’s Professional Decorating and Sales School along with other pre-business opening training.

Grace chose to open her business as a franchise of Decorating Den for the power and support that Decorating Den offers. Decorating Den has been in business for over 50 years. They have established relationships with outstanding suppliers and when she joined the Decorating Den family, those vendors immediately welcomed her.

Not only does she have access to huge discounts from these amazing products, but she’s also trained by each company behind the products. Decorating Den Interiors also offers continuous training, which means she’s always learning something new about the business.
She finds having the support of designers and mentors at Decorating Den who offer a wealth of knowledge and experience so valuable.

“By becoming a Decorating Den Interiors franchisee, I have direct relationships with suppliers in our LIVV Home Collection™ of fine furniture, custom window treatments, wall and floor coverings, accessories, lighting and even closet systems,” she explains. “We offer an initial complimentary in-home consultation and personally oversee design projects from inspiration to installation. Our extensive selection enables us to work within a wide range of budgets and lifestyles. This is a true one-stop shop for all design needs.”

Grace says that very project that she works on is different.  For example, one person only needed help picking a new sofa for her family room. She knew that she needed something spacious enough for 2 adults, two teens, a kindergartener, and a large dog. They discussed the fact that she needed something that was easy to clean, and looked at different fabric and color options together.  She and her entire family love the new sofa.  

Kitchen design from Gracious Living Design portfolio.

Whatever the project, the appointment usually starts the same way.  First consultations are always absolutely free. These appointments are at the home or business location.   This makes it convenient for the client and she gets to see the space where she’s needed.   

When she gets to a client’s home, they give her a brief tour so she can see what styles they seem to like. She starts the conversation about the needs of the family before discussing the project, taking lots of pictures and measurements. Then the budget is discussed. The budget conversation is very important because when a client agrees to a budget, it’s important for Grace to never exceed that. “There will be no bad surprises, ” she says.

After the appointment, she creates a design plan.  When she goes back to see the client she not only brings samples of fabric for drapery or chairs, but also plenty of pictures on hand so they know the exact plan for the project. Approving the design plan is the last thing the homeowner needs to do. She handles the ordering, coordinating delivery, and overseeing the installation. She’s there to make design easy and fun, so the client never has to worry about a thing.

“I absolutely love when someone walks into a room that I have worked on and they say, This!! This is what I wanted. This feels good. That is the ultimate compliment for a decorator ,” she says. “For the homeowner to say that the room feels good and it feels like home.”

“I think being a creative person goes hand in hand with being a dreamer; so of course I dream and I try to picture the future. In 10 years, I hope Gracious Living Design is a well-known name in Pickens, Oconee, and Greenville Counties.  I hope we are a favorite that people think of as soon as they start considering new window treatments, furniture, wallpaper, rugs or home accessories.”

As a matter of fact, to help start spreading word, she is offering 20% off any chair purchase to anyone that mentions this article. 

She can be contacted at (864) 864-660-2046 or graciouslivingdesigns@decoratingden.com .  Her website is www.graciouslivingdesign.decoratingden.com

Transitional deck design from Gracious Living Design portfolio.