BURLESON INTERIOR DESIGNER USES MEMENTOS TO DECORATE OFFICES
A
home office doesn't have to mean just a desk, a chair,
a computer and a fax. Delina Dobrenchuk, owner of
3D-Designs, believes a home office should reflect
a person's personality just as much as the home does.
"A person's personality doesn't change from
the home to the office," she said.
With her designer's eye, Dobrenchuk moves larger
pieces to follow the lines of the room, to provide
balance and scale. Then, she brings in pieces from
throughout the home to form the office around her
client's character. For small offices, just a couple
of favorite mementos can make a huge difference. For
larger offices, she might arrange a seating area for
entertaining clients.
"It's a matter of providing the finishing touch
of placing things in just the right place," she
said.
Dobrenchuk utilizes a client's existing pieces. She
is not connected to a retail firm; she doesn't come
in with swatches to totally makeover a room. She doesn't
want her clients to feel they have to purchase new
things.
"A lot of the time they will have the functional
basic pieces, but in order to add personality, I seek
accessories from throughout the home," she said.
The comforts of home are still the comforts of the
office. It makes the office very workable and pleasing."
The personal touch
She cites as an example one client who was against
having his home office redone, yet his wife had purchased
Dobrenchuk's services. He had a huge, solid cherry
wood desk that Dobrenchuk simply flipped around to
face another direction. Shelves were being built,
so she went about finding things that reflected the
client's preferences, such as Western art and antique
Western accessories. When she finished with the room,
her client was extremely happy. "He couldn't
believe it was the same room," she said.
Dobrenchuk also uses her skills for public offices.
An attorney's office she worked on presented her with
a challenge.
"It was like a bowling alley," she said,
very long and narrow with about 12 thin windows along
one side. At one end was a CPA's office, at the other
was a title office, with the attorney serving both.
The area held two love seats, a couple of ficus trees
and two end tables, all lined up against one wall,
throwing the room off balance. The theme was somewhat
Southwestern.
First, Dobrenchuk took away anything that was not
Southwestern in design. Then, she rearranged the furniture
to create personalized seating areas for each office,
harmonizing the scale and balance of the room by taking
the furniture away from the walls. "Most people
line furniture against the wall," she said.
Once complete, she provided an assessment of additional
items that would work in the office, such as a small
runner in front of the sofa, another ficus and floor
lamps.
"Floor lamps are very intimate and private,"
she said, thus dividing the seating areas even further,
"yet they allow function."
She also suggested a few more brass pieces, such
as a sculpture and candle holder, to compliment and
accent the pieces that were already there.
These simple add-ons can be applied to any office
as an inexpensive way to add texture and interest,
Dobrenchuk says. Sometimes, her assessment might include
task lighting, area rugs, mirrors and greenery --
things to soften the environment yet keep it professional.
Movie magic
Dobrenchuk's background in design began with a career
in the visual department of May Co. in Jacksonville,
Fla. When her family moved to Virginia Beach, Dobrenchuk
began a career as a free-lance movie set decorator,
working for The Movie Channel's "Yours, Mine
and Ours," show. From there, she read an article
in a woman's magazine about one-day makeovers for
homes and offices. She called the company for information
and attended a five-day seminar in Savannah, Ga.
At the seminar, Dobrenchuk honed her natural ability
with three days of intense training and two days of
handson assignments. She sharpened her skills for
following the architectural lines of a room, learning
scale, balance and lines and deciphering which pieces
go where. Then she started her own company and moved
to Fort Worth in December 1997.
Business boost
A feature on KXAS-TV's Saturday morning show in November
1998 spotlighted Dobrenchuk redesigning an entire
home. That spot resulted in an overwhelming demand
for her home holiday decorating services, she said.
She also designed the boudoir parlor of Thistle Hill.
In her new hometown of Burieson, Dobrenchuk designed
the entry lobby for the Burieson Chamber of Commerce,
requesting a courtesy loan of two Queen Anne wingback
chairs and matching tables from Stett's, a local furniture
store. She added lamps, a mantle clock, candles and
photos of still life.
"The Chamber was very appreciative," said
Dobrenchuk, who added that she was proud to be able
to provide the Chamber with a positive greeting space
for visitors and business officials. Other Burleson
clients include the mayor's home office.
Much of Dobrenchuk's business comes from referrals
and Realtors. More and more, business is focusing
on home offices.
"With telecommuting and home officing, it allows
people to carve a niche for themselves at home,"
she said. Most people box themselves in, living with
just the essential pieces. "I want them to know
they can relax more and put more of themselves into
their work space, saying 'It's my own office. I don't
have to share the coffee machine or anything else.'"
