Home Sweet Home Improvement

It may happen one day when you open the front door to the place you have called home for a decade, or it may be the light bulb that goes off in your mind when you walk into the new house that is to become home. Either way, your eye tells you that something more could be done, some color here, a change of furniture there, a better use of that “bonus room” or more light in the kitchen. Where to start? - A phone call to Gerald Sowell Interior Design.

Gerald “Gerry” Sowell has been a fixture in the greater Los Angeles interior design community for nearly three decades. He received his undergraduate degree in Interior Architecture from Woodbury University in Burbank and furthered his artistic education with a Master of Arts Degree in Art History from UCLA in 1976. To Sowell and his Project Manager/Co-Designer Emory Story, being well versed in the visual arts is an essential part of bringing a client’s vision of their home to reality. For Gerry, that education has been focused on traditional design, combined with an understanding of English, French and Classical furniture, fabrics, and accents. Story compliments that education and experience with her own specialization in Asian contemporary design and more minimalist approaches.

Says Sowell, “My two strongest assets are having a good eye for color and my knowledge of textiles and furniture history. Most of my clients associate me with very warm and inviting interiors. I was blessed with a loving and warm family, and it definitely influences my work. I like to create rooms where people feel comfortable and where they can put their feet up while staying true to my client’s vision.”

That sentiment is echoed by Story, who in her capacity as Project Manager, helps to ensure that projects are completed on time, on budget, and to the satisfaction of the homeowner. “It’s important to find a designer who has clear ideas and unique tastes, but who also does not try to convince the homeowner that their vision is wrong for their home. At the end of the day, we want the client to open the door and know that we made their dream a reality, that we helped bring focus to a vision that existed only in their mind’s eye.”

An interior renovation can be a major project. Both Sowell and Story agree that it begins with establishing a creative and collaborative dialogue with the client. They prefer that the homeowner be intimately involved every step along the way so that both the practical and aesthetic needs of the family are met through the design process. This helps make the project, “…more unique and more personal to each client,” says Story.

Sowell couldn’t agree more. “Creating your personal environment should be a simple, pleasant experience and not an ordeal. Therefore, anything I can do to make the entire process easier for a client is a pleasure for me.”

From the traditional to the eclectic, the professionals at Sowell Interior Design have the education and experience to transform your home environment. Whether the style is Country French, Contemporary Minimalist, or Eclectic, however, the architecture and the client sensibilities ultimately dictate the outcome for each interior design.

For Sowell, his favorite challenge is to work with older homes doing traditional design. Services range from a single consultation for one room makeovers and small home redesign, to full home design projects, working with general contractors, faux painters, muralists, custom drapery makers, bedding seamstresses, and custom furniture upholsterers.

On large projects, everybody tends to have their own viewpoint. It is the designer who maintains the client’s vision throughout the process and assures that the project doesn’t get into trouble with too many conflicting points of view,” notes Gerry.

Sowell’s work has frequently been on display at showcase houses in the San Fernando and San Gabriel Valleys and throughout Los Angeles.

So if he could live in any era of any country, what architectural style and décor would he find the most comfortable in which to spend the rest of his life? He doesn’t hesitate a moment in his reply. “Somewhere on the East Coast and especially in New England. Those areas are so rich in history and architecture and I could easily envision living in a saltbox house or something in the Georgian or Federal style. And since my birth sign is a Pisces, anything near the water with a bit of nautical thrown in would definitely be home sweet home!”

An initial project evaluation with Sowell and Story is free, while a design consultation that includes ideas and direction is at the regular hourly rate. Prospective clients are invited to visit Sowell’s website at www.designsbygerald.com, call 323.461.2271 or 310.880.3042 or email a request for an appointment to emorystory@verizon.net or gsowell@prodigy.net.

Photo by Peter Christianson Valli: Guest Suite from Wellness Community Design Showcase in 2005.