---------------------------------------------
DONE IN A DAY
By Stephanie Simons Photographed by Dave Adams
-SOLANO MAGAZINE
---------------------------------------------

Redesigning, the process of moving furnishings 
into a more pleasing and efficient arrangement, 
is gaining momentum regionally and nationally. 
This living room was redesigned for the Benson 
family of Angwin by redesigners Ruthanne and 
Charlie Hatfield.

Many of us go into a dither at the thought of 
revamping our homes:
the expense, the selection, the shipping, the 
placement. The headache. This do-it-yourself 
distress is one of many factors fueling the 
popularity of the one-day room makeover-the 
hottest new trend in interior redesign. That's 
right: redesign. As in rearrange, refresh, 
renew. But here's the twist: Unlike traditional 
interior designers, the professional redesigner 
reinvents your home using existing d้cor and 
finishes the task in just a few hours.

Redesigners Ruthanne Hatfield
and her husband, Charlie, teach
the redesign process in Napa.

Redesigners will often 'shop' a house
to find the right mix of furnishings and
accessories.

It's a one-of-a-kind endeavor that's
swiftly gaining momentum in Napa,
Solano and Yolo counties, but it's also
stirred up national media buzz and a
regular spot on HGTV's Decorating Cents
show. Contrary to what's revealed in one
brief segment, the one-day room makeover
is a labor-intensive process. It requires a
discriminating eye, sensitivity to other
people's style-and professional training.
Interior redesigners (otherwise known
as rearrangers) are an unrivaled, and
rapidly multiplying, species. Redesigners
are flexible, their tactics are thrifty and
their philosophies are easy to grasp. Their
work employs the principle that successful
decorating comes from an artful mix of
the things people love most.

"Designers often want the homeowner
to get rid of some or all of the existing
furnishings and buy new items," explains
Ruthanne Hatfield, a Napa-based interior
designer and redesigner who's made repeat
appearances on Decorating Cents. "Another
big difference is cost. A redesigned room
typically costs less than half (the price) of
an armchair and the results can be enjoyed
that evening. Most traditional designers
charge more for their services and also
make a profit selling furniture, which often
takes months to arrive-so gratification
is delayed."

Redesign is a quick and cost effective
process (ranging from $300 to $600
depending on a room's size and contents)
that's useful in any number of situations.
It eliminates decorator's block-the result
of staring at the same objects day in and
day out-and offers a safety net for less-than-
daring homeowners in the market
for a new look. It suits families who must
readjust to a new floor plan; newlyweds
who want to "blend" their belongings;
or an open house that requires staging
(though, in that case, the final result
showcases the home, rather than
the personal belongings of the owners).
Ruthanne Hatfield and her husband,
Charlie, teach the redesign process in Napa
at their business called The Art of Interior
Placement. Students from all over the
United States and Canada arrive for a five day
session and receive certification, even
if they have no previous design education
or experience. The Hatfields are members
of Interior Redesign Industry Specialists
(I.R.I.S.) and give instruction on how to
launch a successful career as a redesigner,
which requires marketing know-how and
mastery of the redesign formula-seven
detailed steps that must be followed in
their entirety at all times.

THE PROCESS
Before going to work on a home, a
redesigner must anticipate the needs of the
people who live there. Ruthanne Hatfield
spends one hour in an initial house call
with clients, assessing the lifestyle, taking
mental notes of the room, and touring the
home to discover what furnishings may be
at her disposal. She wants to know what
clients do on their turf: how they live, how
they entertain, how the space needs to
function. Her inspiration-that genuine,
and truly exciting "Aha!" moment-can
come as early as this initial meeting, or as
late as two hours into the project on the
day of the makeover.
Certified redesigner Janice Brown,
president of J. Marie Design in Vacaville, will
typically do a rough sketch prior to a redesign
to test out various furniture configurations.
"But the final look doesn't usually come
together until I actually start working in the
room," she says. "Once I get started, it's clear
what works and what doesn't."

Step one: Empty the room
The room is cleared to reveal its basic
bone structure, but before a single item of
furniture is moved back in, the space itself
examined. What does it already have
going for it? To the expert eye, architectural
highlights of the raw space are apparent,
for example; the magnificent window in
the Angwin home (pictured).

Step two: Shop around
It's common for a redesigner to dart off to
other parts of the house in search of hidden
treasures, including furniture or possessions
that have been overlooked, forgotten or
misplaced. Any space is fair game-the
garage, attic, closets, even the garden-as
long as the homeowner approves. In some
instances, the bathroom is a treasure
trove of artwork, floral arrangements and
antiques that can be incorporated into
another room. In the living room of the
home pictured on page 86 and 87, a chic
arrangement of antique stools was created
after the Hatfields discovered a second
stool in another region of the house. The
scavenging process, called "shopping,"
often yields surprising results. "I've found
the perfect sized vase in the throw-out
pile in the back yard; a kitschy wooden
moose decoupage in the garage to bring a
masculine touch to a feminine room; a red
throw (among) Christmas decorations for
room with little color," says redesigner
Marsha Feldman of Stripes and Solids in
Davis. "No place is strange. I spot things
with good visual appeal and try to work
them in to create a lively environment."

Step three: Put the furniture back
From here, it's a matter of reintroducing
the bulk of the room-the upholstered
furniture-in a way that will enhance the
architectural features of the space. Large
pieces like sofas, chairs or a piano can work
Such was the case with a magnificent
grand piano in a St. Helena living room.
"When you walked into the room, that's
really all you saw," Hatfield says. "It didn't
invite you in. I think the prettiest way to
showcase a piano is so that people sitting
in the room are looking at the keys, rather
than the back."
Additionally, the original gray sofa
in the "before" photo was swapped for a
black leather model that had formerly been
in the family room. To complement the
room's spectacular view of the valley, it was
turned at an angle so that it would face the
window as well as the pretty curio cabinets
in the corner.

Step four: Arrange the lighting
Modest furnishings come alive with
optimum lighting, and even the most
beautiful room loses its appeal if lighted
incorrectly. "This is one aspect of design
that can make the difference between a
room that families love to spend time in
and one that just never feels comfortable
and doesn't get used much," says Brown.
Overhead lighting is often harsh and
unflattering, so redesigners typically favor
the use of floor lamps spaced in a diagonal
or triangular configuration, as was done in
the St. Helena home.

Step five: Rearrange the artwork
For most people, problems arise with
artwork when they are hanging two or
three frames vertically or horizontally,
says Charlie Hatfield. "(In a horizontal
grouping), you want to get them all to
be at the same height at the bottom;
(in a vertical grouping) you must have
them line up directly over one another
with the darkest or heaviest-appearing at
the bottom," he says. This requires the
skilled use of a tape measure, level, a small
hammer, and properly sized picture hooks
so you don't end up punching multiple
holes in the walls.

Step six: Replace the accessories
In this playful styling stage, a room's chutzpah
is reintroduced. Existing decorative touches
are put back one by one, but with a careful
eye. To add a splash of color and texture to
a family gathering hub, Ruthanne Hatfield
groups throw pillows together on the "heavy"
end of the sofa-the one closest to the end
table or lamp. Her tabletop creations are
dazzling displays where disparate accessories
are pulled together, always in odd-numbered
arrangements.
Similarly, Marsha Feldman has a
knack for arranging items in sets of three.
"I try to make collections of accessories-
three things that relate to each other, like
three spoons, three glass items, or three
wooden objects," she says. These small
touches lend a big finish.

Step seven: Compile a wish list
It's the moment of truth, when the
gleaming "new" room is revealed to the
homeowners (who typically stay out of
the house during the day to add to the
suspense of the makeover process). Though
each redesigned home is unique, the results
are one in the same: a visually stimulating,
functional living space that showcases the
style of the people who inhabit it. "Some
(homeowners) take a look around (at
the outcome) and start crying," Charlie
Hatfield says. "The first time it happened
I thought, 'Boy, what did we do wrong?'
But they were tears of joy. You can tell
you hit a chord when they just stand
there mesmerized. That's what makes this
worthwhile for us."

THE FINAL RESULT
When it's done right, each room that's
been redesigned will grow with its
owners and accommodate changing art,
accessories and furniture. The owner is
presented with a wish list, created by the
redesigner, which includes items they can
replace or add in the future as the budget
allows. Some consider it a blueprint
for future purchases that will eliminate
future decorating mistakes. "Since I don't
sell anything, whatever I tell (clients) is
completely objective," says Janice Brown.
Many redesigners, Brown included, will
assist in selecting new items and charge
an hourly rate. But a redesigner with
a knack often can find stylish pieces at
reasonable prices.

THE ART OF REARRANGEMENT
Learn the principles-and the pitfalls-the pros know.
• Arranging your room with the change of seasons will
help you feel comfortable year-round. Come winter, 
arrange your surroundings to call attention to the 
fireplace. Use a large window as a focal point in the spring.
• For dramatic impact, always have something tall-
candlesticks, fl oral arrangements-on the coffee table.
This takes up "dead space" in the center of a room.
• In rooms where you spend most of your time seated,
position artwork at eye level ... where your eye falls 
when you are seated.
• Placing furniture against the walls of a room is 
a common mistake. Don't be afraid to let your sofa 
"float" toward the center of the room.
Don't over accessorize, especially with pieces 
that are too small. Small artwork is often "swallowed 
up" by a large wall.
• To find a redesigner, visit www.interiorplacements.com, 
www.interiorredesigndirectory.com or
www.weredesign.com.


-SOLANO MAGAZINE